Royal Caribbean is halting visits to Haiti due to security concerns in the country.
At least two cruise ships so far informed passengers that they will skip visits to Labadee, which is the cruise line's private beach destination in Haiti.
Labadee is located in a remote area of the country, far from the turmoil in the that has plagued the capital for years.
It's a cruise line private destination operated by Royal Caribbean. The resort area is guarded by a private security force.
Passengers on Voyager of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas reported the change on their current sailing.
Announcements were made by the ship's Captain and letters distributed as well with the update, "As previously announced by our Captain, out of an abundance of caution, instead of visiting Labadee on Thursday, we’ll enjoy a beautiful day in Nassau, Bahamas, on Friday."
Thanks to Brian Landstrom for sharing this letter
Voyager of the Seas will head to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic instead.
Guests that purchased shore excursions in Labadee will be refunded the value to their SeaPass Account as an onboard credit.
The letter goes onto say, "We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change."
Some passengers are upset about the change.
One cruiser on Reddit posted, "can’t believe there’s people actually on the ship that is kicking off and saying that they want a full refund of the cruise because they only booked it because they’re going to Haiti."
"Obviously, the safety of the crew staff ships stuff on the island and also the guest is paramount ."
No other cruise lines sail to Haiti.
Gangs claiming more towns
The changes are likely due to an escalation in the gang violence within the beleaguered Caribbean country.
Gangs have formed coalitions in Haiti, and have carried out military-style ambushes, proving themselves to be more mobile and more coordinated that ever before.
On Monday, Haiti's government approved a "war budget" to combat rising gang violence.
Almost half the money is for Haiti’s police and military “to fight the armed groups that threaten national stability."
The civil unrest in Haiti has forced Royal Caribbean's hand in this situation, even if Labadee is not near the areas of conflict.
The latest U.S. State Department Travel Warning is set at "Level 4: Do Not Travel".
There's a litany of reasons why the warning is in place, "Crimes involving firearms are common in Haiti. They include robbery, carjackings, sexual assault, and kidnappings for ransom. Kidnapping is widespread, and U.S. citizens have been victims and have been hurt or killed. Kidnappers may plan carefully or target victims at random, unplanned times. Kidnappers will even target and attack convoys. Kidnapping cases often involve ransom requests. Victims’ families have paid thousands of dollars to rescue their family members. "
More cancellations could be coming
It's not clear if additional cruises will be cancel their visits to Labadee as well.
Reddit user RC-Cruise-Swing shared what the Captain on Voyager of the Seas said, "The captain just said that Royal Caribbean have cancel all stops to Haiti for the next month due to the ongoing situation which is rapidly escalating."
Political and civil strife in Haiti is not new, and the travel warnings have been in places for many years.
Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private beach area, is a walled-off, exclusive beach on a peninsula in northern Haiti.
It's located 130 miles north of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Royal Caribbean cancelled visits to Haiti in March 2024 and suspended all visits until October 2024.
Sister company Celebrity Cruises announced it would halt visits to Labadee last month.
Since restarting visits, there's been no incidents with the various cruise ships stopping there.
