More Royal Caribbean ships are being re-routed away from its private destination in Haiti, with cancellations extending into August.
The cruise line sent emails out to passengers on a variety of ships with scheduled visits to Labadee that they'll be unable to make the scheduled stop.
Labadee is a private beach stop exclusive to Royal Caribbean ships.
The cruise line hit the pause button on visits there beginning in April when gang violence escalated to a new level and concern about visiting the remote beach necessitated a change in plans.
The difference now is stops are being cancelled up to two months in advance.
Cancelling visits in July and August
Ships scheduled to visit Labadee in July and August 2025 have had their visits changed and shifted away from Haiti.
"We have been monitoring the evolving situation in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and out of an abundance of caution, we're swapping our visit to Labadee for a Sea Day," an email to guests booked on the July 20th sailing of Oasis of the Seas read.
Guests booked on the July 5th sailing of Adventure of the Seas received a similar email.
In both cases, an additional port stop was added in Nassau, Bahamas at the end of the cruise.
Even cruises as far away as August are getting re-routed. The August 3 sailing of Oasis of the Seas added a visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay at the end of the sailing.
In addition, the August 2nd sailing of Adventure of the Seas has replaced a visit to Labadee with Grand Cayman.
Up until now, it seemed the cruise line was conducting a "wait and see" approach to visits to its private destination.
With cancellations extending into August, that will mean at least a three month pause so far, and a shift in how far out they're changing itineraries.
The email apologized for the change, "We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause - your safety is our top priority."
"While we know it's not the original itinerary we planned, we appreciate your understanding and can't wait to explore this new destination together."
Why Royal Caribbean is skipping Labadee
Haiti is experiencing gang violence that is targeting the country's government.
Ever since the 2021 assassination of Haiti's last president, an alliance of gangs have employed brutal tactics to grow its power.
An estimated 85% of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is controlled by gangs.
The United States recently designated Haiti's major gangs as terrorist groups, which is intended to isolate the groups, denying them access to financing from U.S. people or companies.
More than 1,600 people were killed in violent clashes in the first three months of this year while over 1 million are internally displaced, according to U.N. estimates.
The U.S. State Department has a the highest level of travel advisory against visiting Haiti for well over a year, which is “Level 4: Do Not Travel."
What to do in Nassau instead
If you're on one of these cruises that's getting re-routed away from Labadee to Nassau, here are some ideas for how to spend your time.
Nassau gets a lot of criticism for being far from the best Caribbean port, but I think if you plan things out, there's fun opportunities.
My top recommendation is to get a day pass to one of the resorts that you can either walk to or take a short taxi ride. (These are affiliate links, which cost you nothing extra to use!)
There choices to include lunch, and you'll have access to full amenities while visiting. Plus, the resorts are beautiful and there's plenty for kids to do.
If you're looking for a tour, these are the top rated excursions to book, according to Viator (affiliate links, that cost you nothing extra to use):
- Bites of Nassau Food and Walking Tour
- Pirate Jeep Sightseeing Adventure
- Rum Tasting and Food Walking Tour
Generally, I don't recommend walking around Nassau on foot without a plan as I tend to see the most negative reviews from folks who find the area surrounding the port isn't terrific.
Royal Caribbean is going to open their own private beach club in Nassau, but that doesn't open until late December 2025.
In the meantime, having a good plan for what to do is the right approach for a fun day there.
