How Will Labadee Hold Up?

[NMTraveller]

I wonder what the excursions would be for Haiti 🥸

[markeb]

9 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I wonder what the excursions would be for Haiti 🥸

 

There aren't any true "excursions". The only stop in Haiti for RCG is Labadee. RCG may like that peninsula, but no evidence they'd expand to Haiti beyond Labadee. Do they go to the Dominican Republic? The other part of Hispaniola? I really don't know.

[Charles4515]

4 hours ago, markeb said:

 

There aren't any true "excursions". The only stop in Haiti for RCG is Labadee. RCG may like that peninsula, but no evidence they'd expand to Haiti beyond Labadee. Do they go to the Dominican Republic? The other part of Hispaniola? I really don't know.

RCG goes to ports in the Dominican Republic. 

[RichYak]

9 hours ago, markeb said:

RCG may like that peninsula, but no evidence they'd expand to Haiti beyond Labadee. Do they go to the Dominican Republic?

Both RCCL and Celebrity have many itineraries that include Dominican Republic.

[phoenix_dream]

23 hours ago, prmssk said:

I'm not sure your example is a very good comparison.  Even with the violence we have in the US, we don't have any cities that are 80%+ overrun by gangs and violence to the extent Haiti is seeing, in addition to the extreme poverty that can really make people desperate.

 

And I don't think it is wise to blindly have faith in a company focused on profit.  I generally trust RCG to do the right thing but that doesn't mean I'm always going to agree with their risk assessment and decisions as it relates to me personally.  

 

I'm a bit surprised RCG hasn't paused visits.  The DR has essentially sealed the border.  Cap-Haitiens (very close to Labadee) is seeing some violence already and stepping up measures to try to protect the city.  The state of emergency for the entire country has been extended to April.  Their own prime minister can't safely return.  The gang leader is threatening civil war.  Every day news reports new attacks on various targets (police stations, airports, the port, etc.). Huge numbers are fleeing Port-au-Prince (desperate people that have to go somewhere).  Other countries are withdrawing their embassy staff.

 

This isn't Haiti's normal violence.

Excellent recap of the situation.  I live outside of Chicago so I understand violence especially these days. But we are talking about literally thousands of prisoners set free as well as those criminals who hadn't been caught yet. The US is stating US citizens should leave Haiti immediately.  They didn't say, except for Labadee because it would inconvenience the cruise line. Yes it is not right next door to the current uprising.  Nor is it that far away- drivable in a day or less!  I am not personally affected but I just can't believe the logic that says let's take a chance with thousands of passengers and multimillion dollar cruise ships. It's just not worth the risk. Period.

[hcat]

cruise critic  appatently has an article or is quoted  in  another news item online..

 

..Royal ships still sceduled to go there.but excursions within confines  of Labadee are canceled .

 

To me it's absurd..If one needed a medical evac,  how would they get out? ..The Airport is closed, main port is closed,  as is border with DR..

[hcat]

i think its ok to post this  link ??

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/travel/labadee-haiti-cruises-royal-caribbean/index.html

[NMTraveller]

13 minutes ago, hcat said:

cruise critic  appatently has an article or is quoted  in  another news item online..

 

..Royal ships still sceduled to go there.but excursions within confines  of Labadee are canceled .

 

To me it's absurd..If one needed a medical evac,  how would they get out? ..The Airport is closed, main port is closed,  as is border with DR..

What if Barbecue and his gang decide that they would like to live on a cruise ship?  I know that the ship has some security.  But how much?

[Lastdance]

If you take the cruise ship’s insurance, make sure you know what it does and does not cover, as it is written this way for a reason!

[Charles4515]

3 minutes ago, hcat said:

cruise critic  appatently has an article or is quoted  in  another news item online..

 

..Royal ships still sceduled to go there.but excursions within confines  of Labadee are canceled .

 

To me it's absurd..If one needed a medical evac,  how would they get out? ..The Airport is closed, main port is closed,  as is border with DR..

The airport and port at Port a Prince are closed. Medical evacuations have always been done from the airport at Cap Haitian which is close to Labadee. 
 

Here is the artlcle. A former journalist who lives in Haiti is quoted in the article.

 “Dominique Moussignac, 38, a former journalist who lives in Hinche in Central Haiti, says there are no political tensions there like those in Port-au-Prince, and “Labadee, in the North, is also 100% out of danger.”

 

https://www.cnn.com/travel/labadee-haiti-cruises-royal-caribbean/index.html

[Charles4515]

2 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

What if Barbecue and his gang decide that they would like to live on a cruise ship?  I know that the ship has some security.  But how much?

Barbecue and his political faction want to run Haiti. What the media calls gangs are local political groups who have allied for now. They formed out of factions in the Haitian political parties. Out of the ruling elites. Thugs for sure but their goal is to seize state power in Haiti not live on a cruise ship. 

[Brimtown]

9 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

What if Barbecue and his gang decide that they would like to live on a cruise ship?  I know that the ship has some security.  But how much?

