Labadee, Haiti stops...affected by local unrest?

[Dreamer68]

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

 

I was going to say something similar.  NYC has 30,000 armed guards (policeman) and yet I have a better chance of being a victim of crime there instead of Labadee.  Same goes for any city.

Excellent point! I had forgotten to consider that of North America...coz I'm Canadian. We pulled off major world events including several Olympic games with barely a gun in sight amongst our law enforcement officers. 👌

[Dreamer68]

5 hours ago, firefly333 said:

It's very cut off from the rest of the island. I took a boat excursion along the shore to see a little but you have no access to the rest of Haiti. 

 

I see smokey beat me. A ongoing thread started just Wednesday you can read.

 

 

 

Thank you!! I do not know why that post did not come up for me looking through the RCCL forum. I will read more slowly. I went till page 8, used the Search tool, and then gave up and chose to ask the question. This explains some curt responses here. 

[HBE4]

37 minutes ago, Dreamer68 said:

 Now I will be more careful about asking what might sound like an ignorant question to those who have cruised lots.

 

29 minutes ago, Dreamer68 said:

I did. I am sorry I am not frequent enough a cruiser to know where to go and how specific to make my search queries.

 

No need to apologize as you did nothing wrong.  There are literally hundreds of duplicate threads on CC discussing tips, dress code (or lack thereof), Diamond Lounge, specialty restaurants, etc that 2 threads on Labdee are hardy a drop in the bucket.

 

The CC community is populated with many people, some that hang out here all day, every day to those that stop by once every few years. The whole purpose of these forums is to share information, why some of the regulars choose to offer curt responses instead is beyond me.  I guess self-entertainment?

 

Anyways, ask what you want  as often as you like. Don't be deterred.

 

[PhillyFan33579]

Worried about going to Labadee because of unrest on the other side of the country would be like not going to Jacksonville because of unrest in Miami. 

[HBE4]

25 minutes ago, Dreamer68 said:

Excellent point! I had forgotten to consider that of North America...coz I'm Canadian. We pulled off major world events including several Olympic games with barely a gun in sight amongst our law enforcement officers. 👌

 

About a year ago, there was a thread on Labadee started by someone to the effect that Labadee was taken over by heavily armed gangs so fierce the police were afraid of them. They were squatting in the dormitories , destroying the infrastructure and stealing everything of value (?). Maybe beach chairs?

 

Anyways, none of that was true and the first cruise ships to return after the pandemic found it to be in pristine shape. If the ship docks at Labadee, you can be assured it's safe to visit.  Royal is not going to risk a PR nightmare by having their passengers kidnapped or their ship hijacked, if that's even possible.

 

[crusinthrough]

16 hours ago, Dreamer68 said:

DH is leaning away from choosing RCL for now because of the Haiti stop on the itinerary but I'd like to try RCL.

RC has many itineraries that do not include a port stop in Labadee.  

Edited October 29, 2022 by crusinthrough

[crusinthrough]

14 hours ago, CanHardlyWait4NextYear said:

"Armed guards at the gate". "Just another beach day". Lol. I'll take the other side of the argument here. I think there is the potential for folks to have a false sense of security about this location. 

I thought people felt safer with a police presence?  

 

I have never seen the  "gate" or armed guards in Labadee that are often referenced on CC.  I'm 100% sure there are guards and RC is protecting the island 24/7/365.  However, the "gate" and guards are not in plain sight.  

 

Conversely, I've witnessed armed guards walking down the pier in other ports but have not read threads on the safety.

 

It's nice to have choices.  You get too exercise yours by choosing a non Labadee itinerary but fear mongering isn't necessary. 

Edited October 29, 2022 by crusinthrough

[lcpagejr]

27 minutes ago, crusinthrough said:

I thought people felt safer with a police presence?  

 

I have never seen the  "gate" or armed guards in Labadee that are often referenced on CC.  I'm 100% sure there are guards and RC is protecting the island 24/7/365.  However, the "gate" and guards are not in plain sight.  

 

Conversely, I've witnessed armed guards walking down the pier in other ports but have not read threads on the safety.

 

It's nice to have choices.  You get too exercise yours by choosing a non Labadee itinerary but fear mongering isn't necessary. 

Totally agree... There are several other island countries I feel more uncomfortable on...Jamaica  leads the list

[CanHardlyWait4NextYear]

34 minutes ago, crusinthrough said:

I thought people felt safer with a police presence?  

 

I have never seen the  "gate" or armed guards in Labadee that are often referenced on CC.  I'm 100% sure there are guards and RC is protecting the island 24/7/365.  However, the "gate" and guards are not in plain sight.  

 

Conversely, I've witnessed armed guards walking down the pier in other ports but have not read threads on the safety.

 

It's nice to have choices.  You get too exercise yours by choosing a non Labadee itinerary but fear mongering isn't necessary. 

NOBODY was fear mongering. Just giving my own personal opinion. 

[TheHawk1]

14 hours ago, mek said:

To each his own.  I've never felt unsafe at Labadee and figure I'm just as likely to be a victim of violence at my local Walmart as I am at a beautiful, relaxing port in the Caribbean.

