A major cruise line recently confirmed that it is canceling visits to a Haitian port until next April amid a surge of crime, terrorist activity, and other issues in Haiti that have led the U.S. State Department to warn Americans against traveling to the Caribbean country.
According to Fox News, Royal Caribbean Cruises has canceled its cruise stop in Labadee, which is located on the northern coast of Haiti, until April of 2026. A spokesperson for the Royal Caribbean Group told the outlet, “Out of an abundance of caution, we have paused our upcoming visits through April 2026.”
The Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson told Fox News that the cruise line was directly communicating with its guests regarding the policy change.
Prior to the recent announcement, Royal Caribbean Cruises had canceled stops at Labadee until October in light of persistent violence in Haiti, according to USA Today. USA Today reported that the cruise line temporarily suspended stops in Labadee in 2024 before resuming them earlier this year.
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On July 15, the State Department issued a level four “Do Not Travel” advisory for Haiti, saying, “Do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest, and limited health care.”
“Haiti has been under a State of Emergency since March 2024,” the State Department added. “Crimes involving firearms are common in Haiti. They include robbery, carjackings, sexual assault, and kidnappings for ransom. Do not travel to Haiti for any reason.”
The State Department warned that U.S. citizens have been hurt or killed by kidnappers in Haiti and that kidnappers have targeted convoys and demanded ransoms for the release of their victims, resulting in some families paying tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“There is widespread violent crime and organized crime in the country, and local law enforcement has limited ability to respond to serious crimes,” the State Department added. “Violent crime is rampant in Haiti, especially in Port-au-Prince, where the expansion of gang, organized crime, and terrorist activity has led to widespread violence, kidnappings, and sexual assault.”
