Royal Caribbean shuts down trips to Haiti. Here’s where its cruise ships are going instead.

Ron Hurtibise, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
·3 min read

Royal Caribbean announced suspensions of planned stops to Labadee, the cruise line’s private resort on Haiti’s northern shore, in the wake of continued violence and lawlessness in the island nation.

The announcement on Thursday came a day after Royal Caribbean said it would continue stopping at its private resort while “monitoring” for safety threats.

“The safety and security of our guests, crew, and communities we visit are our top priority. Our Global Security and Intel Team is closely monitoring the evolving situation in Haiti, and in an abundance of caution, we are temporarily making adjustments to sailings visiting Labadee,” the cruise line announced.

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So far, the suspension is in effect until March 22, the cruise line said. Plans beyond that date will be announced as decisions are made.

“We will continue to monitor and reassess calls as needed, and will communicate updates with guests directly,” the statement said.

The U.S. State Department has maintained a “Do Not Travel” advisory for Haiti since July 27, 2023, due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure. “Kidnapping is widespread and victims regularly include U.S. citizens,” the alert states.

The situation took a turn for the worse in early March as gangs attacked government buildings and the National Penitentiary, releasing an estimated 4,000 inmates. This week, Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation.

Labadee is an enclosed resort, built on a peninsula accessible only to Royal Caribbean guests and employees, that the cruise line has leased since the 1980s. The 260-acre property is located about 130 miles north of Port-au-Prince, where most of the violence is taking place. Travel by car from the capital to the resort takes six to eight hours.

The resort features a roller coaster, fishing and jet-ski areas, cabanas and beach access. Private security protects cruise ship customers when Royal Caribbean’s ships stop there.

Itineraries of six ships will be affected by the suspension, which is scheduled to last through March 22.

Five of the six ships depart from Florida ports. They are:

Symphony of the Seas, departing Port Everglades on March 18. Labadee stop replaced by a sea day. Falmouth, Jamaica call time adjusted to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Explorer of the Seas, departing Port Miami on March 17. Labadee stop replaced by Perfect Day at Coco Cay with a call time of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Oasis of the Seas, departing Port Miami on March 17. Labadee stop replaced by Falmouth, Jamaica, with a call time of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Grandeur of the Seas, departing Port Miami on March 18. Labadee stop replaced by Perfect Day at CocoCay with a call time of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Adventure of the Seas, departing Port Canaveral on March 15. Labadee stop replaced by Grand Turk with a call time of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mariner of the Seas, departing Port Canaveral on March 16. Labadee stop replaced by Nassau, Bahamas with a call time of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This is not the first time Royal Caribbean has suspended stops to Labadee because of unrest in Haiti.

In 2016, the cruise line canceled three stops by Freedom of the Seas after encountering local residents in small boats staging a protest.

Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.