As summer travel quickly approaches, cruise lines are steering clear of a Caribbean island due to safety concerns.
Royal Caribbean has made changes to its cruise itineraries by eliminating Labadee, a beautiful peninsula located on the northern coast of Haiti, which has always been a popular destination on Royal Caribbean’s Western Caribbean routes.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily paused our upcoming visits to Labadee,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Guests were directly notified by the cruise line about the modification in their travel plans, according to a spokesperson. Celebrity Cruises, a sister brand, had already taken out the stop from its itineraries in the past few weeks, as reported by the Miami Herald.
According to the U.S. travel advisory, the U.S. government has limited capabilities to assist American citizens in Haiti, mentioning that local authorities such as the police and first responders often lack the necessary resources to deal with emergencies or serious crimes effectively.
It remains unclear when or if Labadee will return as a regular port of call. While Royal Caribbean has emphasized the “temporary” nature of the suspension, no timeline of a return has been communicated.
A woman carrying a child runs from the area after gunshots were heard in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 20, 2024. (CLARENS SIFFROY/AFP via Getty Images)
Gangs in Haiti killed at least 5,600 people last year, according to a new United Nations report. The report from the Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights said an additional 3,700 were injured or abducted.
Just a year ago, the streets of the Caribbean nation were overtaken by violence. On March 4, 2024, Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport was taken over by armed gangs.
Following the gang takeover, Haitians and Americans were left trapped. Fox News Digital previously reported that, in 2024, gangs controlled 85% of Port-au-Prince and all the roads and highways in and out of the capital.
In early December 2024, at least 207 people were massacred in Port-au-Prince by the Wharf Jérémie gang. The victims, many of them elderly, were accused of using voodoo to harm the gang leader’s son. Their bodies were mutilated and burned and others were thrown into the sea.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall and Azhar Fateh contributed to this report.
