Haiti stricken by 7.0 magnitude earthquake

[BND]

On the news last night it said that the risk of disease will definately be elevated for the survivors. Things like gastro intestinal diseases and tuberculosis. Wether that would effect Labadee remains to be seen. Still it is a genuine concern and should not be dismissed lightly.

 

How could those possibly affect Labadee? GI diseases such as cholera are spread through contaminated water, right? Not a problem at Labadee. TB needs person to person very close contact, not easily spread to healthy people at all and Labadee is a little bit far away from where the possibility of these diseases exist. Neither of those will be an issue outside of the areas with major damage and deaths. There's TB in the US, btw. And cholera is a problem in a lot of countries who don't have good water sanitation. So, unless you plan on traveling into the areas directly affected, then it's not a concern.

[Sally Forth]

I am assuming most Labadee workers live in Cap-Haitien, would that be right?

 

The guide we had lived only a mile from Labadee. I never realized how close Cap-Haitien is to Labadee until I just looked it up. I wonder if the ship purposely approaches from the west so you don't see how close the city is?

 

Viv

[La Jollans love to cruise]

I think there is more of a chance of another earthquake happening than getting a disease from a dead body. But, If it did happen you would (I think be safer on the beach in Labadee than in a building somewhere. Just hang on to a palm tree. :D And if it's huge and we all fall into the sea, then it must be our time to go. Seriously though, I hate earthquakes. I have been in every major one since 1971. Whittier "1987, Moved to Santa Clara , the higway bridge fell on everyone "1988" moved back had the northridge one "93"and the big bear one "95 I think". It is not fun waking up at 2 am having the house fall down around you. This is the reason I moved to Las Vegas:D But you know , there is radiation in Vegas so :eek::eek::eek:

Earthquakes do come in 3's so Let's see Northern Ca last week, Haiti this week. Seems like So. Ca due for another! Best bet, Go to Labadee and hang on to a palm tree with a life vest on in case of a tsunami. I will be there Jan 24th, 2010. I'll be the one with a life vest on:cool:

 

Please let me know if you are ever in San Diego. With your track record I would think "the big one" would hit.

[cloudancer]

Please let me know if you are ever in San Diego. With your track record I would think "the big one" would hit.

Ya honestly they seem to follow me, it really stinks!!!:(

[Gunrunner1]

ITA - I'm going on Freedom on Feb 7th and we'll be in Labadee for our first stop. I have a running conversation with some of our roll call group about what we could do, and the consensus is shop, shop, shop to put some money in the economy. But I'm not convinced that buying a couple hundred dollars' worth of tchotkes that I will end up giving to Goodwill is going to do me or Haitians in need a whole lot of good.

 

I've read that RCCL is stocking the cruise ships with relief supplies and taking them to the ports, so that is something. I also like the other idea about taking bags with toiletries, etc, but . . . I dunno. It's tricky.

 

I don't *think* I'm worried about disease three weeks out, but I also don't think you should make fun of anybody who is concerned - nobody wants to take a leisurely vacation in a devastated country, feel guilty about being a beach bum while folks 100 miles away are dying, do nothing to help, and then go home with dengue fever, malaria or typhoid.

 

I am fairly new at CRUISING but just yesterday I watched a show called "cruising INC, Big money on the high Seas..." from what I understand...the revenue brought in on these "private islands" is entirely put into the coffers of the respective cruise lines...Labadee belongs to RCI it's not as though you are shopping in one of the ports cities...the stores and the activities are completely controlled by the cruise line...Check out the Show I mentioned above...very interesting ...you can find it in it's entirety on the web.

[etoile]

I am fairly new at CRUISING but just yesterday I watched a show called "cruising INC, Big money on the high Seas..." from what I understand...the revenue brought in on these "private islands" is entirely put into the coffers of the respective cruise lines...Labadee belongs to RCI it's not as though you are shopping in one of the ports cities...the stores and the activities are completely controlled by the cruise line...Check out the Show I mentioned above...very interesting ...you can find it in it's entirety on the web.

Yes and no. FloridaCoconuts linked above to an article with the following information:

The company employs 230 Haitians at Labadee and generates jobs for another 300 at a straw market.

I also remember reading somewhere else that Labadee employees make more in a month than some other Haitians make in a whole year, but I can't remember where I saw that.

 

There's also this in the article:

In addition, the company said all its net revenue from Labadee will be plowed into relief efforts for a period, though it didn't say how long that would be.

Which is nice.

 

They're also bringing supplies - Navigator is arriving tomorrow with supplies, Liberty on Tuesday, and Celebrity Solstice on Friday. Independence already brought supplies last Friday, they picked them up in Puerto Rico. This is one of the few options for getting supplies to Haiti when the airport is closed down, which it has been more than once since the quake, due to lack of space and lack of fuel.

[cristinalynchcnn]

Hi - CNN is very interested in speaking with a passenger who stopped in Haiti with Royal Caribbean after the earthquake. Please contact cristina.lynch@turner.com.

 

 

Many Thanks!

