Report Slams RCL in Haiti

[Islandbear]

Should RCL turn Labadee into a refugee tent city? This was discussed on USAToday.

 

http://www.responsibletravel.org/home/documents/press_releases/Press%20Release-Haiti-All-Hands-on-Deck.pdf

[coxswain]

WHAT DID I SAY FROM THE START and others rubbished me

 

A more robust Royal Caribbean response to Haiti’s humanitarian catastrophe might include:

1.

Dedicate several of its ships to ferry food, medicine and other supplies and relief workers (but not vacationers) from the U.S. and help take the strain off the Port‐au‐Prince.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Islandbear

 

 

 

 

 

jj.......

[mustangjoe]

If youn look at the web site in question, they are soliciting funds for their foundation. No where are they seeking funds for Haiti. If they were that concerned they would be seeking donations to help those that they do not want RC to be helping. BTW, it is a philanthropic group research study.

[The Big Booper]

A "progressive" eco-tourism non-profit organization that just loves Venezuela. Consider the source.

 

from a Google search

 

Responsible Travel in Latin America

Responsible Travel in Venezuela Venezuela is at the center of a new, progressive model of socioeconomic development that is shaping Latin America's future. ...

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/.../travel/responsible/responsible_travel_latin_america.shtml - Cached - Similar

[Mark_K]

Should RCL turn Labadee into a refugee tent city? This was discussed on USAToday.

 

http://www.responsibletravel.org/home/documents/press_releases/Press%20Release-Haiti-All-Hands-on-Deck.pdf

Anybody who thinks Labadee is a good place for a tent city is clueless. The whole thing is less than 1/2 square mile, and I'm sure there are a lot better, and bigger, sites that aren't a seven hour drive from Port-au-Prince.

 

Also, why is it that only Royal Caribbean should be dedicating cruise ships to the relief effort?

[dommer573]

Sounds like RCL is in a no-win situation here. I feel that continuing to stop at Labadee is OK and helpful to Haiti in the long run. The article sounded whiny to me, no response would be good enough for them. Stop going and send a ship for refugees, they should send 2, send two and you should send four. I also don't think it RCL responsibly to send billion dollar ships to act as refugee camps, Sorry. Haiti needs help and I understand that, but we all are pitching in and to call RCL out for trying to maintain its business while helping out as it sees fit is IMO uncalled for. Get a grip.

[Baneeny]

WHAT DID I SAY FROM THE START and others rubbished me

 

A more robust Royal Caribbean response to Haiti’s humanitarian catastrophe might include:

1.

Dedicate several of its ships to ferry food, medicine and other supplies and relief workers (but not vacationers) from the U.S. and help take the strain off the Port‐au‐Prince.

 

And I'm sure if your cruise was scheduled that week and they cancelled it to ferry relief workers you would not mind. And wouldn't scream that you deserved OBC for having to rebook?

[tbjl24]

Also, why is it that only Royal Caribbean should be dedicating cruise ships to the relief effort?

 

RCI catches the heat because RCCL & Celebrity are the only lines that call on the island.

[Mark_K]

WHAT DID I SAY FROM THE START and others rubbished me

 

A more robust Royal Caribbean response to Haiti’s humanitarian catastrophe might include:

1.

Dedicate several of its ships to ferry food, medicine and other supplies and relief workers (but not vacationers) from the U.S. and help take the strain off the Port‐au‐Prince.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Islandbear

 

 

 

 

 

jj.......

The fact that someone else agrees with you just means you are not alone, not that you're correct, or in the majority.

[Lafayette Cruiser]

If youn look at the web site in question, they are soliciting funds for their foundation. No where are they seeking funds for Haiti. If they were that concerned they would be seeking donations to help those that they do not want RC to be helping. BTW, it is a philanthropic group research study.

Apparently they need more $ for their research since they can seem to get the facts correct.

 

They say Quote: "Royal Caribbean recently invested $55M to turn Labadee into a luxury playground and launched the world’s largest and most expensive cruise ship ever built ‐‐ the $1.4 billion, 5400 passenger Oasis of the Seas – whose itinerary includes Haiti."

 

 

 

That statement is incorrect. Look at the itinerary for the Oasis of the Seas for the next several months>>

 

It does not include any stops in Haiti.

