Another of our bloggers, Janice Hough, has her perspective on RCCL’s decision to continue port calls to Ladabee and its pristine beach.
While many travel companies create their own worst public relations messes, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has found themselves in a difficult situation this week. And there isn’t a simple solution to please everyone.
The problem is Ladabee, the cruise ship’s “private island.” While many people have never previously heard of the place, they are hearing about it this week. Because Ladabee is officially part of Haiti. The “island” is actually a peninsula with five beaches, that Royal Caribbean leases from the Haitian government. It is about 80 miles from Port Au Prince and this part of Haiti was not damaged by the quake.
Port calls on Labadee include a barbecue lunch, shopping and sports. There’s even a zipline. And of course, tropical drinks. Along with armed guards and a 12-foot fence.
For now, Royal Caribbean, along with Celebrity Cruises, which they own, has decided to continue their port calls. Labadee employs about 250 people, who would have few if any other options at this time. In addition, about 200 more people work independently as hair-braiders and souvenir sellers.
The three cruise ships that call at Labadee regularly are also bringing in food and other relief supplies, and Royal Carribean says they will donate all the proceeds from the days ashore to earthquake relief.
The cruise line has posted a defense of their decision on their website, with at this point daily updates.
The blog includes the following quote
“In the end, Labadee is critical to Haiti’s recovery; hundreds of people rely on Labadee for their livelihood,” said John Weis, vice-president. “In our conversations with the UN special envoy of the government of Haiti, Leslie Voltaire, he notes that Haiti will benefit from the revenues that are generated from each call …
“We also have tremendous opportunities to use our ships as transport vessels for relief supplies and personnel to Haiti. Simply put, we cannot abandon Haiti now that they need us most.”
Clearly Royal Caribbean’s decision has been and will continue to be controversial. In many ways it’s hard to imagine relaxing with a drink and having your hair braided while so many people are suffering nearby. But putting hundreds of people out of work won’t help either.
One thought that comes to mind, if Royal Caribbean continues the port calls, perhaps they could encourage passengers to add extra donations for earthquake relief for any purchases on shore. But what do you think, Consumer Traveler readers? Is the cruise line doing the right thing? If not, how should they handle the situation. Or if they are doing the right thing, what could they do better?
photo of labadee from Royal Caribbean.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
