Royal Caribbean has once again halted visits to one of its most beloved and problematic Caribbean destinations as it prioritizes passenger safety.
The cruise line has been busy rerouting ships to other destinations to offer passengers an alternate port to visit on most impacted itineraries, but it hasn’t been able to find a replacement port for every ship.
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Some cruise passengers recently got the disappointing news that their cruise will have one less port stop as the cruise line puts a hold on calls to Labadee, its private destination on Haiti’s northern coast.
Although Labadee is a secure cruise line facility that’s far from Haiti’s violence-plagued capital of Port-au-Prince, gang violence has recently expanded to areas outside of the capital city. Because of this, Royal Caribbean is pausing visits to Labadee out of an abundance of caution.
The cruise line previously suspended calls to Labadee amid escalating conflict for several months in 2024, but resumed visits in October. Many passengers have enjoyed visiting Labadee on recent sailings, but cruisers who were looking forward to a Labadee beach day this spring will unfortunately miss out.
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Cruisers love Labadee for its natural beauty and tranquil vibe.
Image source: Daniel Kline/ComeCruiseWith.com
Upcoming Icon of the Seas sailing swaps Labadee for sea day
Royal Caribbean notified passengers booked on the May 3 sailing of Icon of the Seas that instead of visiting Labadee, they will spend an additional day at sea, according to RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com, an unofficial fan blog not affiliated with the cruise line.
“We have been monitoring the evolving situation in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and out of an abundance of caution, we’re swapping out our visit to Labadee for a Sea Day,” Royal Caribbean explained in the email to passengers.
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On sailings aboard other ships, Royal Caribbean replaced Labadee with another port like Falmouth, Jamaica or Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, but finding a last-minute replacement port with an available berth that can accommodate the world’s largest cruise ship is a tricky task.
Of course, Royal Caribbean understands that swapping a port day for a sea day is disappointing for many passengers, so it took a couple of steps to soften the blow.
First, the cruise line adjusted its arrival and departure times for a port stop earlier in the cruise, Ponce, Puerto Rico, to give passengers more port time there.
Royal Caribbean offers passengers onboard credit for skipped port
Additionally, as a token of appreciation for their understanding, Royal Caribbean offered passengers a per-stateroom credit to spend on board the ship:
$75 for interior and ocean view staterooms$100 for balcony staterooms$150 for suitesPlus, an additional $25 for each third or more passenger in the stateroom
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause — your safety is our top priority. We appreciate your understanding,” the email read.
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At this time, it’s unclear how long Royal Caribbean’s pause on Labadee stops may last, but if it continues for months like the last one, this Icon of the Seas sailing may not be the only cruise forced to spend an additional day at sea as a result.
Most sailings will get a replacement port to visit, however. Royal Caribbean will notify passengers by email of any itinerary changes.
Haiti remains under a Level 4: Do Not Travel Advisory from the U.S. State Department. On April 13, the U.S. Embassy in Haiti issued a security alert about rising levels of violence and insecurity, as well as threats and attacks against security forces and prisons, in areas outside of Port-au-Prince.
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