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- Royal Caribbean has extended its suspension of cruise ship visits to its private destination in Labadee, Haiti.
- The pause on visits will now last through at least the end of December 2026 due to safety concerns.
- Haiti has experienced escalating gang violence, prompting a Level 4 “do not travel” advisory from the U.S. State Department.
Royal Caribbean International ships won’t visit the cruise line’s private destination in Haiti through at least the end of the year.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have extended our pause to Labadee through December 2026,” its parent company, Royal Caribbean Group, told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. The company previously suspended calls to the Caribbean island nation through April 2026 amid ongoing violence in the country.
The cruise line last visited Labadee in the first quarter of 2025, after pausing stops there the year before.
Gang violence escalated in Haiti in 2024, and the country has been under a state of emergency since March of that year. A U.S. State Department travel advisory lists it as Level 4, denoting a “do not travel” warning, its highest rating.
“Crimes involving firearms are common in Haiti,” the alert said. “They include robbery, carjackings, sexual assault, and kidnappings for ransom. Do not travel to Haiti for any reason.”
The U.S. Coast Guard also “has concerns about security in the ports of Haiti,” the State Department said. “Until those are addressed, the Coast Guard advises mariners and passengers traveling through the ports of Haiti to exercise caution.”
Travelers visiting Haiti should steer clear of crowds and demonstrations, arrange hotel bookings and airport transfers ahead of time – or have hosts meet them when they arrive – and make evacuation plans that do not require help from the U.S. government, among other measures, according to the advisory. A full list of recommendations can be found online.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
