FOTS - Labadee, Haiti

I just heard something, and thought I would ask.

Have you ever heard or know if the people in Haiti need bar soap? I was told they could really use it, and if so, I wouldn't mind bringing some to them.:)

Last year on a stop on the Island our M&M brought school supplies and similar items and a charity came and picked them up. Soap was not on our list, but it would make sense. I had nothing to do with the actual planning, so i am not sure what charity was asking for items though.

You would have to coordinate that in advance with RCI as my understanding is there is paperwork required to bring material into Haiti. Perhaps others with direct experience can confirm this and provide direction for you.

This is a great idea!

Labadee is on our itinerary for next February's Quantum sailing, and it is also on the itinerary for our family's Summer 2015 sailing as well. I would love to coordinate with my M&M groups or even with my family and friends to bring things to them that they might need. I am subscribing to this thread to see if anyone has the information about what we would need to do in order to bring things to the Haitian people or what they most need.

I usually wouldnt ask a favor of a stranger but here goes....I will be in cabin 1320 on deck 10 in a few weeks. On the door tag their is the name of an artist. I want to buy a gift for my wife and thought it would be cool if I could link it to the artist that the cabin is named after. Could you find whom that artist is?

Thanks in advance

:)

I usually wouldnt ask a favor of a stranger but here goes....I will be in cabin 1320 on deck 10 in a few weeks. On the door tag their is the name of an artist. I want to buy a gift for my wife and thought it would be cool if I could link it to the artist that the cabin is named after. Could you find whom that artist is?

 

Thanks in advance

 

:)

What does this have to do with bringing soap to Haiti?:confused:

Just saw they were onboard. Did'nt mean to breech protocol.:p

Thank you for letting me know about bringing in soap to Haiti.

Labadee is a very secluded area, where you're not really going to see any "locals" except for the few that are working there. It's a nice thought, but I'm not sure anything you bring (if it's even permitted) will reach the people you have in mind. No harm in trying though, just don't be disappointed if it doesn't quite work out. Good luck! :)

Labadee is a very secluded area, where you're not really going to see any "locals" except for the few that are working there. It's a nice thought, but I'm not sure anything you bring (if it's even permitted) will reach the people you have in mind. No harm in trying though, just don't be disappointed if it doesn't quite work out. Good luck! :)

It can be done - there are other CC posters who have reported on other threads about doing this. There is a fairly large city - Cap-Hatien - only about 5 miles from Labadee that may be the initial destination for donations of this type. But you can't just pack a box and bring it ashore - there is a protocol involved that RCI will advise and assist with. As mentioned before there is certain paperwork needed to bring goods into Haiti that needs to be processed through RCI.

Perhaps the OP - or others interested in making material donations - could start a separate thread specific to that with mention in the title that might bring more informative responses from those experienced in doing this.

OK, thanks for the "heads up" on the locals there.

We took clothes and shoes to the Haitian Market and gave them away. They were thrilled to get them. We just carried the big bags off the ship and one of the officers thanked us for bringing the stuff.

We took clothes and shoes to the Haitian Market and gave them away. They were thrilled to get them. We just carried the big bags off the ship and one of the officers thanked us for bringing the stuff.

We did this too. (just a small bagful, though)

We took a box of school supplies with us last March and were stopped by ships security getting off the boat. It took 20 minutes of assorted phone calls from the ship to someone on shore to get approval. Apparently there is paperwork that needs to be filled out for importation of goods even if they are free.

We did an excursion that went to a fishing village where locals lived (13 people lived in the same house!)Not sure why you couldn't just take a bag of stuff with you and give it to them. Maybe it would depend what kind of bag you have but people take beach bags, backpacks etc off and we didn't have ours checked.

You could just buy the stuff they are selling and not try to talk them down.

Well I wish I knew this could be done. I was told that I had to go to a certain area where they check out everything before you give it to the people, and I knew my time was very limited on the cruise ship. I was going to bring bars of soap, which I'm sure they could have used.

Perhaps those of you who gave, which I think is great, did not cruise, but went to Haiti another way.

I just saw a detailed post in the "Private Islands" section about the info needed to bring supplies to Labadee. It was the thread about Sad in Labadee from "KarenandRoy"

On the off chance that someone from Royal Caribbean is lurking on these boards, an ideal solution to the OP's question would be if RCL became a corporate partner of Clean the World http://www.cleantheworld.org/

Clean the World is a non-profit organization based in Orlando, FL that collects partially used bars of soap from hotels, corporations, and other partners, and then re-manufactures it into new bars of soap that are delivered to areas in need (like Haiti). Can you imagine the number of bars of soap that are discarded each week across a fleet the size of RCL's?

Originally Posted by Life is Good Cruising

I know how you feel and wish we could do more. We do our best and have been bringing, clothing, toothpaste & brushes, soap and other hygiene things. I give it to a crew member who is from Labadee and they give it to people in need.

Some of us are bringing school supplies on a RCI ship next month. Below is the email that was sent to the passenger who had the idea.

We appreciate the opportunity to respond to your inquiry about bringing school supplies to children in Haiti and we are honored by your generosity and thoughtfulness. We have included the step by step process for donating supplies to the L'Ecole Nouvelle School in Haiti (ENRC).

To make any school supply donations please follow the following guidelines.

Please be aware that we are unable to donate or provide transportation of any goods donated outside of Labadee as we do not have Customs personnel on site to clear the donated goods.

We ask that you limit the supplies to a maximum of three carry-on suitcases or of boxes similar in size. Once you have collected the supplies being donated please submit a detailed list of what items are being donated. Please include the following:

-- Ship you are sailing on

-- Sailing date

-- Description of item

-- Total quantity of item

-- Total number of boxes/suitcases used to pack donated items.

The list above will need to be submitted to ndiaz@rccl.com no later than one week before your sailing date.

Upon receiving a detailed list of the goods being donated we will then alert the Labadee Site Manager and your ship's Hotel Director and provide them with the list you created.

To facilitate a smooth delivery please label each box/suitcase being donated with the following:

TO: L'Ecole Nouvelle Royal Caribbean

c/o Hotel Director

<Ship Name>

FROM: <First & Last Name>

<Ship Name>

<Stateroom Number(s)>

<e-mail address>

Upon arriving to your ship's terminal, drop off your boxes or suitcases with the donated items along with your personal luggage. The donated items will be delivered by the luggage team to the Hotel Director, who will then ensure that the items get delivered to our Labadee Site Manager. The Labadee Site Manager will coordinate with the school and deliver your donated goods.

Both the Hotel Director and the Labadee Site Manager will be notified of the items prior to sailing via e-mail and a reminder e-mail will be sent to them the day before your sailing.

Attached please find the 2013-2014 School Supply List.

Again, thank you for your generosity and for making a difference in the lives of these Haitian kids!

The Crown & Anchor Society was created as a recognition program that offers members-only benefits and valuable rewards. Please look for the paperless Ultimate Value Booklet coupons that will be loaded on to your SeaPass Card, so that you can take advantage of the special discounts available to you onboard.

As a Crown & Anchor Society member, we thank you for being one of the 50 million guests we have had the pleasure of welcoming onboard! We are eager to show you the personalized Gold Anchor Standard service that keeps our guests loyal to Royal Caribbean International, and we look forward to sharing millions of wonderful memories to come.

Sincerely,

Karen Miller

Customer Services Representative

Karen&Roy thanks for posting that here!!! That was some great information!!!! :D

Does anyone have a copy of the supply list that was referred to in the letter from RCCL?