Royal Caribbean extends suspension of cruises to private Haiti resort for rest of 2026

Royal Caribbean announced that it is extending its suspension of cruises to its private destination in northern Haiti through the rest of 2026.

Royal Caribbean Group, the Miami-based parent company of the cruise line, said it would not sail to Labadee on the northern coast of the Caribbean island.

The cruise line originally suspended trips to the private peninsula through May 2026, the Miami Herald reported.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have extended our pause to Labadee through December 2026,” the cruise line’s parent company, Royal Caribbean Group, said in a statement.

Violence on the island was the original reason for the interruption of service to the resort, according to USA Today.

That included rising tensions in Haiti’s second-largest city, Cap-Haïtien, which saw an increase of people fleeing gang violence in Port-au-Prince and its surrounding towns, the Herald reported.

Haiti has been under a state of emergency since March 2024. A U.S. State Department travel advisory issued in July 2025 gave the island a Level 4 advisory, denoting a “do not travel” warning. That is the department’s highest rating, USA Today reported.

“Crimes involving firearms are common in Haiti,” the alert stated. “They include robbery, carjackings, sexual assault, and kidnappings for ransom. Do not travel to Haiti for any reason.”

Haiti had only 175,000 foreign visitors in 2025, according to data from the country’s tourism ministry. The Royal Caribbean cruise ship brings more than 500,000 visitors to the island and provides more than 600 jobs to Haitian residents, according to the Herald.

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