Labadee

[Jim Lamb]

Ok, here's to the elephant in the room. Is anybody concerned about the problems in Haiti right now? My wife and I have a cruise next month on the Allure and the only stop is at Labadee. I We have been there before and I know that there is only a chain link fence separating the port and the rest of the country. What's the chances that Royal will divert this cruise to Coco Cay or some real port? Any thoughts? 

[kefthecruiser]

Not to sound paranoid, but I also wouldn't put much faith in a security force manned by locals. There's also no "fence" to keep the gangs from coming by boat / raft / canoe, etc.. Seems to me the prudent choice for RCI is to divert away from Labadee until things stabilize.

[3Sisters]

@Jim Lamb That's a great question. Based on the local insecurity, I would hope that cruise lines highly consider rerouting away from Haiti. RCL should put its guests first and Coco Cay would be a really great alternative. I think the chances of RCL rerouting would be pretty high. Since this is all sort of recent news, I would imagine that RCL would reach out to you in the coming weeks to address the issue, potentially with an itinerary update. Keep us posted if/when that happens! 

@kefthecruiser I completely agree with that. 

[Jim Lamb]

Well, according to the news this morning, Labadee is off the schedule for the next week or so. Good move RCL!   

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Jim Lamb Thanks for the update here! I'm glad RCL is making the choice to reroute its itineraries to reflect the safety of all guests. Hopefully the local unrest in Haiti is short lived and the local authorities can get everything under control in a timely fashion. For those that were booked on these rerouted itineraries, I hope Labadee is replaced with another desirable choice! On my last itinerary, we had to reroute due to poor weather, and MSC Seashore did an exceptional job at changing its itinerary to actually add a stop instead of skipping any at all! Hopefully the affected itineraries all end up being just as fun as initially slated. 

[Emrys]

On 3/14/2024 at 12:24 PM, Jim Lamb said:

Well, according to the news this morning, Labadee is off the schedule for the next week or so. Good move RCL!   

Hey @Jim Lamb Did Royal Caribbean contact you about replacing Labadee for Allure of the Seas?

[Jim Lamb]

Our cruise isn't until April 29th so as of yet, we are still showing Labadee as our destination. Our fingers are crossed that we head to Coco Cay instead. Thanks for asking Emrys!

[3Sisters]

@Jim Lamb Keep us posted on that! Coco Cay would be a great replacement. I know all cruise lines are keeping a closes watch on Haiti and it's current situation. Cruise lines care about guest safety. As of late, CCL is choosing to continue visiting the Dominican Republic despite the turmoil happening nearby. At this time, CCL is considering Amber Cove safe and certain fleet members will continue to stop there. I'm sure more updates will come if things change. I'm hopeful all things will regulate and get under control relatively quickly. 

[Jim Lamb]

This just in....

 

Dear Guest,

Due to the evolving situation in Haiti, we’ll now visit Nassau, Bahamas, instead of Labadee, Haiti. We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change – your safety is our top priority. Nevertheless, we’re excited to explore a new port with you! Below, please find our revised Allure of the Seas April 29^th, 2024, itinerary.

Date	Day	Port of Call	Arrive	Depart
4/29/24	Mon	Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida		4:00 PM
4/30/24	Tue	Cruising
5/1/24	Wed	Nassau, Bahamas	7:00 AM	6:00 PM
5/2/24	Thu	Cruising
5/3/24	Fri	Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida	6:30 AM

Your Day in Nassau

In Nassau, lounge like a local at Junkanoo Beach and sip on tasty Bahama Mamas under clear skies. Get a more hands-on maritime adventure by taking a short boat ride to Pearl Island and spend the day kayaking, paddleboarding, or playing on inflatable water obstacles. Whatever you decide to do, you’re sure to have an amazing time!

Shore Excursions

Any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursions booked for Labadee will automatically be refunded to your original form of payment. In the meantime, you can browse all the exciting shore excursion options for your sailing in My Royal Cruise to level up your vacation.

Feel free to use this letter for insurance purposes.

Thank you for your understanding. We can’t wait to welcome you onboard Allure of the Seas!

 

That's just fine with us since it's been a while since we were in Nassau. 

[Cruising Caribbean]

@Emrys It looks like @Jim Lamb's itinerary was indeed altered to reflect the turmoil in Haiti. Nassau is a great replacement for Labadee, and I'm sure you will enjoy your time there instead. Did you pre-book an excursion in Labadee? If so, would you be interested in booking another excursion in Nassau instead? One thing I appreciate about RCL is that the line lets guests know what's going on as early as possible. Many other cruise lines hide facts from guests longer than necessary. I love this straightforward approach!

[Balmy Jones]

Any idea the difference in port fee expense of Labadee vs Nassau? I'm guessing RCL would eat any additional fee, and credit your acct if lower? 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Balmy Jones RCL would absorb any additional port fees it would incur for rerouting its advertised itinerary. One thing the cruise line won't do is credit your account if the port fees were lower, but RCL does an excellent job of offering OCC and/or FCC to guests for the change of plans. Those credits typically surpass that port fee difference making it all very fair. Not all cruise lines offer such incentives, but RCL is very good about properly compensating guests.