After avoiding Labadee, Haiti, due to safety reasons for much of 2024, Royal Caribbean has officially returned to its second private island destination with the arrival of Adventure of the Seas on October 8, 2024.
But while the cruise line made a big deal about returning to its exclusive destination, it’s been quieter about limiting its roster of activities for the time being.
Normally, there are dozens of shore excursions to choose from while visiting the peninsula, which is located in the north coast of Haiti in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea.
A quick glance on Royal Caribbean’s website shows options for things like zip lining, kayak adventures, jet ski tours, speed boat tours, historic walking tours, snorkeling, water slides, and even riding the famous Dragon’s Tail roller coaster.
However, guests from various sailings are getting emails from Royal Caribbean stating that their booked shore excursions have been cancelled and they have been refunded.
“We are on the Grandeur leaving on Nov 15th. I just got a refund to my account for our reservations to Amiga Island…Looks like they took it off of the excursions page also,” one future cruiser posted on Reddit.
Amiga Island is a popular choice for visitors and can be accessed quickly and easily from Labadee via a short boat ride – which was offered through the cruise line in the past.
In the comments of the post, another soon-to-be-guest shared a letter they received from Royal Caribbean after their own Labadee excursion was cancelled.
“As we return to visiting Labadee, we’re phasing the rollout of some of our tours and temporarily adjusting our tour offerings. As a result, we’ve cancelled your excursion and issued a full refund to your original form of payment,” the letter stated.
The cruise line has not offered specifics about which tours have been cancelled and how long it will take to resume full operations.
Is Labadee Safe to Visit?
The cruise lines always operate with the safety of their guests and crew as the top priority, and Royal Caribbean is no exception. So, if the family-friendly brand has decided to return to Labadee, it is very likely safe to do so.
Labadee is also generally considered to be safer than other Haitian hot spots – as it is monitored closely and operated by Royal Caribbean.
However, some are speculating that excursions are being cancelled due to continued unrest in the Caribbean country – especially for tours that take place outside of the immediate area surrounding the cruise port.
Read Also: Labadee, Haiti – What You Need to Know
Haiti as a whole remains under a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory from the US Government – which is the highest warning available.
“Venturing a guess, but that island [Amiga] may be far enough outside the protected resort of Labadee that Royal has been advised to remove travel there,” one person mused on Reddit.
Thus far, Royal Caribbean has not confirmed or denied this theory. That said, it isn’t outside of the realm of possibility considering the cruise brand stopped sailing to its 260-acre resort destination in the first place due to safety concerns.
On Sunday, March 3, 2024, the government of Haiti declared a state of emergency after a massive prison break saw the escape of around 4,000 prisoners.
The escaped prisoners had been put in jail for serious crimes, including kidnapping, murder, and other violent offenses.
In response to the prison break, as well as rising gang violence and civil unrest, Royal Caribbean initially opted to cancel select shore excursions for cruise ships calling on Labadee.
But the very next day after making this announcement, on March 14, 2024, the cruise line announced a total suspension from visiting the peninsula – which ultimately lasted for months.
