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Zacharius

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  1. Not saying it's fact, but I am going to throw my two cents in as someone who travels to a lot of developing/third would countries, has been caught up in political situations multiple times, and still chooses to go. And I'm a US citizen (as well as a citizen of another, much less advantageous country). I know what I am getting in to when I go to places like Haiti, Somalia, C.A.R., etc. There's always a chance of something happening when I am there. Always. I can't count on my government to bail me out. Would it be nice if they do? Heck yeah. But there have been two occasions where they have not and I needed to get myself out of the country OR find some way to be safe while there. It's just the risk you take. I'm also guessing a lot of those US citizens are actually dual citizens living in Haiti (in addition to the more obvious aid workers and such). However, rescuing a few hundred US citizens is probably a lower priority to the US government than thousands of citizens on a cruise ship. That's just the way it is. Finally, it looks like the US government has since run a flight from Cap Haitien to Miami for US citizens. It only had like 30 people on it. I don't see them even trying to get a flight in to Port-Au-Prince.
  2. I'm just curious if it was really Royal Caribbean that made the decision, or if it was their insurers who did. I'm guessing the latter.
  3. By "NYC Cruise Terminal", do you mean Bayonne/Port Liberty? Because that's very different than, say, Manhattan Cruise Terminal. Largely because it's in a different state with the largest US city standing in between. Assuming you do mean Port Liberty...no, there's no way in heck I would try to get across NYC at rush hour to catch an 11:25am flight. Can you make it? Perhaps. Is there also a good chance you'll cut it extremely close and end your vacation with a lot of undue stress and potentially a missed flight (which can make for an expensive, last-minute replacement ticket)? Yep. Might I recommend you look at flights out of Newark, which is significantly closer and easier to get to (and cheaper to get to).
  4. Sending troops in to Haiti to "bring freedom" () is totally different than bringing them in on a counterterrorism raid to free/protect thousands of Americans and other allied country's nationals. They would absolutely go in the form of the latter, and I sure as hell hope they would.
  5. Falmouth is shitty if you're looking for tropical Jamaica. If you're an adventure traveler, Falmouth is fine. I've strolled around Falmouth a few times, gotten a beer, hung with the locals. But I also have been on vacation to places like Somalia and C.A.R., so I admit I am not the normal cruiser. And I blend in more than many
  6. It's a real "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. Labadee helps the people working there...they get money in a country that has an incredibly high unemployment rate, and those people would be significantly worse off without Royal Caribbean. People will suffer in Haiti with or without ships stopping at Labadee, but there will be ever so slightly less suffering with ships coming. However, it does also open Royal Caribbean passengers up to security concerns (whether big or small, they're still there more than some other places) and can also help a government that may not be worth helping. There's no good solution. It also has been all but confirmed that Henry is in Puerto Rico and, as I said earlier, may or may not ever make it back to Haiti.
  7. "Government" is a pretty useless term when it comes to Haiti, unfortunately. Especially since their President (who is also their PM, who is also under suspicion for having been part of the plot to kill the former President while PM) is probably out of the country and may or may not ever return, whether by choice or by force.
  8. Sadly, this is just another day for Haiti. I love Haiti, I love the Haitian people. I used to do some occasional work in Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien (which is one of the largest cities in Haiti and very close to Labadee), but it's one of those countries I just won't take work from anymore because I don't feel safe there... BUT, I would still go to Labadee without hesitancy. It'll be fine, and you won't even know you're in Haiti.
  9. I bartend at my friend's higher-end brewery a couple times a month when he needs me (and when I'm not actually traveling for work, which is rare). The hourly pay I get with tips is just insane for the amount of work I do (and the amount of fun I have).
  10. EWR to East Rutherford to Bayonne is further than EWR to Hoboken/Jersey City to Bayonne, and Hoboken/Jersey City have more restaurant/bar choices as well as a good view of the skyline. Just my two cents, but East Rutherford seems a bit of a wasted opportunity to me. This is with the assumption that OP is cruising out of Bayonne.
  11. Are you looking to have things to do, i.e. eat and drink? If so, check out Hoboken/Jersey City. Springhill Suites at EWR will leave you with extremely limited options on food/drink, and nothing to do except sit in your room.
  12. I do one-way rentals very frequently for business reasons. Sometimes they're cheaper, sometimes the same, sometimes more expensive...and you're not really going to know until you try to book it.
  13. Which is pretty much the case anywhere. Even in the US...you're very rarely going to have an issue as a common person walking through the streets of Chicago or St. Louis or Baltimore. Can it happen? Sure...but the crime statistics don't tell the truth for most tourists or even most residents.
  14. Two separate questions, of course, but: 1) You're missing a perfectly fine place. I've been around even the "sketchiest" areas of Nassau and have been perfectly fine. Like most places in the world, trouble usually won't come to you unless you seek it out. 2) Because they can make money and their insurance carrier(s) aren't too concerned about it.
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