RCCL stopping in Labadee these days?

[sadiwest]

So my mother the news watcher and worrier is cautioning me against getting off the ship at Labadee due to current unrest. 

 

Has RCCL or might they skip it since it's "their" part of Haiti?

[OCSC Mike]

 

[sadiwest]

1 minute ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

I saw this post just after I posted mine.  I probably wouldn't care as much but we'll have my dd's friend with us. I'd rather not take extra risks with other people's kids. 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, sadiwest said:

I saw this post just after I posted mine.  I probably wouldn't care as much but we'll have my dd's friend with us. I'd rather not take extra risks with other people's kids. 

If it was unsafe, RCCL would not stop there. 

[Miloomar]

If you actually read the travel advisory.. you would see this "Labadee, a port near Cap Haitien in the north - only accessible by cruise ship passengers - has private security and lower rates of reported crime. Travelers should exercise heightened precautions,however, due to increasing insecurity nationwide."

[lcpagejr]

This unrest has been going on for years...same Level Advisory!  It is safe and enjoyable. We were just there several months ago

[sadiwest]

1 hour ago, Miloomar said:

If you actually read the travel advisory.. you would see this "Labadee, a port near Cap Haitien in the north - only accessible by cruise ship passengers - has private security and lower rates of reported crime. Travelers should exercise heightened precautions,however, due to increasing insecurity nationwide."

Always wonder why folks need to add snark to their reply. 

I never claimed to have read it. 

[Miloomar]

2 hours ago, sadiwest said:

Always wonder why folks need to add snark to their reply.

I never claimed to have read it.

I like how you answered your own question there

[sadiwest]

5 minutes ago, Miloomar said:

I like how you answered your own question there

Nor did I claim to know how RCCL handles travel advisories. Good thing you know everything.  

[Carol28]

I was also wondering about this.  American personnel are told to leave.  That's an upgrade from what's 'been going on for years.' I think RCCL will stop going there for a while.  We are supposed to be there in December, so there is time to see what happens. 

[bigque]

Royal will suspend trips there if it gets to the point where they need to as they have done in the past! They are fully aware of the situation and they will not put guest in harms way! 

[prmssk]

Royal has at times in the past cancelled stops to Labadee because of the political situation but Royal isn't bound by US travel advisories.  They make their own call.  This does seem to be an escalation of what we have seen in Haiti in recent months/years so I think we will just have to wait and see.  The Liberty of the Seas is currently scheduled to stop there tomorrow.  And then the Mariner of the Seas the day after.  We shall see if they detour or stop.

[smokeybandit]

Labadee is probably one of the safest spots in the Caribbean 

[maxcat910]

10 hours ago, Miloomar said:

If you actually read the travel advisory.. you would see this "Labadee, a port near Cap Haitien in the north - only accessible by cruise ship passengers - has private security and lower rates of reported crime. Travelers should exercise heightened precautions,however, due to increasing insecurity nationwide."

I don't see this in the present Do Not Travel warning that was updated on July 27th. Miloomar, where or when did you see it?

 

What happens to insurance if one needs it in a place where there is a state department "Do Not Travel" Advisory?

[MississippiMom]

I'm normally not too concerned about getting off the ships at port, but Labadee would make me think twice right now.  The political unrest might not be near the physical location of Labadee, but it is impacting the Haitian employees mentally.  Yes, they need the money the cruise ships bring in, but there's a lot going on in their country that could cause them to leave Labadee and go fight elsewhere at any given minute.  There's also the (maybe I've watched too many movies) possibility of the turmoil impacting Labadee at any random time.

 

I will admit that I am an entitled middle class American, who had the pleasure of spending one of our favorite cruise port days in a pricey cabana on Labadee.  I don't wish them any ill harm, but serving cruise ship passengers may not be how the people of Haiti want to spend their days right now.

Edited July 31, 2023 by MississippiMom

[Toddcan]

Liberty of the Seas is currently docked at Labadee.  This is the first sailing since the Jul 27 level 4 advisory was issued.  So, RC is still sailing there. 

