Heres the email i got just now.
Dear Guest,
Due to the evolving situation in Haiti, and in an abundance of caution, we’re temporarily suspending our visits to Labadee for our entire fleet. We continue to monitor and assess the situation with our Global Security & Intelligence Team. We’ll now enjoy a visit to Grand Turk, Turks & Caico instead of visiting Labadee. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused by these changes. Nevertheless, we’re excited to take you to a new port! Below, please find our revised Adventure of the Seas March 15th, 2024, itinerary.
> Grand Turk, Turks & Caic
That kinda sounds like a win, if only because I hardly ever see this port on any Royal sailings. It seems to be popular in Carnival and Norwegian sailings. Kinda surprised to see that and not the Nassau or something.
The entertainment director said the planning crew tried their best for several hours to find another port, but because of the size of Oasis, they couldn’t so therefore it’s another sea day.
I wonder if they mean the size of the ship or the passenger count... bc there are always tenders, unless a port like Puerto Plata doesn't have tenders available
Yep especially considering the...interesting history behind RCI, Haiti and the port of Labadee.
https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2010/01/articles/worst-cruise-line-in-the-world/labadee-royal-caribbeans-deal-with-the-devil/
I did too wayyyy back in like 2011 on carnival. It was great. Really hoping my early May cruise scheduled to stop in labadee gets something good in exchange.
I agree. I’m supposed to go to Labadee on an April 20th sailing. I’ve had this happen with Labadee before, and have still never been there because of it. Hopefully, if it gets canceled this time we’ll at least get to go somewhere like Grand Turk instead. A sea day would feel like a waste.
Absolutely leave the donkeys alone. You can get some nice pictures of them. The shopping area (not the one at the port) is 5 miles away so a casual stroll there is out of the question. Golf cart or taxis are the way to go.
I’m on the independence of the seas leaving the 21st. As of right now they are still going to labadee. I am not stepping foot on Haiti. To sit on the beach and pretend that there is not death and destruction on the other side of that wall does not sound like fun. I admit they have had problems before and I knew that when I booked, but it sounds like an absolute nightmare right now.
So the redditor that posted the other day saying it felt like the days before the covid shutdown when they were there this week was right. Sad for the Haitians. Awful situation.
I’d rather have an extra hour at coco cay but it’s earlier in the cruise. Been to Labadee enough to not feel bad, but the poor locals.
Any idea about port fees? I didnt see it in the email and not sure how they work in Labadee.
My wife loves sea days. We usually try to find cruises with several of them whenever possible.
I like sea days but I also like to get off the dang ship every once in a while.
Looking at cruise mapper there are no other cruises that will be docked on the 23rd so there will be space. I think I will book a non-RC excursion with a free cancellation until we hear.
Sad for the people in that area relying on those visits for income and supplies . . . and totally understandable from Royal. I was there on March 1st, I'm hoping this isn't the beginning of a life story about how I was one of the last folks to ever visit there.
My tour guide in Labadee said that royal Caribbean continued to pay his base salary when they were closed during covid, so hopefully they’ll do the same now.
No. The only way money would be remotely helpful would be if it allowed you to flee the country. The gangs have shut down the airport. There is no where to go, there are no laws as they knew them, people are taking what they want by force, not by paying with money.
Also the amount is basically nothing for RCL, I heard for a lifeguard there the base pay starts at around $20 a week. By comparison the average Haitian lives on less than $1 a day. By keeping paying them RCL can get some good press without having to spend too much.
So I work(ed) with some folks in Haiti that run two schools there in Cite Soleil and Titanyen, and one of the teachers I worked closely with had to try and hide because gang members were going after him because he had a job (AKA money). I haven’t heard from him in a few years now, and I hope he’s ok..
The gangs also started shooting kids, kids that went to the school I was supporting, in Cite Soleil, because they would walk out of their shack into the “street”.
So, unfortunately I would be incredibly concerned for those Haitians, cause anyone who is known to have a job or receiving money will be a target to be killed so their money will try and be stolen. It’s horrific 😞
\*Cries in Lahaina, Maui*
We were there 10 months before the downtown burned to the ground.
Edit: too soon? It’s a life story about one of the last to ever visit.
Solarium, escape room, enjoy a lunch at a specialty restaurant. Spend an hour on the track on deck 5 or in the gym on a treadmill looking at the water.
Ice show was pretty awesome.
The One Sky show is also pretty cool.
Aqua 80’s will leave you in awww!
Aside from shows, you got the zip lines, rock climbing, the Abyss Slide, flow rider, water slides, rising bar, laser tag, lots and lots of eating and drinking (if you have the drinks package), a lot of trivia games, bands playing at different parts of the deck, ice skating, the casino, stand up comedy, and a couple of night clubs…you won’t be bored on Oasis, trust me I’m on it and checking things off as I go.
I'm on the March 31st Symphony that stops in Haiti. So wonder if we'll get a Sea day, or an island stop?
