Travel Tips

Cruise Ships in Haiti: Right or Wrong?

Locations in this article:  Miami, FL

Cruise deckRoyal Caribbean International is under scrutiny as several of its cruise ships continue to land on Haiti’s northern coast while the southern part of the country struggles to survive.

Will this decision result in a public relations nightmare for the giant cruise line, or will bringing tourism to the ravaged island have a positive effect in Haiti?

The Miami-based cruise line has operated Labadee, a private resort on a peninsula about 85 miles north of Port-au-Prince, since 1986.

The Independence of the Seas, one of the largest cruise ships in the world, was already in the middle of its scheduled itinerary at the time of the January 12 earthquake.

According to RCI’s spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez, the ship sailed to San Juan on Thursday, January 14 and collected 40 pallets of supplies, and landed in Labadee the next day.

Learn more about helping Haiti:

A cruise ship near landThe cruise line has had a long-standing relationship in Haiti with the U.S.-based charity Food for the Poor, which unloaded the supplies and transported them south toward Port-au-Prince.

In total, four ships—including the Celebrity Solstice from Royal Caribbean’s sister line, Celebrity Cruises, which is scheduled to land on Friday—will have brought more than 120 pallets of relief supplies to Haiti, including water, rice, beans, and powdered milk. Five more ships are scheduled to arrive in the next week or so.

But will public opinion have a long-term effect on the massive cruise line’s reputation? The image of Americans frolicking in the sun and sand—whether it’s ziplining, shopping, or drinking cocktails on the beach—less than 100 miles from the devastation, can be a tough one to handle.

Learn more with Haiti Earthquake: Helping Haiti Travel & Tourism

Labadee signSince the disaster, Royal Caribbean has pledged to donate 100 percent of proceeds earned in Labadee toward earthquake relief. So far, three ships have brought in a total of $110,000 in proceeds from onshore spending.

Additionally, each passenger that lands in Haiti brings in $6 a head for the Haitian government in port fees.

Media reports have been saturated with stories of passengers who report being sickened by the idea of vacationing so close to the devastation. According to Martinez, 85 percent of guests disembarked the ship onto Labadee from the Independence of the Seas last Thursday; the second ship to dock in the peninsula saw 90 percent of passengers get off the ship.

Cruise info: Cruising 101: How to Choose, Book & Enjoy Your Perfect Cruise.

Labadee is entirely a tourist destination, blocked off from the rest of Haiti with a fence and armed guards and mountainous terrain. Royal Caribbean recently spent $55 million to upgrade the resort, including a new 800-foot cruise-ship pier, a zipline and rollercoaster.

On occasion, guests have disembarked in Labadee and made their way independently down to Port-au-Prince, after signing a waiver with the cruise line. However, since the earthquake, passengers have been prohibited from traveling outside the resort without a Haitian passport and an intent to do business on the island.

What do you think? Should Royal Caribbean be bringing tourists to Haiti so soon after the earthquake?

By Sarika Chawla for PeterGreenberg.com.

Sources: CNN, Ad Age, USA Today

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