How Will Labadee Hold Up?

[NMTraveller]

Maybe after their visit to Haiti they could tender in the port of Gaza.  😁

[Dolebludger]

Just heard on CNN: the embassies in Haiti are evacuating. Violence has spread beyond the capitol.

[PTC DAWG]

On 3/8/2024 at 9:07 PM, Charles4515 said:

There was a lot of space and Royal has built a lot since 30 years ago. They even have a tram now that some passengers use. It is another way for them to get revenue. The beach areas that they use are expanded. Some of the beaches are meh but a couple are pretty good.  Like any port some don’t care for it but it has been a pretty popular port. 

The tram is included 

[hcat]

Seems news not that great for Haiti..US Embassy staff evacuated, foreigners  are stuck there and violence rampant..

 

photo of power company ofc..kind of scary!

 

  I get that Labadee is miles  away from  the main issues and fenced.. but I could not relax in a lounge chair having an island cocktail!

[sfaaa]

US has also flown in additional marines to reenforce embassy MSG already stationed there. Troop deployment and staff evacuation all done by helicopters from embassy ground. Image of Saigon 1975 popped in my head.

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

Seems news not that great for Haiti..US Embassy staff evacuated, foreigners  are stuck there and violence rampant..

 

photo of power company ofc..kind of scary!

 

  I get that Labadee is miles  away from  the main issues and fenced.. but I could not relax in a lounge chair having an island cocktail!

Only 240 miles away ...

[Charles4515]

3 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Only 240 miles away ...

Labadee is on a remote peninsular about 130 miles from Port Au Prince. It is about a six hour drive because the road is narrow. It is remote  because Labadee is on the other side of a mountain range. The Royal compound is itself on the other side of a mountain. The local workers can't drive there. They have to come by boat. 

Edited March 10 by Charles4515

[NMTraveller]

It appears that the distance I was looking at was in km.  Even closer than I thought...

Edited March 10 by NMTraveller

[Brimtown]

5 hours ago, hcat said:

Seems news not that great for Haiti..US Embassy staff evacuated, foreigners  are stuck there and violence rampant..

 

photo of power company ofc..kind of scary!

 

  I get that Labadee is miles  away from  the main issues and fenced.. but I could not relax in a lounge chair having an island cocktail!

 

It's also pretty isolated. Peninsula with pretty steep mountains blocking access from the rest of the country. 

[sfaaa]

If capital Port Au Prince falls, the whole country and what's left of it also fall. It happened in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq under Saddam Hussein and Libya under Ghaddafi just to name a few. Distance alone does not offer any protection when the central government of a country is eliminated and its ability to defend itself no longer exists. 

Edited March 11 by sfaaa

[NMTraveller]

11 minutes ago, Brimtown said:

 

It's also pretty isolated. Peninsula with pretty steep mountains blocking access from the rest of the country. 

Is this not just a short 50 minute flight away?

[Brimtown]

4 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Is this not just a short 50 minute flight away?

 

There's nowhere for a plane to land at Labadee. The geography alone would make it difficult for a large group of people to get there. 

[Esmerelda]

Earlier today; 

The U.S. military flew in Marines to reinforce its embassy in Haiti and evacuate non-essential personnel as heavily-armed gangs continue to challenge the country’s tenuous government and turn the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, into a battlefield.

 

it doesn’t sound like it’s going well there. With 4,000 prison inmates loose, they will have a hard time controlling this situation.  

[hcat]

if food becomes scarce in other areas..folks could take a boat and get lunch at Labadee!

 

 very bad optics if  ships go there right now...hope things calm soon

[NMTraveller]

10 minutes ago, Brimtown said:

 

There's nowhere for a plane to land at Labadee. The geography alone would make it difficult for a large group of people to get there. 

There is a landing strip rather close.  A short plane ride and a boat ride and you are there...

 

Perhaps not the easiest access,  but not difficult either.

 

Our excursion when we were there was to take a boat ride and observe the local fishermen.  If they can make it rather close in their paddle boats,  a speed boat would be there rather fast.

Edited March 11 by NMTraveller

[dlh015]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

The local workers can't drive there. They have to come by boat. 

So the bad guys don't have boats...🤔

[NMTraveller]

5 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

So the bad guys don't have boats...🤔

And apparently they can't overrun the RCG renta cops 😁

[Brimtown]

6 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

So the bad guys don't have boats...🤔

 

Pull up a map and see just how far it would be to take a boat from Port-au-Prince to Labadee. 

[prmssk]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

The local workers can't drive there. They have to come by boat. 

Google maps shows a road between Labadee and Cap-Hatiens. 

[NMTraveller]

Just now, Brimtown said:

 

Pull up a map and see just how far it would be to take a boat from Port-au-Prince to Labadee. 