 

Also the Oasis of the Seas has not stopped in Haiti since the earthquake.

 

 

i DON'T HAVE MUCH FAITH IN REASERCH GROUPS WHO CAN'T GET FACTS CORRECT ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE SO EASY TO CHECK OUT ON THE INTERNET.

[Twice_a_year]

WHAT DID I SAY FROM THE START and others rubbished me

 

A more robust Royal Caribbean response to Haiti’s humanitarian catastrophe might include:

1.

Dedicate several of its ships to ferry food, medicine and other supplies and relief workers (but not vacationers) from the U.S. and help take the strain off the Port‐au‐Prince.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Islandbear

 

 

 

 

 

jj.......

 

RCI should give up on their $50 Million investment in Haiti. After the "tent" people stop getting relief supplies they could stay there and do - ?

 

Oh yea! I suspect that you are forgoing your next and subsequent cruiese and donating the cost of these cruise vacations to Haiti relief. I know you will continue as long RCI doesn't use this port of call.

 

Maybe RCI should call on New Orleans. Oh no! That place is still suffering from Katrina. Well maybe some place in Flordia that hasn't been destroyed by a hurricaine could be an alternative.

 

Haiti will always be a poor nation until they get some work for their people. Taking away the RCI tourist trade would be a great start in keeping these poor people down.

[mtchg]

the "appropriate' time to resume Labadee cruise stops is? I can not get over the criticism Royal Caribbean continues to have to bare; despite the fact

they IMMEDIATELY stepped up to help the Haitians.

 

The author also doesn't address the money that continues to be collected FROM cruise passengers with every cruise stop; what I am sure will be hundreds of thousands of dollars

of voluntary contributions after some months. Money that would not be there; if the Labadee cruise passenger visits were eliminated.

 

..and logistically, a previous poster nails it; a tent city so isolated doesn't make any sense; there are larger open areas much closer to the devastation.

 

Although the article masquerades as giving more pratical suggestions for RCI to help Haiti,

I think it is more of an anti-corporate hit piece. One suspects the author resented RCI and

well off tourists "taking advantage' of the poor Haitians and their natural resources even before this natural tragedy.

 

....or do I protest too much?

 

Mitch

[BND]

The OP should change the title. That is not a "report". It is an opinion piece by an organization that has decided they know what "responsible" travel is.

[Cruising89143]

This article is garbage and nothing more than one misguided person's opinion. As stated above, RCI is in a no win situation when it comes to Haiti. Stay the plan RCI.

[Gonzo70]

WHAT DID I SAY FROM THE START and others rubbished me

 

A more robust Royal Caribbean response to Haiti’s humanitarian catastrophe might include:

1.

Dedicate several of its ships to ferry food, medicine and other supplies and relief workers (but not vacationers) from the U.S. and help take the strain off the Port‐au‐Prince.

.

 

Huh? :confused: You can't be serious.

 

Royal Caribbean is not a non-for-profit social organization. What you are proposing would bankrupt them. Royal Caribbean's response to the crisis has been nothing short of amazing. They have made an immensely generous donation (and continue to do so) during tough economic times (they just barely eeked out a profit last quarter after losing money the two previous quarters). They should be praised for all they are doing to help with the relief effort.

[The Big Booper]

I went to their website and browsed their material.

 

A "progressive" group thru and thru that loves Castro and Chavez and went into mourning with the collapse of the USSR empire in 1989-1991.

 

And when the iron curtain came down in 1991 and the total environmentlal disaster that was places like Russia, East Germany, etc. popped out into the open, do you think groups like this made even a peep........??

[cruzeluvr]

Should RCL turn Labadee into a refugee tent city? This was discussed on USAToday.

 

http://www.responsibletravel.org/home/documents/press_releases/Press%20Release-Haiti-All-Hands-on-Deck.pdf

 

I read this piece and was waiting to see where they said that this organization "CREST" was emptying their own coffers to aid Haiti, but I seemed to have missed that part. I guess it's easier to spend someone else's money.

[slk300]

The really sad thing that this thread highlights is that many people seem to

be unable to conduct critical thinking, and that they accept propaganda as

news or actual research.

 

Very enlightening when you look at it from the correct perspective.

