Royal Caribbean is keeping guests out of Labadee without cutting off local support

Some Royal Caribbean ships still make brief, unannounced stops at Labadee. They unload supplies, keep passengers aboard and leave for their next scheduled port. That is a distinction worth defending: suspending cruise visits should not mean walking away from employees whose work depends on them.

Royal Caribbean International has now cancelled all planned guest calls at its private destination on Haiti’s northern coast through at least April 2028. Delivering supplies and bringing holidaymakers ashore are different responsibilities.

The latest extension affects dozens of sailings across nine ships. It adds 10 months to the suspension announced in July 2026, which covered calls through June 2027. Regular guest visits have been suspended since May 2025, putting Labadee on course for at least three years off passenger itineraries.

That is a long absence for any destination built around ship visits. Royal Caribbean says it continues to support employees living in Labadee. The supply calls are a practical part of that relationship, not a sign that the destination has reopened.

No confirmed return date

The security context gives little reason to push for a passenger return. The U.S. Department of State maintains a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory for Haiti, citing crime, kidnapping, terrorism, civil unrest and limited health care. It also warns that the U.S. government’s ability to provide emergency assistance in the country is extremely limited.

Labadee’s current closure follows an earlier interruption that began in March 2024 amid widespread gang violence and political instability. A prison breakout in Port-au-Prince that freed about 4,000 inmates was among the events preceding that closure. Guest visits resumed for several months in late 2024 and early 2025 before being suspended again.

Sam Vigersky, a public policy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Reuters that Haiti’s security situation was “not trending toward stabilization, but rather toward escalation.”

Royal Caribbean’s travel-updates page says it continues to monitor security conditions. The line has not confirmed when guest visits will resume or outlined its long-term plans for Labadee.

Passengers need to check their specific sailing

The affected ships are Adventure of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Star of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas.

Replacement arrangements vary, even between departures on the same ship. Allure of the Seas’ six-night Caribbean cruise departing Miami on July 18, 2027, will visit Nassau, Bahamas, instead of Labadee. A sea day has also been moved to accommodate the revised routing.

For the ship’s seven-night departure on February 6, 2028, San Juan, Puerto Rico, replaces Labadee. The visit to Samana Port in the Dominican Republic moves one day later.

Booked passengers sharing their notifications on Reddit have also identified Grand Turk, Amber Cove, Cozumel and Samana Port as substitutes on other departures. Some sailings will gain a sea day instead. Available berths, the ship’s route and the cruise’s length determine what can be arranged.

Royal Caribbean will automatically refund prepaid Labadee excursions purchased through the line. Its shore excursions team will also try to reschedule prepaid tours at other ports affected by the changes.

“Any tours that can't be reaccommodated will be canceled and refunded to your original form of payment within 14 business days,” the line told passengers in its cancellation email.

Those are necessary arrangements for booked guests. But Royal Caribbean’s responsibility at Labadee does not end when a replacement port appears on an itinerary. Keeping employees supported through an absence this long is the commitment that deserves watching, even while no passengers are coming ashore.