Royal Caribbean Cancels More Stops at Popular Cruise Destination
Few things distress travelers aboard a cruise ship than learning of a last-minute change to their ship's scheduled itinerary. Such is especially the case when the change comes mere days before a cruise is expected to take place, forcing passengers to detour around a port destination they had previously expected to stop at.
With the escalating violence affecting the Caribbean nation of Haiti, Royal Caribbean has once again canceled its intended stop at its private port of Labadee for the cruise ship Icon of the Seas.
As reported by the popular vacation website RoyalCaribbean.com, Royal Caribbean's first Icon-class ship was originally booked to stop at Labadee during Icon of the Sea's May 3 sailing. Days before the ship was scheduled to disembark, however, prospective passengers receiving a message notifying them that the ship will no longer make port within the island nation.
In the message sent to Royal Caribbean's passengers, the company said, "As you prepare for your vacation, we wanted to inform you about some changes to our itinerary. We have been monitoring the evolving situation in Port-au-Prince, and out of an abundance of caution, we're swapping out our visit to Labadee for a Sea Day."
Though vacationers might have been disappointed by the change in schedule, Royal Caribbean offered onboard credit as a way to make up for the last-minute cancelation, ranging from $75 per ocean-view or interior state rooms to $150 per suites.
This is not the first time that the cruise company has canceled intended stops at Labadee. Owing to increased gang violence in the country, Royal Caribbean had previously removed stops at Labadee for Oasis of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, and Adventurer of the Seas this past month.
To make up for the ships' abrupt change in itineraries, Royal Caribbean redirected Oasis of the Seas towards Nassau, Bahamas, with Voyager of the Seas and Adventurer of the Seas stopping instead at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
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