[newcruiser80]

Ms. Honey,

 

In response to CREST's recent article regarding Royal Caribbean and the situation in Haiti, I think your stance is deplorable. First of all, where was your holy stance on cruise ships docking in Haiti before the earthquake crisis. Your article claims the passengers enjoying their time as "unsightly," yet in my opinion could always have been viewed as such. Haiti has always been a poor country, whose shores just happen to be utilized and PAID for by a cruise company. Your company is choosing to abuse a natural disaster to pin unfair claims on one company that, in my opinion, is doing a lot more than it could or should in this circumstance. Bottom line, as much as your "responsible" company may not like it, life goes on. Life experiences major disasters and tragedies and in most situations people do what they're capable of doing to assist in the recovery. I'm sure you, or somebody in your office took advanatage of low airfares after 9/11, which makes you equally guilty of the things you blame on Royal Caribbean. Let's stop the hypocrisy and maybe look towards commending people for the good that they do, regardless of its amplitude.

 

Each of your five "robust" response recommendations are, from a business perspective, idiodic and crafted through feeling and not sound judgement. Let's face it, Royal Caribbean is a business just as much as CREST. You can preach all you want and pick on the big guns, but your company certainly isn't gaining any points with me, and I'm sure the majority of the cruising public. I'm proud of Royal Caribbean's efforts, just as much as I am the many other corporations and individuals that are assisting the devastation in Haiti. You on the other hand, add more negativity than needed to an already negative situation. This, in my mind, is disgusting. I'm sorry I ever took the time to read your garbage.

 

I'm sure if we dissected some of the many vacation opportunities available on your website (which I will never consider after reading your article) we could pull out some negativity. I guess I won't lower myself to such disgraceful actions.

[RoyalCruiser2007]

It's truly sad that organizations, instead of helping Haiti themselves, are wasting time and money criticizing one of the few companies that is directly helping in Haiti and not just through monetary donations.

 

When I read that report yesterday, I was extremely upset and offended!!! It just shows how uneducated that organization is by releasing such a ridiculous report. Providing jobs and bringing tourists who spend money are some of the best ways to help Haiti.

 

"It is also an unsound tool for economic recovery"

I'm no expert but isn't providing jobs an important element of economic recovery?

 

"But it could do and should do much more. The cruise industry has long been one of the most profitable sectors of the tourism industry."

WalMart is the most profitable companies in the retail industry. Why aren't they being criticized for not donating all the food and blankets in their stores to Haiti? McDonalds is one of the most profitable companies in the food industry. Why aren't they being criticized for not donating all their food to Haiti? Maybe because companies that employ hundreds of thousands can't just shut down and completely dedicate themselves to a catastrophe.

 

"Dedicate several of its ships to ferry food, medicine and other supplies and relief workers"

Again, I'm no expert but unless there's been some magical transformation that I didn't hear about, cruise ships are not cargo ships...

 

"Use one or more cruise ships as shelter for Haitian refugees, as a hospital for the injured and sick, or as housing for the thousands of relief, security, and development workers pouring into the country. (There is a precedent: A cruise ship was used to house evacuees from New Orleans after Katrina.)"

Royal Caribbean is a business that employs tens of thousands of workers in dozens of countries. They cannot simply cancel a bunch of cruises and send their prime sources of income to help in these catastrophes. It's the same reason American Airlines can't cancel many flights and send several of their planes to Haiti to transport victims. During Hurricane Katrina, Carnival was reimbursed hundreds of millions of dollars for the use of its ships. I'm sure if someone offered Royal Caribbean the necessary amount to cover its losses, it too would consider providing its ships.

 

"Use Labadee and its facilities to house (in tents or other temporary shelters) displaced Haitians who have lost their homes, livelihoods, and loved ones."

Those that survived the earthquake need to rebuild and reestablish themselves in and around Port-au-Prince. That's where they have their families, their livelihood, their contacts. Sending them to a deserted beach 7 hours away would not be beneficial to them. Furthermore, Labadee is not setup to house displaced Haitians. More importantly, if you turn Labadee into a shelter, the 500+ Haitian individuals who make a living off of Labadee will lose their jobs.

 

"Purchase Haitian crafts from the Labadee vendors and sell them in the U.S."

