After six months on pause, Royal Caribbean is now cruising to Labadee, Haiti again.
In March 2024, the cruise line cut visits to its private beach due to internal strife within Haiti.
Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private beach area, is a walled-off, exclusive beach on a peninsula in northern Haiti.
Located 130 miles north of the capital, Port-au-Prince, Labadee has been closed out of "an abundance of caution," according to the cruise line.
Photo by Andrew Lyon
Royal Caribbean announced that the decision was intended to prioritize the safety of its guests and crew members.
"Please know that the safety and comfort of our guests are always our highest priority," it announced. "Our Global Security and Intel Team is closely monitoring the evolving situation in Haiti."
The cruise line has teams that carefully observe the geopolitical situations in all its destinations to ensure guest and employee safety.
After closely monitoring the situation in Haiti, Royal Caribbean has prepared for a return to Labadee this fall.
Cruise ships will begin sailing to the region on October 8th.
"We have no further changes to our sailings at this time," the cruise line confirmed.
Adventure of the Seas visited first
Adventure of the Seas departed from Port Canaveral, Florida on October 5th on a a 6-day, round-trip, Eastern Caribbean and Perfect Day at CocoCay cruise.
She visited Labadee, Haiti today, October 8th.
Adventure of the Seas is the first Royal Caribbean ship to visit Haiti since March 2024.
Guests on the sailing reported things looked great, and no concerns.
Photo by Andrew Lyon
"Labadee was beautiful. The staff was great and super appreciative to see us," Tom Knotek wrote on Facebook.
Koritney Ashmore wrote, "We went and ventured around. Feels safe to me! Nothing alarming at all!"
Lisa Hively-Knotek added, "Felt safe and it's beautiful."
Other Royal Caribbean ships scheduled to visit the port soon include Freedom of the Seas and Independence of the Seas.
Freedom of the Seas is currently on a 7-night Western Caribbean sailing, scheduled to call upon Labadee on October 9th and to return to Fort Lauderdale on October 13th.
Independence of the Seas will visit Labadee on October 12th as part of a 4-night short Caribbean cruise out of Miami, Florida.
Royal Caribbean currently has no plans to cancel cruises to Haiti.
Haiti is still under a Do Not Travel advisory
Haiti has been under the U.S.'s highest travel advisory possible since March when unrest in the form of crime, kidnappings, and killings began. The U.S. State Department renewed its Level 4 Travel Advisory this September, still telling citizens the country can not help if they fall victim to a crime.
According to the State Department, protests, demonstrations, and road blocks are common.
"Do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and limited health care," the website states.
"The U.S. government is very limited in its ability to help U.S. citizens in Haiti. Local police and other first responders often lack the resources to respond to emergencies or serious crime."
Earlier this year, armed gangs protesting the political unrest coordinated attacks on police stations, prisons, and the international airport in Port-au-Prince.
Violence has besieged the area since, causing over 53,000 people to flee the capital city.
Haiti declared a state of emergency on March 3rd, and the country's Prime Minister resigned on March 12th.
Since then, food shortages and violent crimes are still taking place across the island.
Is it safe to cruise to Labadee?
These warnings and news reports mostly center around the capital of Port-au-Prince, which is more than a six-hour drive away from Labadee.
Labadee is a private beach located in a remote area on the northern coast of Haiti.
Most of the unrest is occurring further south, near the capital and other populated cities.
Read more: The crew member only beach at Labadee and it's where no passengers can go
Royal Caribbean also employs a private security force on its private beach area and promises guests that safety is a priority.
Guests aren't permitted to leave the area, and won't be able to book third-party excursions.
Guests visiting ports such as Nassau, Bahamas, or Cozumel, Mexico can book outside shore excursions or even explore on their own. However, Labadee is more similar to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas.
All excursions in Labadee must be reserved directly through Royal Caribbean, but that doesn't mean options are limited. Passengers can experience waterslides, roller coasters, beach cabanas, kayak adventures, and speedboat tours on the 260-acre site.
The cruise line also brings all its food and supplies onshore from the ship, rather than importing them from elsewhere on the island.