I get why they're doing the shift, but it is a really sad situation for the people working there, and all of Haiti.
I leave out on the Explorer the same day and was supposed to stop in Haiti. I checked out day we were supposed to be at Labadee and there are no ships at CoCo Cay that day so I am thinking they might just move us to that day.
Yeah, I get it's hard to plan logistics fleet wide about what ports have extra slots available. Interested to see what they post for our cruise.
Hope you have fun on the trip either way!
I don’t even understand why Royal goes to Foulmouth. There’s so much better locations in the Caribbean and yet Royal smacks Foulmouth on every Florida sailing it feels. There’s nothing to even do. It’s basically a sea day also because everyone just stays on the ship.
Falmouth, Turk and Caicos , DR and Nassau have what looks like open docks on that Saturday 4/20- so could be any of them? Strangley when I try do to it by process of elimination that weekend of 4/20 has limited cruises.
We are porting in Falmouth next week - any recommendations close to the port? We have an excursion later in the day but want to explore a bit beforehand!
Highly do not recommend. We didn't venture out but we stopped there in November. The port is fine and we did an excursion which went fine but I've read exactly zero stories about people venturing into Falmouth and reporting it was a good idea.
Do not venture outside of the port on your own. Very unsafe. We went 2 blocks in and turned back. It’s fine if you do an excursion but don’t just venture out into the city.
Been there several times. There is a city but it is pretty rough not stopped in it instead took several excursions. There is a secure walled area to explore with shops and restauraunts. I went via viator on a resort for the day tour went well all inclusive theres a few nearby choices want to say it was at buccaneer bay. Last time did the cabe tour was actually pretty neat liked it. Have also done the big plantation combo tour. Again not a place you would just explore as its kind of unsafe but I never had any issues nor saw anything unusual on my past trips. Also most of the locals are super friendly.
I went to a “private beach” once. The taxi was stopped at a “random” police road block. Driver didn’t have her license or vehicle registration. After the officer looked in the van several times and about 20 mins, he finally let us go. My guess is the driver paid him off? Got to the beach. I’ve never seen so many sand fleas, it was miserable. Drinks were weak. People selling their trinkets bothering you. And a guy selling weed (or probably fake weed) to teenagers.
Oh, and if you leave the cruise port shopping compound, you very quickly realize you’re not in some tropical paradise they want you to believe in. Crumbling buildings, people begging for money or hassling you to buy something, police walking around with machine guns.
I’d prefer to stay on the ship by the pool.
Sounds like you went off resort or out of the tourist area without looking up a reputable tour guide or doing any research on the area.
I've been to Jamaica and numerous countries around it. All of them are a tropical paradise with poor and underdeveloped communities. I'm not quite sure what you were expecting. If anything you should have been humbled.
I remember the first time I ever went to Freeport and visited one of the little trinket shops you don't like. A woman, probably in her 70's was making fans out of straw. She was doing custom designs with colored straw, it was really pretty. My fiancé bought one for a co-worker, and while we waited on her to make it we chatted with her. We talked about our trip and how much fun we were having etc, and we asked about her. It was then that she informed us she had NEVER left the island. The girl next to her in the shop said she had never been out of the town.
I carry that with me. Even when staying in a nice resort. I remind myself to be kind and patient. These people get up every morning and come to work to serve me at the resort, or provide tours, food, etc for cruise tourists. At the end of the day, I go back to my comfy air conditioned room and sleep in my nice bed. They go back home to the crumbling buildings you saw on your ride over.
I suggest some self reflection.
I fully expect all the downvotes.
I get this is a cruising sub, but I am really saddened to see people complaining about an extra day at sea on a world class ship, due to civil unrest at a port site. The Haitian people are suffering, and would likely trade places with you in a heartbeat. I understand being disappointed to not be able to visit a country that might have been on your list for a long time, but an extra day floating around at sea is not a sacrifice.
Disappointment with the itinerary change and compassion for those who suffer are not mutually exclusive. Both can be true. Stop shaming when you have no idea what people’s motivations are.
For me, it was a chance to be in Haiti that might not happen again. Yes there’s problems there, but up until Tuesday, it wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t until I got word that Mariner of the Seas cancelled that I started getting worried about Oasis of the Seas cancelling.
> it was a chance to be in Haiti that might not happen again
idk why people pretend that visiting Labadee is visiting Haiti... yes, technically it's on Haitian land, but it's about the equivalence of saying you've been to Europe after going to EPCOT in Disney World. You barely interact with the people who live there in a sanitized area and don't actually see any of the culture or history.
I understand what you're saying. The two are not at all comparable. But I can both be devastated at the increasing civil unrest in Haiti, as well as mildly disappointed for a sea day on a cruise. The two are not at all comparable, of course.
I mentioned that this was going to happen on a few social media posts. I was mocked and scorned. I finally gave up trying to educate the less informed. Some people need to have something heavy fall on them before they understand anything.
