MIAMI -- Royal Caribbean International next week will resume calls
to Labadee, its private beach on the northern coast of Haiti.
The line suspended its visits to Labadee in February after civil
unrest broke out in Haiti.
The Voyager of the Seas will be the first vessel to make the
call, on May 24, during its first nine-day Caribbean cruise from
Bayonne, N.J. The Voyager will be followed by the Mariner of the
Seas on May 25 and the Navigator of the Seas on May 27; Royal
Caribbean said it would inform guests as they board their
cruises.
Craig Milan, the president of Royal Celebrity Tours who also
oversees Royal Caribbean's ground operations, said the company
hired an independent security firm, called Control Risk Group, to
do an assessment of the Labadee area.
"Their primary recommendation was that we could start operations
immediately," Milan said. "It's safe for our guests."
Milan said the area is "very isolated." A spokeswoman for the
line added that there will be security patrols at Labadee that will
work in tandem with local police.
To contact reporter Rebecca Tobin, send e-mail to [email protected].