by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:10 AM ET, Sat October 31, 2026
Royal Caribbean is extending its cruise ban for Labadee, Haiti, through at least April 2028, as the political situation and gang violence in the half-island nation continue unabated.
This is the third time the cruise line has extended its moratorium on sailing to Labadee. It and other major cruise lines stopped docking in Labadee in mid-2025, when the country’s political turmoil hit its peak.
According to CruiseHive, Royal Caribbean began notifying guests who booked cruises that stopped in Labadee, Haiti, about the change to their itineraries. Dozens of sailings on nine different ships will be changed, including the Adventure of the Seas and the Symphony of the Seas.
Any pre-booked shore excursions will be automatically refunded for impacted guests, both in Labadee and in other ports shifted to accommodate the new itineraries.
Why Extend the Haiti Cruise Ban Now?
While the U.S. Department of State has been warning travelers not to visit the half-island nation for years, keeping it at a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory level due to gang violence, recent events are likely also playing a major role.
This past week, El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, ordered some 2,000 Salvadoran soldiers into Haiti as part of an anti-gang force, an apparent retaliation against a gang ambush in which four Salvadoran members of the UN’s Gang Suppression Force went missing.
Sam Vigersky, a policy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Reuters, “The overall security picture is not pointing towards one of stabilization, it's pointing towards one of escalation.”
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