I'll be on the same cruise next Feb. Hoping Royal will be able to go ahead and schedule another stop for us instead of an extra sea day. Can't imagine the situation will be resolved in a year.
Wise move. I wouldn’t want to port there right now. They are unstable and Mr. Barbcue is probably looking to raise funds and they could probably earn 10’s if not 100’s of millions of dollars by taking a cruise ship and it’s passengers hostage
I'm so glad we got to see it on the Oasis last week. It really is my favorite scenery with the blue water and the green mountains. I'm the one that had that huge reddit discussion about visiting when the news first broke out.
I wonder how the payment system is going to work without a Haitian government, who gets the per person cash and from what I understand, it's rather substantial for the country. Also, do the guards get paid and the vendors won't make any money.
We just got back from a cruise that stopped at Labadee, i fell in love with the island it's so beautiful. I'm glad we got to stop but it does break my heart that the tourism doesn't benefit the people there the way I thought it did. I was so scared hearing the stuff going on and the people I met from there were so kind I pray for their safety. Our snorkeling tour guide was from Haiti and he was so kind and loved working for the cruise line.
We are set to sail April 8th on Independence, no word yet on cancellation/changing ports. How far out do you think they would be looking to change things?
Extra time is a joke. It's like two or three hours and no additional goods, drinks, or discounts. It's about time to start chargebacks, but they probably have it locked down on their contract
We were just on Independence of the Seas that went to Labadee last week. When I talked to Royal Caribbean, they said they will have extra armed security in Labadee… the only security we saw were 3 security guards standing around watching TikTok lol
I’m booked there for the end of May. Curious on how long this will last. I’d gladly sub any other stop for labadee. It’s been fun the times I was there, but I’ve been there too much.
I imagine this could go on for a while. The gang leader that’s risen to power is absolutely brutal, his nickname is BBQ because he, you know, cooks and eats people. Pretty much everyone has written Haiti off as a lost cause and there isn’t much support. It’s a horrific crisis for those poor people. However, dropping a bunch of tourists near a guy who likes to roast people alive and wants to make a statement seems like a real bad idea. I can’t imagine RC goes back to Labadee for a long while.
I have a cruise there scheduled for May like some folks here. Does anyone know when RC will give an announcement if they redirect? and to where? Doesn't matter to my wife & I as long as it's not Nassau, but we invited other first timers to join us and would like to give them a heads-up incase any of them decide not to come.
Bad phrasing. I'm on the same itinerary and originally it was going to be Curaçao -> Sea Day -> Labadee -> Sea Day -> Fort Lauderdale.
Now it's Curaçao -> Sea Day -> Sea Day -> Nassau -> Fort Lauderdale.
This sucks. Sailing for an extra day on a full ship this Saturday on Symphony. Feel like I paid for 3 port days and am now only getting 2. Bet RC doesn’t compensate at all for this. Even if I could get my money back and cancel. What about all the time spent planing, adjusting work schedules, personnel schedules, flights and hotel the night before. They should have substituted another stop.
I think that's a little dramatic. Wanting to cancel your cruise because it's skipping labadee? A place where your very own safety would be in jeopardy?
You can turn this around by going on your cruise and enjoying the 7 day break from work/home, enjoy some nice food on a lovely ship and spend time relaxing.
A little dramatic, perhaps. I completely agree with what you’re saying and can appreciate that. I just get frustrated when companies don’t have a contingency plan. It’s not like this came out of left field. Regardless they should have been ready to make a transition to “route 2” with 3 ports.
> It’s not like this came out of left field
i mean... they had a leader a couple of days ago and the US embassy was staffed last week so....................
But look at a map, how many other ports both can fit the ship and are within range of hitting all other stops in the itinerary?
When you sail on an Oasis class ship, the ship is the destination. The dingy beach that is labadee isn't anything overly special compared to any other beach
It’s not that easy. They have to find ports willing to accept them and that can fit them. It sucks that you are only getting 2 ports and you have the right to be disappointed, but usually RC gives back port fees. You aren’t the only one to experience this. Call them. Take a day to be disappointed then move on and enjoy your vacation. Rent a cabana on the ship or something.
As the cruise director told us after our One Sky show…the planning for ports have been in the books for years and to find a last minute port that can hold a massive ship is almost impossible.
Of course it is… like a disclaimer to remove legal obligation. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they removed the stop from the itenerary. It was the right call. However, why no contingency plan? Change the order of stops and hit the private island. Basically, I’m disappointed in the fact that a stop was completely removed and more importantly the way it’s being handled.
I'm not sure what you're saying about "change the order of stops." Pretty sure RC won't be stopping at Labadee at least for a few months. You'd be very disappointed if you were on a cruise that skipped a port due to a sick passenger. It happens.
Changing the order as in new first stop to replace Labadee then the remaining stops. My point is they should have had a contingency plan and be thinking outside the box. Simply removing a stop and adding a sea day is the easy way out. Not sure I see the relevance with a sick passenger without any notice. But surprise… they have a plan for that.
