Even though Royal Caribbean's private destination in Haiti is closed, one of its ships made a quick stop for an important reason.
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas made an unscheduled stop in Labadee, Haiti, to drop off relief supplies while cruise visits are suspended due to the ongoing unrest around the couuntry.
In January, Royal Caribbean made the difficult decision to cancel all scheduled visits to Labadee through December 2026. Rather than calling at the private Haitian port, ships have been rerouted to destinations like Nassau, Bahamas; George Town, Grand Cayman; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Bimini, Bahamas.
Even though ships aren't supposed to resume visits this year, guests aboard Oasis of the Seas' current 6-night Western Caribbean cruise reported that the ship briefly stopped at Labadee on Tuesday, February 5.
Passengers were not permitted off the 226,838 gross ton vessel while it offloaded relief supplies. The operational and humanitarian supplies stop highlights the cruise line's support of its private destination during the ongoing crisis.
The destination can't completely shut down when there aren't any active visitors, so the supplies are likely what’s necessary to maintain the cruise port and its skeleton staff.
Haiti is currently under a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory from the U.S. State Department due to escalating gang violence and serious security concerns. While the Labadee resort area is protected by a private security force, Royal Caribbean said it suspended calls to Haiti out of an "abundance of caution."
NBC 6 South Florida recently reported on the crisis, stating the violence has dramatically increased since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
With gangs now controlling large parts of the capital, families have been forced to flee and live in makeshift shelters. Shockingly, more than 1.4 million people have been displaced across the country as the political instability and gang violence worsen.
(Credit: Cruise Mapper. Screenshot taken at 3:15 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 5)
Cruise Mapper further confirms the visit, showing Oasis of the Seas making her departure from Haiti around 3:15 p.m. EST. Now, Oasis will make her way back toward Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for disembarkation on the 7th. She already called at the scheduled ports of Nassau and Falmouth earlier this week.
