Cruise ships still find a Haitian berth

[FarCenter]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/17/cruise-ships-haiti-earthquake

Sixty miles from Haiti's devastated earthquake zone, luxury liners dock at private beaches where passengers enjoy jet ski rides, parasailing and rum cocktails delivered to their hammocks.

The 4,370-berth Independence of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean International, disembarked at the heavily guarded resort of Labadee on the north coast on Friday; a second cruise ship, the 3,100-passenger Navigator of the Seas is due to dock.

The Florida cruise company leases a picturesque wooded peninsula and its five pristine beaches from the government for passengers to "cut loose" with watersports, barbecues, and shopping for trinkets at a craft market before returning on board before dusk. Safety is guaranteed by armed guards at the gate.

<SNIP>

"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."

"Friday's call in Labadee went well," said Royal Caribbean. "Everything was open, as usual. The guests were very happy to hear that 100% of the proceeds from the call at Labadee would be donated to the relief effort."

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. When supplies arrive in Labadee, they are distributed by Food for the Poor, a longtime partner of Royal Caribbean in Haiti.

Royal Caribbean has also pledged $1m to the relief effort and will spend part of that helping 200 Haitian crew members.

The company recently spent $55m updating Labadee. It employs 230 Haitians and the firm estimates 300 more benefit from the market. The development has been regarded as a beacon of private investment in Haiti; Bill Clinton visited in October. Some Haitians have decried the leasing of the peninsula as effective privatisation of part of the republic's coastline.

[greenbriar]

1. I have been on that island

it is really nice. RC is a great cruise line

[Botany]

2. those ships mean jobs and money to the people of Haiti ...

.... although if their is a viable dock that relief aid could get onto the ground in Haiti @ the resort it should be
put to that use now.

[greenbriar]

4. there isn't a dock, the Cruise ships have to use Ferries or Tenders

to go from the big ship to the little island

I have some beautiful hand carved bowls from Haiti made by native persons.

[Botany]

8. thanx

but from google I see a road leading out of the resort and maybe they could
off load to smaller boats and then load the goods on trucks and drive to the areas that need
support.

I mean w/ the airport @ Port-au-Prince jammed and the docks being down supplies
coming in from the north might help.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PFXPKMSLt0

[cali]

16. looks like there is now a dock that opened in late 2009

The cruise ship moors to the pier at Labadee capable of servicing the Oasis class ships, which was completed in late 2009.

also looks like they're using it for relief supplies

In January 2010, after the 7.0 earthquake that struck the country, Royal Caribbean said the company was committed to regularly scheduled calls, and began to transport relief supplies to the country through the port.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labadee

[greenbriar]

24. well I have not been there since 2008

guess they had to change things for the big ship

[virgogal]

3. Jaw dropping surprise here.

[Bluebear]

5. 'Royal Caribbean has also pledged $1m to the relief effort' - Excellent.

[Canuckistanian]

6. Good, keep it up

The local economies are going to need the business more than ever.

Good to see Royal Caribbean pitching in to help the Haitians and their own Haitian employees. And $1m will do a lot of good.

[iamjoy]

7. Mixed Feelings Here

at first I was utterly nauseated - with all the logistical problems they've had getting relief supplies and with all the suffering of the people of Haiti it seemed cruel and excessive for a luxury liner to drop off a bunch of tourists and pleasure seekers. If you've ever been on a cruise you know how much food there is, and how much food gets wasted, too. It's not so easy to dismiss every passenger as idle rich. Many of them are middle class families who have scrimped and saved for months or years to pay for their cruise vacation. Compared to the people of Haiti, they live like kings, but in America, they are "average."

On the other hand, Royal Caribbean is trying to help and use their resources to bring in supplies that may not have otherwise gotten there. And yes, the tourism investment does help create jobs.

But then, I do see the point, that everything is getting privatized to the point where nothing can get done without some one being able to make a profit.

So is it a good thing or a bad thing?

:shrug:

[FarCenter]

12. Labadee is on the North coast, near Cap-Hatien, and not in the earthquake's area

It's over 100 miles north of Port au Prince. It's a long road over fairly rugged terrain to get to Port au Prince.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labadee

[iamjoy]

20. Yet They Are Getting Some Supplies...

Some supplies are getting in through the port. That tells me there is a way. The emotional reaction is, if that port is operational and if it's a way in - however challenging - why not use it full time for ships with nothing but relief supplies? But I know that isn't logical. If the port area only has so many dock workers and there isn't good infrastructure between the port and the major population centers, aid supplies would just sit rotting on the docks rather than helping people.