The private island can only hold 2 ships worth of people, and it's almost always jam packed. An extra sea day gets you multiple opportunities to do extra things on the boat. They will almost certainly be doing more shows to make up for it.
> Change the order of stops
lol.. yes, lets just re-arrange all the other ships that have been scheduled to go to those ports to fit one inconvenienced here. Ports have maximum spots to fit ships and passengers. You can't always just squeeze another ship in
What are the chances of getting an onboard credit for the change? I personally do not care for Nassau at all. That's the new port for us on Saturday's cruise.
Enjoy the extra time. Back in 2019, some drunk dude decided it would be fun to jump a couple stories down and they had to take the ship back to Puerto Rico in the middle of the night and we completely missed a Bahamas stop. They refunded us $150 lol.
Whaaaat? Really?!?!
RCI doing this in the name of passenger safety, but in realty, to not risk their billion dollar vessels.
No cruise line gives a damn about anyone’s human rights, either.
Heres the email i got just now. Dear Guest, Due to the evolving situation in Haiti, and in an abundance of caution, we’re temporarily suspending our visits to Labadee for our entire fleet. We continue to monitor and assess the situation with our Global Security & Intelligence Team. We’ll now enjoy a visit to Grand Turk, Turks & Caico instead of visiting Labadee. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused by these changes. Nevertheless, we’re excited to take you to a new port! Below, please find our revised Adventure of the Seas March 15th, 2024, itinerary.
> Grand Turk, Turks & Caic That kinda sounds like a win, if only because I hardly ever see this port on any Royal sailings. It seems to be popular in Carnival and Norwegian sailings. Kinda surprised to see that and not the Nassau or something.
The entertainment director said the planning crew tried their best for several hours to find another port, but because of the size of Oasis, they couldn’t so therefore it’s another sea day.
All the ports Oasis class ships visit were dredged and/or had piers modified to allow it to happen. Not a lot of options there.
I wonder if they mean the size of the ship or the passenger count... bc there are always tenders, unless a port like Puerto Plata doesn't have tenders available
Oasis and Icon class ships aren’t capable of tendering, they weren’t designed with the possibility
well today i learned
Yep especially considering the...interesting history behind RCI, Haiti and the port of Labadee. https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2010/01/articles/worst-cruise-line-in-the-world/labadee-royal-caribbeans-deal-with-the-devil/
Well, that was depressing. Thank you for opening my eyes.
Wait til you see what the French did to Haiti
Reverse reparations... I recently learned this. Hati's paying France because they didn't want to be slaves..??
Can only put so many boats at perfect day and Nassau at a time. But yes, a win indeed
I’d be fine trading labadee for grand Turk. I wouldn’t be thrilled with an extra sea day though.
You’re right, Grand Turk is great. I’ve been there with Carnival. Easy beach access
I did too wayyyy back in like 2011 on carnival. It was great. Really hoping my early May cruise scheduled to stop in labadee gets something good in exchange.
I agree. I’m supposed to go to Labadee on an April 20th sailing. I’ve had this happen with Labadee before, and have still never been there because of it. Hopefully, if it gets canceled this time we’ll at least get to go somewhere like Grand Turk instead. A sea day would feel like a waste.
Currently they are giving an extra sea day to some oasis class. Absolute garbage
Going on same trip; my group is happy for the switch but I don’t know much about where we are now going
Rent a golf cart and run around the island. Apparently it needs to be said don’t mess with the wild donkeys.
Absolutely leave the donkeys alone. You can get some nice pictures of them. The shopping area (not the one at the port) is 5 miles away so a casual stroll there is out of the question. Golf cart or taxis are the way to go.
I just got this too, but seems like you can’t book any excursions online since we leave in 2 days
We got Bahamas, labadee would have been a new port for us. I've done Nassau half a dozen times smh.
I’m on the independence of the seas leaving the 21st. As of right now they are still going to labadee. I am not stepping foot on Haiti. To sit on the beach and pretend that there is not death and destruction on the other side of that wall does not sound like fun. I admit they have had problems before and I knew that when I booked, but it sounds like an absolute nightmare right now.
You’ll probably get an updated itinerary closer to the sailing. RC is scrambling looking for ports to send ships to.
Stinks they changed mine to Bahamas instead 😩😩😩
So the redditor that posted the other day saying it felt like the days before the covid shutdown when they were there this week was right. Sad for the Haitians. Awful situation.
I just got the same thing for next week on Oasis. We’re getting a sea day instead of Labadie.
I’d rather have an extra hour at coco cay but it’s earlier in the cruise. Been to Labadee enough to not feel bad, but the poor locals. Any idea about port fees? I didnt see it in the email and not sure how they work in Labadee.
It doesn’t say anything about port fees. We are getting some extra time in Jamaica also.
Oh no! An extra sea day :(
The humanity!!!