Coming from a country where people are packing heat just to go to the grocery store, then I’m sure someone guarding you with an assault rifle while you sip labadoozies on an island beach seems perfectly normal. For the rest of the world, not so much.

[smokeybandit]

4 minutes ago, TheHawk1 said:

Coming from a country where people are packing heat just to go to the grocery store, then I’m sure someone guarding you with an assault rifle while you sip labadoozies on an island beach seems perfectly normal. For the rest of the world, not so much.

Then Caribbean cruises aren't for you if the sight of armed guards is concerning.

[BecciBoo]

17 hours ago, Dreamer68 said:

I know it's a private island...

Actually a peninsula with a tall fence:

 

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by BecciBoo

[smokeybandit]

7 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

Actually a peninsula with a tall fence:

 

"Private island" flows off the tongue much better than "private peninsula" though.

[BecciBoo]

I always think of Good Morning Viet Nam when I hear the word Peninsula!  "Say, didn't we meet last year at the Peninsula Club"!  LOL

[not-enough-cruising]

21 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Then Caribbean cruises aren't for you if the sight of armed guards is concerning.

Nor is most of Europe, heck the grounds surrounding the Eiffel Tower looks like a DMZ

[mek]

6 hours ago, TheHawk1 said:

Coming from a country where people are packing heat just to go to the grocery store, then I’m sure someone guarding you with an assault rifle while you sip labadoozies on an island beach seems perfectly normal. For the rest of the world, not so much.

LOL- because the rest of the world is so non-violent.

[sfaaa]

7 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

Actually a peninsula with a tall fence:

 

 

A flimsy fence and gate topped with rusty barb wire a pick up truck can easily crashes through. And does anyone really think those rent-a-cop armed guards ( I counted 4 last time I was there) would lay their lives on the line to protect a bunch of foreign tourists off a cruise ship when leads fly? Perception can sometimes be misleading. That said, if anyone feels comfortable visiting Labedee, by all means go.

Edited October 29, 2022 by sfaaa

[volunteer cruiser]

Was on the Allure recently, had a nice beach day on Labadee, October 17th.  Did not see any disruptions.

[smokeybandit]

7 minutes ago, sfaaa said:

That said, if anyone feels comfortable visiting Labedee, by all means go.

Quick, when was the last time gangs stormed those walls and invaded the resort? 

 

People forget unrest in Cozumel a few years ago when the ferries were being firebombed. But no one is concerned about safety there.

[sfaaa]

11 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Quick, when was the last time gangs stormed those walls and invaded the resort? 

 

They don't need to. Whatever RCCL did behind the scene is enough to keep the gangs happy and leave Labedee alone. If you think Labedee is not a target, just look at how desperate the Haitians are. Many of them live in total proverty and have practically nothing.

Edited October 29, 2022 by sfaaa

[smokeybandit]

I don't get why people want to make Labadee out to be some unsafe, scary place that people are risking their life every time they step on the dock. 

 

Heck even during the shutdown, people were spreading rumors that locals had overtaken the resort and trashed it.

[sailor05]

20 hours ago, Dreamer68 said:

THANK YOU! I am not privileged enough to be a regular. I appreciate your patience and help.

I DID use the Search tool but I suppose I  made my search term too specific. I did not have time to go through ALL Labadee...and I did check the RCCL's list of forum topics...starting on page one and it was all about specific cruises that were not helpful to me. I already read a bunch of blogposts but figured I'd reach out to the CC community. Now I will be more careful about asking what might sound like an ignorant question to those who have cruised lots.

You have to excuse the jerks on here. The "other place" has become SO much better because of the lack of no-lifers who have nothing better than to criticize others. They assume that you also have no life and live on here....

[rockmom]

1 minute ago, smokeybandit said:

 

Heck even during the shutdown, people were spreading rumors that locals had overtaken the resort and trashed it.

They got it confused with Portland, OR.  (I live near there, that was way worse than anything in Labadee)  

[Tree_skier]

23 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

There are several other popular Caribbean port stops that have gates and armed guards, too.

 

23 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Exactly, years ago, our first time in Cozumel there was local military with armed vehicles, machine guns, etc if you went the wrong direction after leaving the port area.

Yes, that scared us but we simply turned around and went about our day.

 

 

Rome circa 2017

 

8 hours ago, TheHawk1 said:

Coming from a country where people are packing heat just to go to the grocery store, then I’m sure someone guarding you with an assault rifle while you sip labadoozies on an island beach seems perfectly normal. For the rest of the world, not so much.

 

Murder rate in Vancouver for the year 2021 = 60

Murder rate in Seattle for the year 2021= 40

 

Similar populations, similar demographics, similar politics, two and half hours apart separated by an international border..  

 

 

[baldilocks]

On 10/28/2022 at 7:31 PM, BirdTravels said:

First it is not a private island. It is a resort in Haiti. It is relatively isolated and protected by armed guards at the gate. The past and current unrest has not affected RCCL from using it as a port call.  Just another beach day. We were there earlier this year. No indication of problems. 

 

A couple of years back, Royal would not anyone leave the ship as the local protests came by the boat load to Labadee. The completely circumvented the guards.