Is labadee open?

[LATTELOVE]

 I Heard in the news this evening that 2 of the American missionaries 

that were kidnapped in Haiti  a month or two ago were released today.

Happy to see that at least there are two freed.  Now praying for the rest of them,

hoping something is done soon. 

[sfaaa]

Question is how much ransom was paid to free the two.

[melbur]

Unlikely anytime soon

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/haiti-travel-advisory.html

[melbur]

 duplicate

Edited November 22, 2021 by melbur
duplicate

[LATTELOVE]

16 hours ago, sfaaa said:

Question is how much ransom was paid to free the two.

Did not hear about a ransom 

being done.

 

[sfaaa]

I doubt these gangsters would release the two hostages out of their kind hearts. They grabbed them to get paid.

[ZoeyVictoria]

I loved going to Labadee, even though the last time I was there one of the beach attendants tried to talk me into giving him slightly less than Royal’s price for a floating mat, which he would obtain from a friend in the mat rental area.  But now, I would not be comfortable going there until it had been reopened for at least six months without incident.

[Zach1213]

4 hours ago, LATTELOVE said:

Did not hear about a ransom 

being done.

 

 

I've been to several places where I needed armed guards. Have also been to Haiti a few times but never felt too worried. Unless they got annoyed with the people, they weren't releasing them without some kind of...uh..."reward". 

[BND]

5 hours ago, LATTELOVE said:

Did not hear about a ransom 

being done.

 

And you probably won't.  Official US position is US Gov doesn't pay ransoms and if it was done privately, well it was done privately.

[Iamcruzin]

On 11/19/2021 at 8:03 AM, BND said:

Did you go near the fenced area?  That's where you would have seen the increased security presence and kids begging for money as they can't cross into the actual resort area. Heck the adults beg for money.  They're not supposed to ask for tips for moving chairs, etc.  but they do.  The store isn't pushy, but the straw market area is horrible.  We avoid that area. We've been to Labadee at least 7 times starting in 2010 a couple of months after the dock was finished and our last time was 2018 or 2019.  We were there about two months after the big earthquake in 2010.

No I went directly to the water. I have no interests in looking a fence. I have one surrounding my yard at home. 

[zekekelso]

On 11/22/2021 at 4:52 PM, Zach1213 said:

Unless they got annoyed with the people, they weren't releasing them without some kind of...uh..."reward". 

Apparently the gang is question has a history of releasing people with medical issues. No idea if that’s because they have some decency, or because, like everyone else, they don’t like being around sick people. No word if this particular release had anything to do with medical issues, but it’s a possibility. 
 

Side note: when you have enough history with a kidnapping gang that they have a pattern, that’s not a good sign for cruising returning. 

[Zach1213]

1 hour ago, zekekelso said:

Side note: when you have enough history with a kidnapping gang that they have a pattern, that’s not a good sign for cruising returning. 

 

Cruising is no stranger of going to countries where there is a history of gang warfare, kidnapping, or terrorism. I wouldn't say that's the reason they may not return to Haiti (though it's not a check in the plus column, either). I would say more generalized security concerns + instability with seemingly constant natural disasters + the current (and possibly long term) government instability will do Labadee in, at least for a while if not permanently. 

[jsf]

We are due to go to Labadee next Sept. and on one site I see that Bonaire is the replacement, I can't verify that on any other site. I guess we will have to just wait and see what happens.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Given how politically unstable Haiti is, I'm mildly surprised Labadee got built to begin with.  It's a very precarious act: one false move, and the whole thing gets attacked by local gangs.  RCCL would be better off putting up a private "island" on the Dominican Republic side, like CCL did in Puerto Plata.   That side is much more politically stable, so the risk of trouble is lower.  Or a toned-down version of Coco Cay in the Bahamas; it's still a poor country, but it's mostly stable.

Edited November 30, 2021 by LandlockedCruiser01

[AstoriaPreppy]

16 hours ago, jsf said:

We are due to go to Labadee next Sept. and on one site I see that Bonaire is the replacement, I can't verify that on any other site. I guess we will have to just wait and see what happens.

Bonaire would be a head-scratcher of a replacement island. Unless you're on an ABC islands cruise (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), lines don't normally venture there as a one-off stop. That said, I wouldn't complain... Bonaire has some of the best reefs and and eco tourism experiences in the Caribbean. 

[tx_rach]

22 hours ago, jsf said:

We are due to go to Labadee next Sept. and on one site I see that Bonaire is the replacement, I can't verify that on any other site. I guess we will have to just wait and see what happens.

Where did you see what the possible replacement stop is?

[jsf]

23 minutes ago, tx_rach said:

Where did you see what the possible replacement stop is?

I saw it on one the cruise selling sites, I don't recall witch one. That is why I can't confirm if it's true, one can only hope.

[cruiselvr04]

Bonaire is too far south to be a replacement unless they change the whole schedule.  Bonaire is wonderful but not that big of an island to support large ships coming in frequently.  Not sure how big of a ship it can even take pier wise.  From Bonaire it’s 2 sea days back to Florida.  

 

I’d love for Royal to find a private place in the western Caribbean.  We miss the private islands out of Galveston.  Those are always my favorite days.  Easy off and on.  Beach.  Food included.  I booked a CocoCay/ Labadee trip once but sadly it didn’t happen due to Covid.

[Beagle Rancher]

It could be Bonaire. I have a cruise that is going to Aruba, Curaçao, and supposedly Labadee. 

[cruiselvr04]

Ah,   Now that makes sense.  We’ve done the ABC several times.  Great itinerary!

[notmyrealnameoremail]

On 11/20/2021 at 5:43 PM, StanleyandGus said:

We are on a cruise out of Galveston that is supposed to go to Falmouth on January 30th. However, it’s also supposed to go to Georgetown, Grand Cayman. I have no idea where we are going, but there probably won’t be snow, so that works!

 

The Adventure of the Seas stopped at Falmouth all summer when it was sailing out of Nassau.

[LATTELOVE]

So happy today,

The missionaries from Ohio who were kidnapped

in Haiti 3 months ago, were released today.

Very thankful that they will be home for Christmas

with their families.

Thank God!!