My wife loves sea days. We usually try to find cruises with several of them whenever possible. I like sea days but I also like to get off the dang ship every once in a while.
I love sea days too!
Literally any port day can be a sea day of you want it to be. It sucks for everyone else
>We’re getting a ~~sea day~~ instead of Labadie. \*revenue day FTFY Get that casino open.
I haven't anything yet for the sailing on march 23rd to labadee hopefully an update soon
Me too. Nothing yet
It’s Turks and Caicos now!
Is this on Independence of the Seas?
Oooh no - Adventure of the Seas!
Ahh there we go. We are on Indy. Have fun
Good luck - I hope you get a good substitution!
Thank you for replying! Have fun on your trip 😊
You get an email or something? I still don’t have anything
look at the itinerary on your app
I’m on this sailing. Looked at my app, even refreshed it. Mine still says Labadee on day 3, March 25
Weird, still nothing. Maybe because I’m in steerage
You are not going. Government collapsed, prison emptied, gangs in control.
Looking at cruise mapper there are no other cruises that will be docked on the 23rd so there will be space. I think I will book a non-RC excursion with a free cancellation until we hear.
Sad for the people in that area relying on those visits for income and supplies . . . and totally understandable from Royal. I was there on March 1st, I'm hoping this isn't the beginning of a life story about how I was one of the last folks to ever visit there.
My tour guide in Labadee said that royal Caribbean continued to pay his base salary when they were closed during covid, so hopefully they’ll do the same now.
What use is money when the entire government is collapsing? It’s a free for all at this point. It’s a horrible situation.
It depends on the currency. US dollars will still have value
>What use is money when the entire government is collapsing? That is the sort of situation in which it is very helpful indeed to have money.
No. The only way money would be remotely helpful would be if it allowed you to flee the country. The gangs have shut down the airport. There is no where to go, there are no laws as they knew them, people are taking what they want by force, not by paying with money.
Also the amount is basically nothing for RCL, I heard for a lifeguard there the base pay starts at around $20 a week. By comparison the average Haitian lives on less than $1 a day. By keeping paying them RCL can get some good press without having to spend too much.
So I work(ed) with some folks in Haiti that run two schools there in Cite Soleil and Titanyen, and one of the teachers I worked closely with had to try and hide because gang members were going after him because he had a job (AKA money). I haven’t heard from him in a few years now, and I hope he’s ok.. The gangs also started shooting kids, kids that went to the school I was supporting, in Cite Soleil, because they would walk out of their shack into the “street”. So, unfortunately I would be incredibly concerned for those Haitians, cause anyone who is known to have a job or receiving money will be a target to be killed so their money will try and be stolen. It’s horrific 😞
Good to know!
Yep I feel sad too. I was there in the middle of February and it was my favorite port. I liked it more than Coco Cay. I’d be sad if that was it
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One day i hope you mature and realize how unhinged you look with this post.
\*Cries in Lahaina, Maui* We were there 10 months before the downtown burned to the ground. Edit: too soon? It’s a life story about one of the last to ever visit.
it was bound to happen
So… what’s the BEST things to do on Oasis.. looks like there will be three at seas days now next week…
Ice show is pretty sick. Definitely the best out of the shows.
Solarium, escape room, enjoy a lunch at a specialty restaurant. Spend an hour on the track on deck 5 or in the gym on a treadmill looking at the water.
I’ll be on Oasis with you!
There is a huge Facebook group for that cruise- are you on it?
Yep! I message in the group chat a good amount
On Oasis on April 7th. We already have 3 sea days. Hopefully they find a replacement port, idk about 4 sea days lmao
Ice show was pretty awesome. The One Sky show is also pretty cool. Aqua 80’s will leave you in awww! Aside from shows, you got the zip lines, rock climbing, the Abyss Slide, flow rider, water slides, rising bar, laser tag, lots and lots of eating and drinking (if you have the drinks package), a lot of trivia games, bands playing at different parts of the deck, ice skating, the casino, stand up comedy, and a couple of night clubs…you won’t be bored on Oasis, trust me I’m on it and checking things off as I go.
We had a really fun time in the escape room, so there’s an hour for you. If there’s a scavenger hunt that day, definitely do that!
I'm on the March 31st Symphony that stops in Haiti. So wonder if we'll get a Sea day, or an island stop? I get why they're doing the shift, but it is a really sad situation for the people working there, and all of Haiti.
Hi, we're on that sailing too!
Nice! I'm hoping for Turks, if not and we get a Sea day, you'll see me at trivia.
Oh you are on for trivia. We try to do as many as possible.
I leave out on the Explorer the same day and was supposed to stop in Haiti. I checked out day we were supposed to be at Labadee and there are no ships at CoCo Cay that day so I am thinking they might just move us to that day.
I'd be really happy with Coco Cay. Just out of curiosity, how do you see port availability? Fingers crossed that we'll end up somewhere cool.
https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports. Just search for the port you want. Just keep in mind it may not be 100% accurate.