[Cuizer2]

Well now, sounds like things are about to get interesting.

[Maraprince]

Everytime RCL's calls at Labadee they are dropping off food and other supplies badly needed. Many crew members are from Haiti and probably lost families and everything as well. Labadee is RCL's private island just like Grand Turk or Coco Cay is for other cruise lines.

 

RCL has pumped in a lot of money to expand the port to house the Oasis when it calls there. Every call brings money to the people on Labadee who sell their handicrafts to the passengers. RCL is both an employer and a good source of income for its Haitian crew members and the crafts people on Labadee and is providing a valuable service by dropping off food and supplies every week. Supply planes are having a hard time getting into Haiti while aid by sea is able to make it into the country.

 

So instead of damning RCL for stopping at Labadee understand why they are doing it.

 

MARAPRINCE

[Cuizer2]

Everytime RCL's calls at Labadee they are dropping off food and other supplies badly needed. Many crew members are from Haiti and probably lost families and everything as well. Labadee is RCL's private island just like Grand Turk or Coco Cay is for other cruise lines.

 

 

MARAPRINCE

 

Grand Turk is not a private island. It is open to any cruise line that wants to dock there. Coco Cay is Royal Caribbean's private island (Labadee is Royal Caribbean's private beach).

[phatmack]

Also, the Haitian government gets $6 for every passenger that comes to labadee... at 7,000+ passengers a week this seems like quite a revenue stream that shouldn't be cut off "for a few months while things settle down" as another commenter mentioned. Just my $0.02.

 

Also, The Wife and I were there this past Friday. Definitely had mixed feelings about it. I'd love to contact CNN if I knew they weren't going to spin it negatively but it seems that every article to come out spins it that way with no mention of the $1M that RCI is putting into the relief effort and the $50K that passengers aboard the Indy donated on a moments notice having heard about the quake on board...

[etoile]

Also, the Haitian government gets $6 for every passenger that comes to labadee... at 7,000+ passengers a week this seems like quite a revenue stream that shouldn't be cut off "for a few months while things settle down" as another commenter mentioned. Just my $0.02.

 

Also, The Wife and I were there this past Friday. Definitely had mixed feelings about it. I'd love to contact CNN if I knew they weren't going to spin it negatively but it seems that every article to come out spins it that way with no mention of the $1M that RCI is putting into the relief effort and the $50K that passengers aboard the Indy donated on a moments notice having heard about the quake on board...

I would contact them! Make sure that you get approval for what quotes they use. Let them know that RCI is helping!

[Bold Spirit]

I definitely think RCI should be stopping at Labadee. They are bringing in much needed revenue and aid!!!

[drew sailbum]

I was living in Grand Cayman before the September 2004 landfall of Hurricane Ivan. While Cayman did not have the loss of life that we see today in Haiti, there was widespread damage to about 90% of buildings.

 

For a time most cruise ships simply sailed slowly past on their way between Jamaica and Mexico. But a few, just a few, stopped to off load supplies.

 

Bringing relief supplies to Cayman was no easy task. The ships used their own lifeboats as tenders and had to transfer everything by hand - twice.

 

But cruise ships were some of the only ships available. There simply are not lots of unused ships of the size capable of pulling in to the cargo dock in Cayman. You can't just order up extra ships on a moment's notice.

 

As we are now seeing in Haiti, being able to purchase needed supplies in the wake of a natural disaster is only a part of the solution to the problem. A major hurdle is to deliver the supplies. In the Caribbean, delivery of any significant quantity of supplies requires a ship. Airplanes simply cannot move nearly as much cargo.

 

We already see the difficulties in trying to supply Haiti by air. It just is not working. We need to effect repairs to the dock facilites so we can move real amounts of cargo by sea in a timely manner. The ships that normally service Port-au-Prince can resume runs and will come in fully loaded.

 

As rebuilding continued in Cayman from Hurricane Ivan, only a few short weeks had passed when cruise ship visitors started coming back. The tourism sector which supports so many families had been in tatters. The hotels were not yet open (or if they were open they were housing electrical linesmen and construction workers). The only tourists were coming on the cruise ships. Those visitors put families back to work. With that work the familes had an income to pump into the economy to fuel the rebuilding.

 

So RCCL should be commended. Keep sending in ships. Keep delivering relief supplies. And by all means keep fueling the economy. Haiti needs it now more than ever.

[Cuizer2]

I was living in Grand Cayman before the September 2004 landfall of Hurricane Ivan. While Cayman did not have the loss of life that we see today in Haiti, there was widespread damage to about 90% of buildings.

 

For a time most cruise ships simply sailed slowly past on their way between Jamaica and Mexico. But a few, just a few, stopped to off load supplies.

 

Bringing relief supplies to Cayman was no easy task. The ships used their own lifeboats as tenders and had to transfer everything by hand - twice.

 

But cruise ships were some of the only ships available. There simply are not lots of unused ships of the size capable of pulling in to the cargo dock in Cayman. You can't just order up extra ships on a moment's notice.