I think it's the very idea, as irrational as it may seem. Some people have been mocked for their "arm chair quaterbacking" on this crisis and I think it is just frustration that human beings are suffering and aid is not getting to them quickly enough. And although sometimes the non-experts can find solutions where the experts can't, I think those cases are few and far between - noteworthy because they are so rare.

[piedmont]

15. It's right next to Cap Hatian, which has an airport and a port.

If Cap Haitian's facilities aren't being used (maybe because the road to Port-au-Prince sucks), then the mooring point at Labadeeisn't going to be useful either, except to pump money into the economy.

[ElmoBlatz]

9. Good

The Haitian people unaffected by this tragedy still need to make a living. Why is this bad?

[2 Much Tribulation]

14. Excuse me, WHAT "UNAFFECTED PEOPLE" are in Haiti?

If they were unaffected, they've sent their extra supplies, all of them, to affected areas. Why would such a massive international response be needed if there were unaffected people in Haiti?

[FarCenter]

21. The earthquake affected the Port au Prince metro area and the areas west on the peninsula

From maybe about 30 miles north of Port au Prince, the rural areas and the northern cities are undamaged. The earthquake disaster area has maybe 3 million of the 9 million people in Haiti.

The other 6 million are mainly very poor, except for a very small upper class. Plus, transportation generally is poor, and all petroleum supplies have to be imported.

But this is why people are walking out of the Port au Prince area into the country side to the north.

[fishnfla]

10. wait a minute: rush said no resorts, nada ,nilch, nothing

maybe a silver lining is that any tourist who has been on that cruise has a different view of haiti and its residents and perhaps they donated more than they usually would

[golfguru]

11. I have been lucky enough to take in a few cruises and believe me

every where and any where the ship docks, the locals are thrilled with
the tourist dollars. The locals go out of their way to ensure safety
of the tourists and greet them enthusiastically. It is always a mutual
benefit.

The ship does not even need an operable docking facility since the ships
are required to carry life boats and those are used as "tenders" to transport
passengers back and forth from the ship anchored a mile away to the shore.

[greenbriar]

13. they don't use the life boats as tenders. The tenders are docked at the island

and are jobs for the native people

[golfguru]

27. Not always....I have personally observed cruise ships lowering

the boats down into water and using them. But I have also seen tenders
coming from port as you said. I am guessing it all depends on cost of
renting outside tenders and their availability.

[2 Much Tribulation]

17. How happy will locals be when cruise ships come in w/ nothing extra and leave w/ king's feasts?

By King's Feasts I mean the typical copious delicious food fare.

[greenbriar]

18. they will appreciate the money they make off of the tourist

and the 1 million that RCCL is giving Haiti

[Regret My New Name]

19. Forty pallets of rice, beans, powdered milk, water, and canned foods were delivered on Friday,..

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. When supplies arrive in Labadee, they are distributed by Food for the Poor, a longtime partner of Royal Caribbean in Haiti.

[fishnfla]

22. Food for the poor

those students who were form Lynn Univ who died in the Montana hotel were working for that agency

[golfguru]

28. I am not sure I understand what you mean by

"ships come in w/ nothing extra"?

The ships don't distribute food. The ships bring in cruisers
who shop at local stores including high priced jewellery stores.

The tourists disembarking off the ship buy all kinds of stuff
from locals. Heck every time our ship stopped in Cabo San Lucas,
we always stopped at the local bars for half priced margarita's
compared to ship prices.

[Jennicut]

23. I have actually taken a cruise on Explorer of the Seas but we never went to Labadee.

I think tourist dollars are a good thing and in every island we stopped at I made sure to buy something from a local person.
But leasing Labadee can border on exploitation if not careful.

[NYC_SKP]

25. Research indicates Cruise Industry is important to Haiti Economy, is Providing Aid.

I've never been to Haiti, much less to Labadee.

I hate cruises, but I thought I'd look into this.

The money coming in from these visits is said to be important to Haiti, makes sense.

As kind of sickening as it seems, that they didn't cancel stops there seems to be a positive decision.

Whether for PR or for humanitarians, some of the Cruise Lines (Royal Caribbean) are providing substantial aid.

Discussion board here: Cruise Critic internet forum: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1121161

Blog by president of Royal Caribbean: http://www.nationofwhynot.com/blog/

Apparently met with SOS Clinton: http://www.nationofwhynot.com/blog/?p=785

President of R.C, David something: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/aboutus/home.do

Could they do more? Sure, everyone could do more.

[greenbriar]

26. thank you for the links

RCCL is a great cruise line