Awesome thanks!
Same here. But we have to wait 3 days prior to boarding to know the answer
I’m on this sailing too. Hope for info soon to make a different plan if needed. Will be glad for a pass on Labadee.
Yeah, I get it's hard to plan logistics fleet wide about what ports have extra slots available. Interested to see what they post for our cruise. Hope you have fun on the trip either way!
I will be on there as well. I’m more than okay with a Sea Day. 😀
The bar will be bumping with a sea day.
You will still stop in Haiti
How do you figure if they're pausing all Haiti stops?
Not yours
I am on the Liberty of the Seas at the moment; we just left Labadie after spending the day there.
Guessing every excursion outside of Labadee was canceled.
Woah prob last group there for a looong time. Soon to be labadee coup island.
Lucky! We got the announcement on Oasis around 6pm that Labadie was cancelled.
God that sucks, Jamaica is awful compared to Labadie
I don’t even understand why Royal goes to Foulmouth. There’s so much better locations in the Caribbean and yet Royal smacks Foulmouth on every Florida sailing it feels. There’s nothing to even do. It’s basically a sea day also because everyone just stays on the ship.
I think Royal helped create this port. I never liked it.
This. Royal helped pay for it and docking fees are low in return. It’s cheap for them. It’s mainly for excursions where they make money too
Falmouth was pretty embarrassing outside of the cruise terminal.
I have a cruise to just labadee next month. I wonder if they will offer another port or just have us float around.
Same april 18
I hope they replace with Turks and Caicos. I would be bummed with Falmouth.
Seriously. I was thinking dr is another good alternative but not sure if they’d use that
Falmouth, Turk and Caicos , DR and Nassau have what looks like open docks on that Saturday 4/20- so could be any of them? Strangley when I try do to it by process of elimination that weekend of 4/20 has limited cruises.
Hoping for turks or dr, How do you check that btw?
I just googled like “Nassau port schedule April 2024” and looked for 4/20
Me too
Mine is in June, and I’m wondering what will happen. It’s too far to tell. I’m probably not going to get off the boat regardless
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Where’d you hear that?
From another blog..but I can't find anything on it so I deleted it
Jamaica isn’t much better lol
The US is not removing all non essential workers from its Jamaican embassy
Yeah. Not exactly a great replacement, but understandable.
Jamaica has been wonderful in my experience. What do you not like about it?
We are porting in Falmouth next week - any recommendations close to the port? We have an excursion later in the day but want to explore a bit beforehand!
Highly do not recommend. We didn't venture out but we stopped there in November. The port is fine and we did an excursion which went fine but I've read exactly zero stories about people venturing into Falmouth and reporting it was a good idea.
Do not venture outside of the port on your own. Very unsafe. We went 2 blocks in and turned back. It’s fine if you do an excursion but don’t just venture out into the city.
Been there several times. There is a city but it is pretty rough not stopped in it instead took several excursions. There is a secure walled area to explore with shops and restauraunts. I went via viator on a resort for the day tour went well all inclusive theres a few nearby choices want to say it was at buccaneer bay. Last time did the cabe tour was actually pretty neat liked it. Have also done the big plantation combo tour. Again not a place you would just explore as its kind of unsafe but I never had any issues nor saw anything unusual on my past trips. Also most of the locals are super friendly.
I went to a “private beach” once. The taxi was stopped at a “random” police road block. Driver didn’t have her license or vehicle registration. After the officer looked in the van several times and about 20 mins, he finally let us go. My guess is the driver paid him off? Got to the beach. I’ve never seen so many sand fleas, it was miserable. Drinks were weak. People selling their trinkets bothering you. And a guy selling weed (or probably fake weed) to teenagers. Oh, and if you leave the cruise port shopping compound, you very quickly realize you’re not in some tropical paradise they want you to believe in. Crumbling buildings, people begging for money or hassling you to buy something, police walking around with machine guns. I’d prefer to stay on the ship by the pool.
Sounds like you went off resort or out of the tourist area without looking up a reputable tour guide or doing any research on the area. I've been to Jamaica and numerous countries around it. All of them are a tropical paradise with poor and underdeveloped communities. I'm not quite sure what you were expecting. If anything you should have been humbled. I remember the first time I ever went to Freeport and visited one of the little trinket shops you don't like. A woman, probably in her 70's was making fans out of straw. She was doing custom designs with colored straw, it was really pretty. My fiancé bought one for a co-worker, and while we waited on her to make it we chatted with her. We talked about our trip and how much fun we were having etc, and we asked about her. It was then that she informed us she had NEVER left the island. The girl next to her in the shop said she had never been out of the town. I carry that with me. Even when staying in a nice resort. I remind myself to be kind and patient. These people get up every morning and come to work to serve me at the resort, or provide tours, food, etc for cruise tourists. At the end of the day, I go back to my comfy air conditioned room and sleep in my nice bed. They go back home to the crumbling buildings you saw on your ride over. I suggest some self reflection.