It is a short boat ride from the landing strip...

[stevenr597]

On 3/4/2024 at 7:36 AM, Rustyman said:

I’m wondering whether Celebrity will continue using Labadee in light of the chaos in Haiti following the mass jail break and current violence in the country? I know that Labadee is protected bu security guards etc. but I guess there are rich pickings from cruisers and a cruise ship should the violence continue to grow.

Thoughts have to be with the poor law abiding citizens of Haiti and let’s hope that some kind of control and democracy can take hold in the not too distant future.

Many years ago we were on the Sovereign of the Seas (RCCL) and stopped for a day at Labadee.  It was a time of great turmoil in Haiti and the United Nation had sent peacekeepers.

We were sitting at the beach and a Jeep came by with the United Nations Logo and several Canadian Soldiers.  They stopped for a friendly “chat” with us and joked that they were there to make sure none of the “Yanks” misbehaved.  

I am sure that you will have a great time in a great and beautiful port.  

[Brimtown]

2 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

It is a short boat ride from the landing strip...

 

You're right, I give up. Apparently I haven't been watching enough action movies, and the gangs could decide to put aside their attempt to take over Port-au-Prince, and instead mount a large scale operation to take over a cruise ship. Doing all this during broad daylight, since ships are only there during the day. 

[dlh015]

9 minutes ago, Brimtown said:

 

Pull up a map and see just how far it would be to take a boat from Port-au-Prince to Labadee. 

Point taken!

[markeb]

34 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

There is a landing strip rather close.  A short plane ride and a boat ride and you are there...

 

Perhaps not the easiest access,  but not difficult either.

 

Our excursion when we were there was to take a boat ride and observe the local fishermen.  If they can make it rather close in their paddle boats,  a speed boat would be there rather fast.

 

I assume you're a former Marine assault planner? I mean, you've done air assaults into contested terrain, obviously? And amphibious landings onto a beach? Were you planning on flying the assault craft in via a Cessna? What about fuel once you commit? Ammo? Medical support? Or are you just planning on being Napoleon during the Russian campaign and eat your horses?

 

It's not a simple approach or a simple assault. You could probably land a handful of people via commercial helos, but you'd have a heck of a time reenforcing them. They could probably access some Vietnam era UH-1's for enough money; probably not UH-60's. The commercial Bells are all over the world, but they have limited lift and range. Do they actually have pilots? And aviation fuel? The approach from the sea is probably more doable, but again you need some logistics to make it work and sustain an assault. And for what purpose? What's your goal in taking Labadee? 

 

Honestly, I think it makes perfectly good sense for RCG to just stop the visits, but this amateur hour assault planning is getting really old. Never did it, but I know people who did this for a living. With the US fleet backing them. They still wouldn't be anywhere near this flippant about that assault. There are things a well financed insurgency could do if there was a strategic result. See what Ukraine has done to the Russian fleet. No evidence this group has either the tools or the strategic interest to attack cruise ships in Labadee. Even a terror attack has a strategic goal. What would be their purpose? Call in the US Navy and USMC on their positions? Not a brilliant strategy.

[NMTraveller]

12 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

I assume you're a former Marine assault planner? I mean, you've done air assaults into contested terrain, obviously? And amphibious landings onto a beach? Were you planning on flying the assault craft in via a Cessna? What about fuel once you commit? Ammo? Medical support? Or are you just planning on being Napoleon during the Russian campaign and eat your horses?

 

It's not a simple approach or a simple assault. You could probably land a handful of people via commercial helos, but you'd have a heck of a time reenforcing them. They could probably access some Vietnam era UH-1's for enough money; probably not UH-60's. The commercial Bells are all over the world, but they have limited lift and range. Do they actually have pilots? And aviation fuel? The approach from the sea is probably more doable, but again you need some logistics to make it work and sustain an assault. And for what purpose? What's your goal in taking Labadee? 

 

Honestly, I think it makes perfectly good sense for RCG to just stop the visits, but this amateur hour assault planning is getting really old. Never did it, but I know people who did this for a living. With the US fleet backing them. They still wouldn't be anywhere near this flippant about that assault. There are things a well financed insurgency could do if there was a strategic result. See what Ukraine has done to the Russian fleet. No evidence this group has either the tools or the strategic interest to attack cruise ships in Labadee. Even a terror attack has a strategic goal. What would be their purpose? Call in the US Navy and USMC on their positions? Not a brilliant strategy.

You act as if Labadee is heavily fortified 😁

 

Predicting what can happen in riots and coups and the breakdown of law and order is just unpredictable.

 

There would be no goal in taking Labadee.  What was the goal of the Somali pirates?  Money and ransom...

Edited March 11 by NMTraveller