[Toddcan]

23 minutes ago, MississippiMom said:

I'm normally not too concerned about getting off the ships at port, but Labadee would make me think twice right now.  The political unrest might not be near the physical location of Labadee, but it is impacting the Haitian employees mentally.  Yes, they need the money the cruise ships bring in, but there's a lot going on in their country that could cause them to leave Labadee and go fight elsewhere at any given minute.  There's also the (maybe I've watched too many movies) possibility of the turmoil impacting Labadee at any random time.

 

I will admit that I am an entitled middle class American, who had the pleasure of spending one of our favorite cruise port days in a pricey cabana on Labadee.  I don't wish them any ill harm, but serving cruise ship passengers may not be how the people of Haiti want to spend their days right now.

 

The current unrest is (mostly) in the capital - far away in the south part of Haiti.  The police and gangs in the capital of Port au Prince are presently fighting for control.  Google "Cite Soleil" for an education if you want. 

 

I lived in Haiti for 18 months "back in the day", and Northern Haiti has always been like a different country compared to the capital.  Not to say unrest in unheard of in the north, but it's a lot less common.    I will be in Labadee in 2 weeks on a sailing, and I've no concerns about how the average Haitian is mentally - they live for cruise ship visits - it's how they make their money.   I'm very much looking forward to chatting with them again.  

[Rusty_lock]

12 minutes ago, Toddcan said:

Liberty of the Seas is currently docked at Labadee.  This is the first sailing since the Jul 27 level 4 advisory was issued.  So, RC is still sailing there. 

[Pratique]

16 hours ago, maxcat910 said:

I don't see this in the present Do Not Travel warning that was updated on July 27th. Miloomar, where or when did you see it?

 

What happens to insurance if one needs it in a place where there is a state department "Do Not Travel" Advisory?

Labadee is not specifically mentioned within the travel advisory but is discussed generally in the safety and security section of the country information page for Haiti.

 

To put things in perspective, the State Department notes that tourists travel to Haiti at their own risk with Labadee being the exception. The recent travel advisory was issued because the U.S. embassy has very limited resources to assist U.S. citizens who are in Haiti. Cruise passengers at Labadee do not formally enter the country and are the responsibility of the cruise line, not the embassy.

 

If someone does not want to travel to Labadee then I would not try and talk them into it. Personally, I have felt safe there because it is a secured environment. I was on one cruise years ago where the channel was temporarily blocked by some fishing boats and I assume that some arrangement (most likely handled locally) was made to clear them away. Sketchy, yes, but I trust that the captain would not have entered if it was unsafe to do so.

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, Toddcan said:

This is the first sailing since the Jul 27 level 4 advisory was issued.  So, RC is still sailing there. 

As if there was any doubt?

[bouhunter]

4 hours ago, MississippiMom said:

 there's a lot going on in their country that could cause them to leave Labadee and go fight elsewhere at any given minute. 

Sure, the straw market vendors and other employees in Labadee, are chomping at the bit to "go fight elsewhere".......    Good grief.

[maxcat910]

Thanks for the info Pratique!

[PC Skier]

When we were at Labadie on a RCCL cruise last fall there were gunshots and fighting at the pier as you face the island to the right.  We will not be going on a cruise there again. 

[Tin can]

Just out of interest I checked the British Government advice regarding travel to Haiti.

 

The advice not to travel was updated before the US government update but further states 'if you do choose to travel to or stay in Haiti against FCDO advice, you should keep a low profile. Be vigilant, try to avoid all crowds and public events, and take appropriate security precautions'.

 

 

 

[Ret MP]

What would concern me most is if you have private health (Including Travel Insurance) and life insurance, what's the company's policy about traveling to countries that have "Travel Advisories" issued by the U.S. Government, which includes the wording, "Do not travel to Haiti"?"

 

I'd also like to know, as I'm not a lawyer, what RCCL's exposure is for ignoring an official U.S. Government, et al, "Travel Advisory" that says do not travel there. 

 

It all seems risky to me for all involved and in many ways, not just for security/personal safety.