Royal Caribbean Cancels Labadee Until April 2028: 44 Cruises on 9 Ships Changed
Royal Caribbean's private beach in Haiti stays closed for another 10 months. Here's which ships are affected and what happens to your cruise.
Labadee is off the map again, and for longer this time. Royal Caribbean has cancelled every scheduled call at its private beach in Haiti through April 2028, changing 44 itineraries across nine ships. If your cruise had Labadee on it, your itinerary has almost certainly changed already, so check your emails.
Key facts
Royal Caribbean has cancelled all Labadee calls through April 2028.
44 itineraries on nine ships have been changed: Adventure, Allure, Explorer, Freedom, Harmony, Independence, Serenade, Star and Symphony of the Seas.
Travel agents were told on Friday 30 October 2026, and booked guests are being notified directly.
The previous suspension, announced in July 2026, ran to mid-2027. This adds roughly 10 more months.
No Royal Caribbean ship has made a scheduled Labadee call since April 2025.
Most affected sailings get a replacement port. A few get an extra sea day instead.
What has Royal Caribbean actually changed?
Every Labadee visit up to April 2028 is gone. Royal Caribbean Blog reported that travel agents got an email on Friday listing the swaps, and Cruise Hive says guests with affected bookings have started getting their own notices.
Nine ships are on the list: 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 and Symphony of the Seas. Together that comes to 44 itineraries, with sailing dates running right up to mid-April 2028.
The email to agents kept the explanation short. As reported by Royal Caribbean Blog, it said: "Your clients' safety is our top priority." That's about as much detail as Royal Caribbean has given. I couldn't find a public statement from the line confirming the April 2028 date. For now the news has come out through agent emails and guest notifications rather than a press release.
Why does Royal Caribbean keep skipping Labadee?
It comes down to safety. Haiti has been dealing with armed gang violence for several years, and the US State Department keeps the whole country at Level 4, "Do Not Travel", its highest warning.
Labadee sits on Haiti's north coast near Cap-Haïtien, a long way from the worst of the violence around Port-au-Prince. Royal Caribbean has run it continuously since 1988, and it's a fenced-off private resort, so passengers never really mix with the wider country. But a ship can't call somewhere the line can't guarantee is safe, and Royal Caribbean clearly isn't willing to take that bet yet.
So this has been a slow, rolling closure. There was a short pause in 2024 before visits resumed. Calls stopped again in April 2025 and have stayed stopped. The cancellation date has been pushed back several times since, most recently in July 2026, when the line moved it to mid-2027. Now it's April 2028. If you're keeping count, that will be three full years without a scheduled visit.
What replaces Labadee on my cruise?
It depends on your ship and your sailing date. Even two sailings on the same ship can get different swaps.
Cruise Hive gives one example. Allure of the Seas' six-night Caribbean cruise from Miami on 18 July 2027 now calls at Nassau in place of Labadee. When Royal Caribbean cancelled calls earlier this year, passengers reported Nassau, Grand Cayman and Cozumel as the common replacements. Royal Caribbean Blog notes that a handful of itineraries get an extra sea day instead of a new port.
What a ship can swap in comes down to which berths are free on that day, the route the ship is already taking, and how many nights the cruise is. A seven-night sailing from Florida has more options than a short one.
Now, if you've ended up with Nassau, it's a very different day. Labadee was a beach day with zip lines and private coves. Nassau is a busy town port with its own beaches a taxi ride away. I've written a full Nassau cruise port guide if you want to plan it properly.
What does this mean if you're booked, or about to book?
If you're already booked on one of these nine ships before May 2028, assume Labadee has gone. Look in your inbox and your Royal Caribbean app for the revised itinerary. If you'd prepaid anything for Labadee through Royal Caribbean, check that it has been cancelled and credited. With other port swaps this month the line refunded its own shore excursions, but I haven't seen confirmation of how it's handling Labadee bookings specifically. If you booked a tour or cabana with a third party, that's between you and them.
If you're booking now, don't choose a sailing because Labadee is listed. Royal Caribbean still advertises it on some itineraries further out, but it has pushed this date back over and over. I'd treat any Labadee call as a bonus if it happens and judge the cruise on its other ports.
For UK cruisers flying out to Florida for a Caribbean fly-cruise, the effect is the same. Your ship will be fine, but your beach day will be somewhere else.
And it's worth saying that Labadee being closed isn't a disaster for most itineraries. Royal Caribbean has Perfect Day CocoCay in the Bahamas, which many of these ships already visit, and that's where most of the private-island money is going now. Some sailings simply gain a different Caribbean port. The people who'll really feel it are the ones who booked for Labadee itself, for Dragon's Breath or the quieter beaches.
Frequently asked questions
Is Royal Caribbean going to Labadee in 2027?
No. Royal Caribbean has cancelled every scheduled Labadee call through April 2028, which covers all of 2027. The earlier suspension only ran to mid-2027, but this latest extension wipes out the rest of the year and the first four months of 2028.
Which Royal Caribbean ships have lost Labadee?
Nine ships are affected: Adventure, Allure, Explorer, Freedom, Harmony, Independence, Serenade, Star and Symphony of the Seas. Across those nine, 44 itineraries have been changed, according to Royal Caribbean Blog.
What port replaces Labadee?
It varies by sailing. Allure of the Seas' 18 July 2027 sailing from Miami now goes to Nassau, and earlier swaps used Nassau, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. A few itineraries get an extra sea day instead. Your revised itinerary will show your replacement.
Why is Labadee closed?
Royal Caribbean cites the safety of guests and crew. Haiti has seen years of armed gang violence and sits under the US State Department's Level 4 "Do Not Travel" warning. The line hasn't given more detail than that.
Will Labadee ever reopen?
Royal Caribbean hasn't said it's closing Labadee for good, and it has operated the beach since 1988. But no scheduled call has happened since April 2025, and the reopening date keeps moving back. Nobody can give you a firm date right now.
Final thoughts
Labadee was one of the oldest private beaches in cruising, and it's sad to see it sit empty for three years running. But the decision makes sense, and the swaps Royal Caribbean is offering are mostly decent ports. If you're booked on one of these nine ships, check your new itinerary and plan around it.
Were you booked for Labadee? Tell me in the comments where your ship is going instead. And if you want ship tours and honest reviews before your next cruise, subscribe to The Walking Cruiser on YouTube.