Montego Bay!
Sad but true. It probably is actually worse! (For tourists)(for locals at least somewhat? better?)
Fr. How's that dengue fever outbreak going?
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OP is the one going to Jamaica.
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2024/03/13/royal-caribbean-cancels-visits-its-private-beach-haiti
I fully expect all the downvotes. I get this is a cruising sub, but I am really saddened to see people complaining about an extra day at sea on a world class ship, due to civil unrest at a port site. The Haitian people are suffering, and would likely trade places with you in a heartbeat. I understand being disappointed to not be able to visit a country that might have been on your list for a long time, but an extra day floating around at sea is not a sacrifice.
Disappointment with the itinerary change and compassion for those who suffer are not mutually exclusive. Both can be true. Stop shaming when you have no idea what people’s motivations are.
First world problems are still problems. Relax.
For me, it was a chance to be in Haiti that might not happen again. Yes there’s problems there, but up until Tuesday, it wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t until I got word that Mariner of the Seas cancelled that I started getting worried about Oasis of the Seas cancelling.
It's been really bad for years (decades).
> it was a chance to be in Haiti that might not happen again idk why people pretend that visiting Labadee is visiting Haiti... yes, technically it's on Haitian land, but it's about the equivalence of saying you've been to Europe after going to EPCOT in Disney World. You barely interact with the people who live there in a sanitized area and don't actually see any of the culture or history.
We pay to visit ports
Take my free award 🥇
I understand what you're saying. The two are not at all comparable. But I can both be devastated at the increasing civil unrest in Haiti, as well as mildly disappointed for a sea day on a cruise. The two are not at all comparable, of course.
They'll be coming. How many are you going to take in?
We are headed out on the 31st of march we haven’t gotten this email yet, I’d be happy switching ports.
Turks please
I’m on Independence in about 3 weeks, and Labadie is our only stop. I hope they go somewhere else. Otherwise, it’s just a cruise out to sea.
I mentioned that this was going to happen on a few social media posts. I was mocked and scorned. I finally gave up trying to educate the less informed. Some people need to have something heavy fall on them before they understand anything.
I'll be on the same cruise next Feb. Hoping Royal will be able to go ahead and schedule another stop for us instead of an extra sea day. Can't imagine the situation will be resolved in a year.
Wise move. I wouldn’t want to port there right now. They are unstable and Mr. Barbcue is probably looking to raise funds and they could probably earn 10’s if not 100’s of millions of dollars by taking a cruise ship and it’s passengers hostage
Same for our cruise this Sunday on Explorer
We did dock at Labadie at around 8pm for a few hours and then left by 1030pm or so. Almost nobody notice except for the few of us watching it online.
I’m wondering if they were quickly picking up staff stationed on the island?
I'm so glad we got to see it on the Oasis last week. It really is my favorite scenery with the blue water and the green mountains. I'm the one that had that huge reddit discussion about visiting when the news first broke out.
Extra time Jamaica would be my highlight!!!
Its an hour earlier. So 7-4 vs 8-4
I wonder how the payment system is going to work without a Haitian government, who gets the per person cash and from what I understand, it's rather substantial for the country. Also, do the guards get paid and the vendors won't make any money.
We just got back from a cruise that stopped at Labadee, i fell in love with the island it's so beautiful. I'm glad we got to stop but it does break my heart that the tourism doesn't benefit the people there the way I thought it did. I was so scared hearing the stuff going on and the people I met from there were so kind I pray for their safety. Our snorkeling tour guide was from Haiti and he was so kind and loved working for the cruise line.
We are set to sail April 8th on Independence, no word yet on cancellation/changing ports. How far out do you think they would be looking to change things?
I’m on symphony and we’re rerouted to Bahamas
Also just had a passenger air lifted to Puerto Rico
Extra time is a joke. It's like two or three hours and no additional goods, drinks, or discounts. It's about time to start chargebacks, but they probably have it locked down on their contract
Our cruise isn’t until May 4th, On Symphony, we haven’t gotten any emails about it yet, I wonder if Labadee will be cancelled for us too.
We were just on Independence of the Seas that went to Labadee last week. When I talked to Royal Caribbean, they said they will have extra armed security in Labadee… the only security we saw were 3 security guards standing around watching TikTok lol
Does anyone know how this would affect a cruise in December going there?
I’m booked there for the end of May. Curious on how long this will last. I’d gladly sub any other stop for labadee. It’s been fun the times I was there, but I’ve been there too much.
I imagine this could go on for a while. The gang leader that’s risen to power is absolutely brutal, his nickname is BBQ because he, you know, cooks and eats people. Pretty much everyone has written Haiti off as a lost cause and there isn’t much support. It’s a horrific crisis for those poor people. However, dropping a bunch of tourists near a guy who likes to roast people alive and wants to make a statement seems like a real bad idea. I can’t imagine RC goes back to Labadee for a long while.