 

Pretty sure he's pretty occupied trying to take over Port-au-Prince for now. 

[Brimtown]

4 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Barbecue and his political faction want to run Haiti. What the media calls gangs are local political groups who have allied for now. They formed out of factions in the Haitian political parties. Out of the ruling elites. Thugs for sure but their goal is to seize state power in Haiti not live on a cruise ship. 

 

Not to mention that if he were to eventually take power, he would benefit from having RC bringing millions of dollars per year into Haiti.

[hcat]

it's a personal choice....those that feel safe  go right ahead!

 

for us,  even staying on the ship when its  docks would be a no go..Glad none of our itins have that as a port!

 

When I was there during Papa Doc..having machine guns all around made for a nervous day!

[NMTraveller]

Nothing like being on a coup cruise 😁

[martinitime1]

Wow, have read thru this whole thread and it took me back to our first cruise.

 

 Would have been back in the early 90's. We were on our very first cruise on the Sovereign of the Seas. Remember her? Anyway we were doing a Carribean cruise and one of the stops was to be Haiti that morning. The port was cancelled due to a coup underway in Haiti, and we just had another sea day. We knew something was up as the ship basically stopped offshore overnight (very strange feeling) kind of just eerily quietly floating. 

Edited March 9 by martinitime1

[Lastdance]

5 minutes ago, martinitime1 said:

Wow, have read thru this whole thread and it took me back to our first cruise.

 

 Would have been back in the early 90's. We were on our very first cruise on the Sovereign of the Seas. Remember her? Anyway we were doing a Carribean cruise and one of the stops was to be Haiti. The port was cancelled due to a coup underway in Haiti, and we just had another sea day. We knew something was up as the ship basically stopped offshore (very strange feeling) kind of just eerily quietly floating.

We made it to Israel almost exactly one year before the attack by Hamas; while there we saw two fighter jets fly overhead while on a private excursion.  Our guide said that this was nothing out of the ordinary...they were on their way to Gaza!  

Edited March 9 by Lastdance

[mahdnc]

37 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Thugs for sure but their goal is to seize state power in Haiti not live on a cruise ship. 

Then I would be a lousy thug. 

[Lastdance]

13 minutes ago, hcat said:

When I was there during Papa Doc..having machine guns all around made for a nervous day!

I totally agree; have felt the same way in Italy, Russia, Israel and China, yet have never gotten used to seeing those weapons, but have felt a little safer at times.

[Dolebludger]

Labadee would be a “sea day” for me if it were ever on the itinerary of any cruise I booked (won’t happen). All for an additional reason other than safety. Last time I was there, there wasn’t anything I was interested in there. I understand Royal has built it up since then, but there wasn’t a lot of space to build much. And anything Royal built would just be another way for it to charge me for things. The natural beach there was rather sub-average for the Caribbean, and that probably hasn’t improved much. So even if it is safe now (?), there is really nothing for me there.

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

Barbecue and his political faction want to run Haiti. What the media calls gangs are local political groups who have allied for now. They formed out of factions in the Haitian political parties. Out of the ruling elites. Thugs for sure but their goal is to seize state power in Haiti not live on a cruise ship. 

Haiti has some of the poorest of the poor.  I would not put it past any of them to take any of the riches that they can while they are in the process of their coup.

 

Their is no law and order and no Haitan police to stop them.

Edited March 9 by NMTraveller

[Charles4515]

7 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

Labadee would be a “sea day” for me if it were ever on the itinerary of any cruise I booked (won’t happen). All for an additional reason other than safety. Last time I was there, there wasn’t anything I was interested in there. I understand Royal has built it up since then, but there wasn’t a lot of space to build much. And anything Royal built would just be another way for it to charge me for things. The natural beach there was rather sub-average for the Caribbean, and that probably hasn’t improved much. So even if it is safe now (?), there is really nothing for me there.

There was a lot of space and Royal has built a lot since 30 years ago. They even have a tram now that some passengers use. It is another way for them to get revenue. The beach areas that they use are expanded. Some of the beaches are meh but a couple are pretty good.  Like any port some don’t care for it but it has been a pretty popular port. 

[Charles4515]

3 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

 

Their is no law and order and no Haitan police to stop them.

I think it has been mentioned many times that they have a private security force. 
 

 

[dlh015]

49 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

I totally agree; have felt the same way in Italy, Russia, Israel and China, yet have never gotten used to seeing those weapons, but have felt a little safer at times.

Ditto. I remember walking thru the airport in Frankfurt, Germany with patrolling guards carrying automatic weapons. It certainly got my attention...

[Charles4515]

10 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

Ditto. I remember walking thru the airport in Frankfurt, Germany with patrolling guards carrying automatic weapons. It certainly got my attention...

After 9/11 they had the military patrolling New York Penn station and many other places with automatic weapons. The first time though that it got my attention was a couple of guards at an ATM in  Nassau Bahamas in the early 90’s. 

Edited March 9 by Charles4515