Royal Caribbean is telling booked guests that Labadee, its private beach in Haiti, is off their itineraries through at least April 2028. Here’s which ships are affected and what replaces it.
If you booked a Royal Caribbean cruise because Labadee was on the itinerary, check your email. The cruise line has started telling booked guests that its private destination on Haiti’s north coast won’t be possible “at least through April 2028,” Cruise Hive reported Friday, Oct. 30.
That’s about 10 more months on top of the last extension. In July, Royal Caribbean pushed the pause through June 2027. Royal Caribbean Blog also reported the extension Friday.
We couldn’t find a public Royal Caribbean statement on the April 2028 date. The guest notices are doing the talking.
Which Royal Caribbean ships lose Labadee?
Dozens of sailings on nine ships are affected, according to Cruise Hive:
Adventure of the Seas
Allure of the Seas
Explorer of the Seas
Freedom of the Seas
Harmony of the Seas
Independence of the Seas
Serenade of the Seas
Star of the Seas
Symphony of the Seas
That list includes Star of the Seas, one of the line’s newest ships. Booked on one of them before May 2028? Log in and check your itinerary.
What replaces Labadee on these cruises?
It depends on the ship and the date, and it isn’t always the same swap on the same ship.
Cruise Hive gave two examples.
On the July 18, 2027, sailing of Allure of the Seas, a six-night Caribbean cruise from Miami, guests now get Nassau, Bahamas, instead of Labadee, and a sea day was moved around.
On Allure’s Feb. 6, 2028, seven-night sailing, San Juan, Puerto Rico, takes Labadee’s spot, and the stop in Samana, Dominican Republic, slides a day later.
Guests posting on Reddit, as Cruise Hive relayed, say they’ve also seen Grand Turk, Amber Cove, Cozumel, Samana or simply an extra sea day. Those are guest reports, so your own notice is the one that counts.
Which port you get comes down to berth space, the ship’s route and how long the cruise is, according to Cruise Hive.
Do guests get money back for the change?
Royal Caribbean hasn’t said anything about compensation for this round, and Cruise Hive’s report doesn’t mention any.
When the line pushed the pause to June 2027 back in July, its notice told guests, “Any prepaid excursions for purchases in Labadee will automatically refund,” according to Royal Caribbean Blog. Prepaid a zip line or a cabana for a sailing that just lost Labadee? Watch your account for that refund, and call the cruise line if it doesn’t show up.
Why did Royal Caribbean stop going to Labadee?
Safety. Haiti has been dealing with years of gang violence and unrest, and the U.S. State Department has Haiti at Level 4: Do Not Travel, its highest warning.
Royal Caribbean ships stopped calling at Labadee in April 2025, according to Royal Caribbean Blog, which also notes an earlier pause in 2024. The line then canceled calls for the rest of 2026, and in July it pushed the return to June 2027.
At the time, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said, “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,” as quoted by Fox News Digital and Cruise Industry News. The spokesperson added, “This decision was made with the safety and well-being of our guests and crew members in mind.”
What is Labadee, anyway?
Labadee is a gated stretch of coast near Cap-Haitien that Royal Caribbean has used as a private stop since the 1980s. Think beaches, a flea market, a roller coaster and a zip line that sends riders flying out over the water. Its last big makeover was back in 2009, according to Cruise Industry News.
Here’s a full walking tour of Labadee, posted in February 2025.
When could Labadee come back?
Nobody knows yet, and Royal Caribbean isn’t promising anything. Each extension so far has only pushed the date further out, from late 2026 to mid-2027 and now to spring 2028.
If you want a private beach day with Royal Caribbean in the meantime, the line’s Bahamas island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, is still on plenty of itineraries. Just don’t hold your breath for that Labadee zip line. We’ll keep watching for the next notice.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Cruise Hive (Oct. 30, 2026), the April 2028 extension, the nine ships and the itinerary examples
Royal Caribbean Blog (Oct. 30, 2026), the extension; (July 15, 2026), the refund notice and the 2024 and 2025 pauses
Cruise Industry News (July 22, 2026), the spokesperson statement and Labadee background
Fox News Digital (July 2026), the spokesperson statement
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