It’s not looking good for Labadee. More port visits from Royal Caribbean cruise ships are being axed as thousands of emails go out to announce the news to booked guests.
While the cruise line officially removed the port from its schedules through December 2026 earlier this year, the cancellations are now quietly rolling deep into 2027.
Yes, you read that right. If you have a cruise booked for early or mid-2027 that originally featured a stop at Labadee, Haiti, there is a very good chance your beach day at Royal Caribbean’s private destination will be swapped for another port of call as port visits through June 2027 have been scrapped from itineraries.
What Royal Caribbean is Officially Saying
According to Royal Caribbean’s travel updates page, the cruise line has suspended all visits to Labadee.
“The safety and security of our guests, crew, and communities we visit is our top priority. We have been monitoring the situation in Haiti and, out of an abundance of caution, we are temporarily pausing our visits to Labadee.”
Following up on this, on July 14, 2026, Royal Caribbean officially extended the suspension through June 2027. In a statement obtained by Royal Caribbean Blog, a spokesperson clarified the new extension of the pause:
“As we continue to evaluate conditions in Haiti and our ability to deliver the best vacations responsibly, we have decided to extend the suspension of ship calls to Labadee through June 2027. This decision was made with the safety and well-being of our guests and crew members in mind.”
Along with this official extension, Royal Caribbean confirmed that any pre-booked shore excursions (including cabanas or the Dragon’s Breath flight line) will be automatically canceled and fully refunded back to the guests’ original form of payment. Guests do not need to take any action, as these refunds are being processed automatically.
The reports of more Labadee itinerary changes are coming through emails and updates directly to booked guests as well.
So far, Royal guests are receiving official cancellation notices for sailings extending all the way through June 2027, while those booked for the summer and fall of 2027 are left waiting to see if their stops will also be cut.
An email sent to passengers booked on a March 14, 2027 sailing on Independence of the Seas (shared in this r/royalcaribbean Reddit thread) shows the following message:
“Dear Guest, We’re looking forward to welcoming you onboard Independence of the Seas! As you prepare for your vacation, we wanted to share an update to your March 14, 2027, itinerary. We’ve reviewed our sailing plans and made an adjustment to the ports of call we will visit. Instead of visiting Labadee, we’ll now enjoy a day in Nassau, Bahamas.”
Guests booked on other Royal Caribbean ships that were supposed to stop in Labadee are receiving similar communications about their itinerary changes as well.
In all, 12 ships will be impacted by the pushback of Labadee’s closure. The following ships will be affected:
- Icon of the Seas
- Star of the Seas
- Oasis of the Seas
- Allure of the Seas
- Symphony of the Seas
- Freedom of the Seas
- Independence of the Seas
- Adventure of the Seas
- Explorer of the Seas
- Liberty of the Seas
- Mariner of the Seas
- Legend of the Seas
The Reality of Labadee’s Situation
The reality is that Haiti continues to deal with severe gang violence and political instability, keeping the country under a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory from the U.S. State Department.
Royal Caribbean hasn’t sent a ship to its private destination since April 2025. Even though the port has its own security, the whole situation was just too much of a risk.
The topic even came up on a recent earnings call with Royal Caribbean’s parent company.
During the Royal Caribbean Group Q3 2025 earnings call, CEO Jason Liberty noted that the company’s fourth-quarter outlook was slightly impacted by the “unplanned extension of the temporary closure of Labadee“.
Chief Financial Officer Naftali Holtz said that the combination of bad weather and the extended Labadee closure dragged down earnings per share (EPS) by about $0.05.
Cruisers React to Labadee Replacements
Because some of Royal Caribbean’s mega-ships can’t just dock anywhere at the last minute, the cruise line is playing a big game of musical chairs with port schedules.
With the official extension through June 2027, many cruisers are finding they have to search their ship’s website or check their cruise planner to see where they are being redirected. Depending on the route, guests are being routed to:
- Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas
- Nassau, Bahamas
- Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico
- Puerto Plata and Samana, Dominican Republic
- Ponce, Puerto Rico
- Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos
The community over on the Reddit thread is having a lively debate about the replacements.
For some, getting swapped to classic spots like Mexico is a win. One user shared:
“My Allure cruise just swapped out Labadee and Falmouth with Cozumel and Costa Maya… I’m happier with my itinerary change.”
Another passenger agreed:
“I got Labadee and Falmouth switched out for Costa Maya and Cozumel. Not complaining.”
And still another was very positive about the Labadee replacement:
“Adventure of the Seas on Feb 21st swapped out Labadee for Grand Cayman. Not the worst reschedule!”
But for others, losing a private beach experience for a busy port like Nassau feels like a step backward. A Diamond member commented on someone else who had Labadee changed for Nassau:
“Nassau is a downgrade, IMO. We’ve been lucky that Labadee has been substituted with Grand Turk and Puerto Plata for our 2025 and 2026 cruises.”
Other cruisers were negative on the possibility of getting Nassau on their new itinerary, but it’s important to note that Royal Beach Club Paradise Island is now available in the Bahamian port. That huge new pool and 17 acres of prime real estate might be the perfect replacement for Labadee, even if it does mean some extra cost.
Is Labadee Gone for Good?
Some certainly think so, with one person on Reddit even saying, “pretty sure it’s indefinite at this point”.
While the cruise line has rights to the leased private resort through 2050, some loyal guests are starting to wonder if the company is moving on.
But the company has not made any official statement about the finality of these port cancellations, and there is still a glimmer of hope that things will calm down in the region eventually.
The thing is, if Royal Caribbean’s strategy was to simply pivot their investments to other private destinations, some of those plans just got a bit more complicated.
The cruise line’s $600+ million “Perfect Day Mexico” project, that was scheduled to open next to the Costa Maya cruise port in Mahahual, was officially rejected and blocked by Mexican environmental authorities in May 2026 as reported by Cruise Fever. This block may be temporary though and the cruise line still hopes to work out a plan to continue the project in Mexico.
So, with their Mexican expansion at least in limbo right now and Labadee sitting empty for the foreseeable future, Royal Caribbean is finding ways to be creative with their private destination options.
What to Do If You’re Booked
If you have a Royal Caribbean cruise booked through June 2027 that was scheduled to visit Labadee, you don’t need to do anything.
Royal Caribbean is automatically updating itineraries and will notify you of any changes to your port stops or sea days. You can also keep an eye on your Cruise Planner on the Royal Caribbean website or app, where itinerary updates and any excursion refunds will be reflected.
Not everyone has been told what their Labadee replacements will be just yet, so the cruise line is still juggling some of these changes. There are a lot of logistics involved, but know that you can always find amazing things to do and see and just about any replacement the cruise line works out for you. As always, a cruise is what you make of it!
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