Do Not Travel: Why Royal Caribbean's Ships No Longer Make This Popular Vacation Stop
If you're planning a Royal Caribbean cruise sometime this year or next, there is one port of call that won't make the cut — Haiti. The cruise line suspended all visits to its private destination, Labadee, through April 2026 due to a travel advisory from the U.S. Department of State. Citing an abundance of caution, Royal Caribbean Group said that it is communicating directly with passengers regarding the pause.
The State Department issues travel advisories to alert U.S. citizens of risks and make recommendations for precautions when traveling to certain foreign destinations. The advisories are meant only for American citizens and are not intended to assess a threat for foreign nationals. There are currently travel advisories for more than 220 destinations, ranging from Level 1, which encourages travelers to exercise normal precautions, to Level 4, which advises Americans not to travel to that destination.
Haiti is currently listed at Level 4, the highest rating. The country has been under a State of Emergency since March 2024, and the "do not travel" advisory is due to crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest, limited health care, and the risk of kidnapping. The U.S. Department of State advises that you do not travel to Haiti "for any reason," meaning the world's largest cruise ship must find another place to dock.
What is Labadee?
With a do not travel advisory in place, what exactly will Royal Caribbean cruisers miss? Labadee is Royal Caribbean's private resort on the north coast of Haiti. It has five beaches with the clear blue Caribbean water travelers expect, but the resort is also nestled against a mountainside. When it's open, visitors can pick from a variety of activities, including zip lines, an alpine coaster, parasailing, jet skis, and more.
The resort is completely fenced-off from the surrounding area and secured by Royal Caribbean. Despite these safeguards and Labadee's location hours away from the capital of Port-au-Prince — where much of the unrest is centered — Royal Caribbean is abiding by the State Department's guidance for Americans to completely avoid visiting the entire nation of Haiti. U.S. citizens have been victims of kidnapping, local law enforcement is limited in its ability to respond to serious crime, and protests and violent demonstrations are unpredictable and happen regularly.
The government is also concerned with the security of Haiti's ports, and has limited ability to assist American citizens in the country. Royal Caribbean, which has a fleet of about 28 ships, has not announced when sailings to Labadee will resume, but travelers have plenty of other options. Vacationers can select from cruises to several other Caribbean destinations, including Jamaica, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico and more.