 

As we are now seeing in Haiti, being able to purchase needed supplies in the wake of a natural disaster is only a part of the solution to the problem. A major hurdle is to deliver the supplies. In the Caribbean, delivery of any significant quantity of supplies requires a ship. Airplanes simply cannot move nearly as much cargo.

 

We already see the difficulties in trying to supply Haiti by air. It just is not working. We need to effect repairs to the dock facilites so we can move real amounts of cargo by sea in a timely manner. The ships that normally service Port-au-Prince can resume runs and will come in fully loaded.

 

As rebuilding continued in Cayman from Hurricane Ivan, only a few short weeks had passed when cruise ship visitors started coming back. The tourism sector which supports so many families had been in tatters. The hotels were not yet open (or if they were open they were housing electrical linesmen and construction workers). The only tourists were coming on the cruise ships. Those visitors put families back to work. With that work the familes had an income to pump into the economy to fuel the rebuilding.

 

So RCCL should be commended. Keep sending in ships. Keep delivering relief supplies. And by all means keep fueling the economy. Haiti needs it now more than ever.

 

Great post. Thank you for sharing your story.

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

I was accused of being selfish for wanting to cancel and/or rescheduling our scheduled cruise in May, in wake of this awful tragedy in Haiti.

 

But you hit it right on the head when you mention civil unrest & disease that could easily spread due to dire circumstances there.

 

There are hundreds of people dead according to news reports whose bodies may unfortunately never be found & will start decaying especially with the temperatures there. This could pose serious health threats to everyone! This is of MAJOR concern.

Groan! Over-reaction and under-education...:rolleyes:

[Jonas Grumby]

I am fairly new at CRUISING but just yesterday I watched a show called "cruising INC, Big money on the high Seas..." from what I understand...the revenue brought in on these "private islands" is entirely put into the coffers of the respective cruise lines...Labadee belongs to RCI it's not as though you are shopping in one of the ports cities...the stores and the activities are completely controlled by the cruise line...Check out the Show I mentioned above...very interesting ...you can find it in it's entirety on the web.

 

I'll have more to write about this tomorrow, but on our Solstice cruise (ended today), before we docked in Labadee, Celebrity put a note in every cabin to the effect that all proceeds from the Labadee port stop would go to the Haitian relief effort. My understanding is that this has been the case on all four RCL/Celebrity port calls to Labadee since they resumed visits to Haiti. I doubt RCL/Celebrity would open itself up to the legal liability of putting it in writing (to all 2,850 passengers on the Solstice) if it were not true ...

 

Gary

[iguanaeddie]

Thanks for putting it in perspective.

Ed

[Typhoon1]

If they want to stimulate the Haitian economy, the cruises should continue to stop there, and people should spend as much as they can.

[Cuizer2]

Tourism Veteran Speaks Out on Haiti Cruise Calls ...

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3660

[pxy cda]

We received the following from RCCL - note the support highlighted in RED below. They are also working to help Haitian crew members and their families with an employee match donation program and continuing to explore other opportunities to provide aid. Yes RCCL owns Labadee and profits from it - but they are also doing a lot here to give back and support the island in this crisis. I encourage you to click on his blog link for up to date news on RCCL's relief efforts in Haiti.

 

Dear ******,

 

The devastating earthquake in Haiti has saddened us all at

Royal Caribbean® and our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the people of Haiti. I have heard from so many of you about your concerns and how we together can make a difference. I appreciate the valuable feedback, suggestions and ideas that you, our valued Crown & Anchor® Members, have provided and please know that we've taken them all under consideration.

 

There has been debate over our decision to continue our calls on Labadee®. This was not an easy decision to make. Government officials, representatives of the United Nations and even taxi drivers asked us to seriously consider maintaining our visits to Labadee® to ensure the economic stability of this unaffected area of the island. In the end, we focused on the fact that we have been doing business on the island for more than 30 years and we were not going to abandon her in her darkest hour. So we have decided to continue to call on Labadee® as scheduled.

 

All of our ships calling into Labadee® are transporting much needed supplies to Haiti, amounting to over 120 pallets in the first week alone and more is on the way. Our lounge chairs have even become useful as makeshift hospital beds to help treat the injured. Royal Caribbean® has pledged at least $2 million in humanitarian relief including 100% of the net revenue generated during calls to Labadee®. Additionally, guests onboard our ships will have the ability to donate to Food for the Poor's Haiti Relief Fund through their onboard accounts if they elect to do so. In response to numerous suggestions regarding guest participation in the recovery efforts, volunteers on some ships calling into Labadee® can join us in assembling backpacks for kids which we will be donating to the local community.

During this difficult time, it means so much to us to have you standing by our side. As the recovery efforts continue, Royal Caribbean® commits to continue our support for the reconstruction of the nation of Haiti and its people. Please visit

RoyalCaribbean.com/Haiti

to learn about our latest efforts to provide relief and assistance. I will continue to keep everyone updated on our efforts through my

blog

.

 

Sincerely,

Adam Goldstein

President & CEO

Royal Caribbean International®

________________________________________________________________