Haiti earthquake: cruise ships docking miles from Port-au-Prince
Published: 18 Jan 2010
Luxury liners are docking at private beaches just 60 miles from Haiti's devastated earthquake zone.
The decision to go ahead with the visit has divided passengers Photo: AP
The 4,370-berth Independence of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean International, disembarked at the heavily guarded resort of Labadee on the country's north coast on Friday and a second cruise ship, the 3,100-passenger Navigator of the Seas is due to dock in the same area.
Once the ships anchor at the wooded peninsula and its five beaches, which has been leased by a Florida cruise company from the government, passengers will enjoy watersports, barbecues, and cocktails, the Guardian reports
Safety is guaranteed by armed guards.
But the decision to go ahead with the visit has divided passengers. The cruise line has pledged to donate all proceeds from the visit to help stricken Haitians but many passengers will stay aboard when they dock.
One passenger said he was "sickened" by the move.
"I just can't see myself sunning on the beach, playing in the water, eating a barbecue, and enjoying a cocktail while [in Port-au-Prince] there are tens of thousands of dead people being piled up on the streets, with the survivors stunned and looking for food and water," one passenger wrote on the Cruise Critic internet forum.
"It was hard enough to sit and eat a picnic lunch at Labadee before the quake, knowing how many Haitians were starving," said another. "I can't imagine having to choke down a burger there now.''
Some booked on ships scheduled to stop at Labadee are afraid that desperate people might breach the resort's 12ft high fences to get food and drink, but others seemed determined to enjoy their holiday. "I'll be there on Tuesday and I plan on enjoying my zip line excursion as well as the time on the beach," said one.
The company said the question of whether to "deliver a vacation experience so close to the epicentre of an earthquake" had been subject to considerable internal debate before it decided to include Haiti in its itineraries for the coming weeks.
"In the end, Labadee is critical to Haiti's recovery; hundreds of people rely on Labadee for their livelihood," John Weis, vice-president, told the paper. "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."
"Friday's call in Labadee went well," said Royal Caribbean. "Everything was open, as usual. The guests were very happy to hear that 100 per cent of the proceeds from the call at Labadee would be donated to the relief effort."
The ships also carry some food aid. Forty pallets of rice, beans, powdered milk, water, and canned foods were delivered on Friday, and a further 80 are due and 16 on two subsequent ships.
Royal Caribbean has also pledged $1m to the relief effort and will spend part of that helping 200 Haitian crew members.
