Popular cruises suspend island stop over escalating gang violence: What to know
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As summer travel quickly approaches, cruise lines are steering clear of a Caribbean island due to safety concerns.

Royal Caribbean recently altered its sailing itineraries to exclude Labadee, a picturesque peninsula on Haiti’s northern coast, which has long been a highlight of Royal Caribbean’s Western Caribbean itineraries.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily paused our upcoming visits to Labadee,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The cruise line informed guests directly of the change in their itineraries, the spokesperson said. Sister brand Celebrity Cruises had already removed the stop on its cruises in recent weeks, the Miami Herald reported.

“The U.S. government is very limited in its ability to help U.S. citizens in Haiti. Local police and other first responders often lack the resources to respond to emergencies or serious crime,” the U.S. travel advisory states.

It remains unclear when or if Labadee will return as a regular port of call. While Royal Caribbean has emphasized the “temporary” nature of the suspension, no timeline of a return has been communicated.

A woman carrying a child runs after gunshots were heard in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

A woman carrying a child runs from the area after gunshots were heard in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 20, 2024. (CLARENS SIFFROY/AFP via Getty Images)

Gangs in Haiti killed at least 5,600 people last year, according to a new United Nations report. The report from the Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights said an additional 3,700 were injured or abducted.

Just a year ago, the streets of the Caribbean nation were overtaken by violence. On March 4, 2024, Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport was taken over by armed gangs.

Following the gang takeover, Haitians and Americans were left trapped. Fox News Digital previously reported that, in 2024, gangs controlled 85% of Port-au-Prince and all the roads and highways in and out of the capital.

In early December 2024, at least 207 people were massacred in Port-au-Prince by the Wharf Jérémie gang. The victims, many of them elderly, were accused of using voodoo to harm the gang leader’s son. Their bodies were mutilated and burned and others were thrown into the sea.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall and Azhar Fateh contributed to this report.

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