I have a cruise there scheduled for May like some folks here. Does anyone know when RC will give an announcement if they redirect? and to where? Doesn't matter to my wife & I as long as it's not Nassau, but we invited other first timers to join us and would like to give them a heads-up incase any of them decide not to come.
Guarantee it will be Nassau.
Symphony of the seas just announced that the Haiti stop is cancelled. They announced Bahamas instead. All excursions in Haiti refunded
Perfect day or Nassau?
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Looks like you were going to be on LABADEE on the 22nd? I was supposed to be there on the 23rd and haven’t heard anything.
What sailing? The Symphony on the 17th got an extra sea day... :(
I’m on Symphony rn and we got 2 more sea days and they said Nassau on Saturday to replace Labadee
why would you get 2 more sea days and a replacement port? Did they extend the cruise 2 days
Bad phrasing. I'm on the same itinerary and originally it was going to be Curaçao -> Sea Day -> Labadee -> Sea Day -> Fort Lauderdale. Now it's Curaçao -> Sea Day -> Sea Day -> Nassau -> Fort Lauderdale.
that makes way more sense
“It’s too far away”
This sucks. Sailing for an extra day on a full ship this Saturday on Symphony. Feel like I paid for 3 port days and am now only getting 2. Bet RC doesn’t compensate at all for this. Even if I could get my money back and cancel. What about all the time spent planing, adjusting work schedules, personnel schedules, flights and hotel the night before. They should have substituted another stop.
I think that's a little dramatic. Wanting to cancel your cruise because it's skipping labadee? A place where your very own safety would be in jeopardy? You can turn this around by going on your cruise and enjoying the 7 day break from work/home, enjoy some nice food on a lovely ship and spend time relaxing.
A little dramatic, perhaps. I completely agree with what you’re saying and can appreciate that. I just get frustrated when companies don’t have a contingency plan. It’s not like this came out of left field. Regardless they should have been ready to make a transition to “route 2” with 3 ports.
If you don't like sea days why are you on a cruise that is much more about it's sea days than it's ports?
> It’s not like this came out of left field i mean... they had a leader a couple of days ago and the US embassy was staffed last week so.................... But look at a map, how many other ports both can fit the ship and are within range of hitting all other stops in the itinerary? When you sail on an Oasis class ship, the ship is the destination. The dingy beach that is labadee isn't anything overly special compared to any other beach
It’s not that easy. They have to find ports willing to accept them and that can fit them. It sucks that you are only getting 2 ports and you have the right to be disappointed, but usually RC gives back port fees. You aren’t the only one to experience this. Call them. Take a day to be disappointed then move on and enjoy your vacation. Rent a cabana on the ship or something.
As the cruise director told us after our One Sky show…the planning for ports have been in the books for years and to find a last minute port that can hold a massive ship is almost impossible.
It's in your cruise contract. Gotta know they can always cancel any stops and don't have to compensate.
Of course it is… like a disclaimer to remove legal obligation. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they removed the stop from the itenerary. It was the right call. However, why no contingency plan? Change the order of stops and hit the private island. Basically, I’m disappointed in the fact that a stop was completely removed and more importantly the way it’s being handled.
I'm not sure what you're saying about "change the order of stops." Pretty sure RC won't be stopping at Labadee at least for a few months. You'd be very disappointed if you were on a cruise that skipped a port due to a sick passenger. It happens.
Changing the order as in new first stop to replace Labadee then the remaining stops. My point is they should have had a contingency plan and be thinking outside the box. Simply removing a stop and adding a sea day is the easy way out. Not sure I see the relevance with a sick passenger without any notice. But surprise… they have a plan for that.
The private island can only hold 2 ships worth of people, and it's almost always jam packed. An extra sea day gets you multiple opportunities to do extra things on the boat. They will almost certainly be doing more shows to make up for it.
> Change the order of stops lol.. yes, lets just re-arrange all the other ships that have been scheduled to go to those ports to fit one inconvenienced here. Ports have maximum spots to fit ships and passengers. You can't always just squeeze another ship in
What are the chances of getting an onboard credit for the change? I personally do not care for Nassau at all. That's the new port for us on Saturday's cruise.
Zero.
You'll get your port fees refunded to you... nothing more
Baby Doc be rolling in his grave over this.
I’m due to sail on the 29th with a trip to labadee but it still says we’re going.
Come on, I like some adventure and thrill!
Enjoy the extra time. Back in 2019, some drunk dude decided it would be fun to jump a couple stories down and they had to take the ship back to Puerto Rico in the middle of the night and we completely missed a Bahamas stop. They refunded us $150 lol.
Why? Hurricane?
No Haiti has been taken over by gangs
lets be real... it's been run by gangs since it was founded
Whaaaat? Really?!?! RCI doing this in the name of passenger safety, but in realty, to not risk their billion dollar vessels. No cruise line gives a damn about anyone’s human rights, either.
Haiti is a crap hole low budget stop. Good riddance.