Royal Caribbean is planning to continue sailing to its private destination in Labadee, Haiti even after reports of recent unrest in other parts of the country.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned all flights to Haiti after a Spirit Airlines airplane was shot at while attempting to land in Port-au-Prince on Monday. A flight attendant was injured in the gunfire.
Other reports of aircraft being riddled with bullets prompted a temporary shutdown of the airport as well.
During the 30-day ban, the FAA is not permitting any planes to fly under 10,000 feet over Haiti.
Royal Caribbean has 9 more scheduled visits to Labadee in November and 18 more planned in December of this year.
Labadee, Haiti
But the 250-acre private area is quite separate from the rest of the country that is facing civil unrest and is 128 miles from the capital city.
The cruise port area is surrounded by fencing and barriers and is patrolled by a security team that utilizes security systems and measures to keep cruise passengers safe.
The cruise line continues to keep on eye on the developments in the region, though, telling NBC, “The safety and security of our guests, crew, and communities we visit are our top priority. Our Global Security and Intelligence Team continuously monitors the situation in Haiti.”
Impact on Shore Excursions
While cruise passengers will continue to see Labadee on their itineraries, there are some changes Royal Caribbean has had to make.
Some shore excursions are no longer available in Haiti. Several tours and boat rides off the coast of Haiti are being suspended for now as the cruise line tries to keep its guests safe.
Passengers have stated that some excursions like snorkeling, fishing, and any activity that went too far from the cruise port were cancelled.
Impacted guests have been notified of these changes and have been refunded for shore excursions that were already booked.
A letter sent to passengers stated, “As we return to visiting Labadee, we’re phasing the rollout of some of our tours and temporarily adjusting our tour offerings. As a result, we’ve cancelled your excursion and issued a full refund to your original form of payment.”
Unrest in Haiti
Several commercial flights were targeted by armed groups at the nation’s largest airport this week, but unrest and violence have been an ongoing issue for several years now.
Political instability and a difficult economic situation have led to gang violence that caused Royal Caribbean to stop sailing to the area back in March of 2024.
It was just in October that the cruise line decided to come back to the country, having confidence in the security of the private destination of Labadee.
Cruise Lines to Haiti
Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line to call on Labadee right now. Celebrity Cruises, owned by the same parent company, has removed Haiti from all sailings in the near future.
Some 2025 sailings for Celebrity still have Labadee, Haiti listed as a port of call, but the company is still monitoring the situation as well.