Again, I' m no expert, but isn't Royal Caribbean a cruise line? I can't recall Royal Caribbean having stores throughout the U.S. to sell crafts.

 

"Keep the several hundred Haitians said to rely on Labadee for their livelihoods on payroll until it is appropriate to resume cruise visits."

This one isn't even worth a reply...

 

"The UN’s World Tourism Organization says tourism can be “a useful instrument” for the “reconstruction process in Haiti” – but some forms of tourism are far more beneficial than cruise tourism. According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization, the number of cruise and stayover tourists visiting the Caribbean is roughly the same, yet stayover travelers spend 13 times more in‐country than cruise passenger and governments in the Caribbean receive 800% more in taxes from stayover tourists than from cruise passengers."

Haiti is a beautiful country. However, very few areas are setup for tourism. Royal Caribbean is the ONLY cruise line in the world that has developed an area of Haiti into a tourist area and employs hundreds of Haitians. Why aren't they criticizing Carnival or NCL for not creating their own resorts in Haiti and employing hundreds.

 

I really believe this organization released this insulting report just to get their organization in the news. If this organization really cares about Haiti, its founders should immediately sell their homes, cars, and all of their possessions and donate all the money to Haiti. That would be on par with everything they are suggesting Royal Caribbean should do.

[Jimsedge]

I read this piece and was waiting to see where they said that this organization "CREST" was emptying their own coffers to aid Haiti, but I seemed to have missed that part. I guess it's easier to spend someone else's money.

 

 

I was about to post the exact same thing. Glad i read the rest of the thread. I agree 100%.

[Gonzo70]

Here is my response to the author (and I encourage everybody who feels offended by the article to e-mail her):

 

I just read your article "Haiti: All Hand on Deck, Not Business as Usual" and am deeply offended and outraged. It is a total misrepresentation of facts, and if gullible people take it at face value could potentially cause serious harm to the Haitian relief effort. Royal Caribbean has been among the most generous companies in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy. The Haitian people want and need Royal Caribbean to continue calling on their port. Royal Caribbean has donated $1,000,000, unloads much needed supplies every time they arrive, donates all proceeds of port calls at Labadee to Haiti, encourages the passengers to donate, employees hundreds of Haitians, and brings much needed revenue to Labadee in the form of passengers tipping and purchasing goods from locals.

What have you done for the relief effort?

You should be embarrassed about the article and worried that if taken seriously, Royal Caribbean may have to give in to misinformed, misguided political pressure to abandon Haiti in their time of need. The only one harmed and punished in that scenario would be the people of Haiti.

Please issue an immediate retraction of this horrendous article and work on helping, rather than hindering the people of Haiti in their time of need.

[RetireeWannabee]

Sounds like RCL is in a no-win situation here. I feel that continuing to stop at Labadee is OK and helpful to Haiti in the long run. The article sounded whiny to me, no response would be good enough for them. Stop going and send a ship for refugees, they should send 2, send two and you should send four. I also don't think it RCL responsibly to send billion dollar ships to act as refugee camps, Sorry. Haiti needs help and I understand that, but we all are pitching in and to call RCL out for trying to maintain its business while helping out as it sees fit is IMO uncalled for. Get a grip.

Yeah, I'm with ya.

 

For starters, I cannot imagine any cruise line can part with any of their seaworthy vessels and stay in business. I do not feel that any business, anybody, should be expected to sacrifice everything to save the Haitians.

 

RCCL has done much more than most.

 

Had they kept sailing to Lab without Doing Something, I would be wondering what their problem is. But they have stepped up in a big way and I will not be dissing them for whatever someone else perceives as shortcomings in their Swift and Decisive response.

 

sheesh.

 

did the authors sell their houses and all their belongings and send all proceeds to Haiti?? glass houses, throwing stones...

[bubbadog]

WHY In hell would rccl do more humanitariun things,When everybody has already jumped down their throats,For attempting to help,In the first place,I Woudnt do anything more either if i were them,And as usual the media has gone and ran their mouth,before hearing what they had to say:mad::mad::mad:

[Gonzo70]

Here is the general e-mail for the website that is hosting this article if anybody wants to send them a complaint: staff@responsibletravel.org