First Royal Caribbean Ship Returns to Labadee After Suspension

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Five months after suspending port calls to Labadee, Royal Caribbean is once again visiting the private destination on the north coast of Haiti. The 3,800-guest Adventure of the Seas called at the port on October 8, 2024 during her 6-day Eastern Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral.

The shipโ€™s itinerary features two private destinations โ€” Labadee and Perfect Day at CocoCay, along with Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. 

Royal Caribbean leases the 260-acre Labadee from the Haitian government and developed the recreational site in the 1980s. It now features multiple pools, the Arawak Aqua Park, walking trails, private cabana rentals, and water sports facilities.

Popular activities include parasailing, jet-skiing, fishing, catamaran cruises, kayaking, snorkeling, and sailing. Childrenโ€™s play areas and dining venues also are offered.

Calls to Labadee were nixed in May 2024 due to civil unrest in Haiti, even though the destination is located about 90 miles from the worst of the problems, which are centered in the capital of Port-au-Prince. Also, the Labadee port area has its own security system with physical barriers. 

In September 2024, Royal Caribbean announced plans to return to the destination in October 2024, with the Voyager-class Adventure of the Seas being the first to call.

Other ships in the fleet will follow, with Freedom of the Seas set to call on October 9, 2024, and Independence of the Seas on October 12, 2024.

Freedom of Seas, sailing from Fort Lauderdale, will call at the destination during her 7-day Eastern Caribbean voyage, which also calls at Perfect Day at Coco Cay; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.

Labadee will be the only port call on Independence of the Seasโ€™ 3-night cruise from Miami, departing on October 10, 2024.

Read Also: Labadee, Haiti: What You Need to Know

Each of the three ships will call again at Labadee in October, with Grandeur of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, and Oasis of the Seas also adding the port call in November.

Royal Caribbeanโ€™s sister brand, Celebrity Cruises, is scheduled to resume calls in February 2025, with Celebrity Summit the first to call on February 14, 2025. 

The Millennium-class Celebrity Summit, with capacity for 2,158 guests, will call at Labadee as part of her 7-day โ€œSmooth Jazz Cruiseโ€ from Fort Lauderdale, departing on February 11, 2025. Other calls include Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; and Nassau, Bahamas.

Adventure of the Seas Docked in Labadee
Adventure of the Seas Docked in Labadee (Photo Credit: Darryl Brooks)

Celebrity Summit will call again that month on February 21, 2025, and make a single call in March 2025. In May 2025, Celebrity Beyond, a 3,260-guest Edge-class ship, will visit the destination.

Civil Unrest Upended Ship Calls to Labadee

Royal Caribbean initially took steps to safeguard guests in Labadee when it cancelled shore excursions in March 2024, following gang violence that erupted in Haiti along with two prison breaks that set loose convicted criminals.

Cancelled tours included jet ski trips, kayaking, and fishing excursions, and other activities that took place outside of the immediate port area. The cruise line apologized to guests for the changes and refunded all cancelled excursions.

As the situation in Haiti worsened, the cruise line in May 2024 suspended all calls to Labadee. In its announcement vowing to return to the destination in October 2024, Royal Caribbean noted that airlines had resumed service to local airports and peace-keeping initiatives had begun.

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