Labadee

[cruisinsouis]

How much damage was done to Labadee from Hurricane Matthew?

[Eeyore1962]

How much damage was done to Labadee from Hurricane Matthew?

 

It is very doubtful anyone knows yet since the hurricane is still there.

:(

 

I hope the damage is not too severe and the locals are all safe.

[bouhunter]

Seriously? You really expect anyone to know anything yet?

[cruisinsouis]

I certainly hope there was minimal damage and no injuries. Was thinking RCCL would post some information!

[MizDemeanor]

I give it another couple days, then we will know more by this weekend I think...

[llkingsz]

Prayers with the locals, truly unfortunate

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wolfcathorse]

I think the mountains protected Labadee somewhat. Matthew hit the western tip of that land strip the juts out from the mainland, towards Cuba. They should know more in the morning.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Labadee has been in the path of Matthew for more than 2 days now...getting wind and rain.

 

The potential for flooding and mudslides are the biggest damage candidates, followed by wind damage.

 

Since Matthew is moving ahead at a very slow pace, this amplifies the potential for danger to residents of the area as well as damage.

 

It would not be a surprise to learn that the damage is significant and that the port will not be available for cruises for several weeks.

 

We should know more by this weekend.

[TravelerThom]

I give it another couple days, then we will know more by this weekend I think...

According to http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7255 Allure is scheduled to arrive Labadee 9:30am this Friday 7 Oct. This was a schedule change made a few days ago basd on the predictions for Matthew. Subject to change of course.

[champagne123]

According to http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7255 Allure is scheduled to arrive Labadee 9:30am this Friday 7 Oct. This was a schedule change made a few days ago basd on the predictions for Matthew. Subject to change of course.

 

Wow. Very surprised to see this. Well, I hope someone on CC that is on the Allure will come back and report updates on Labadee.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

According to http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7255 Allure is scheduled to arrive Labadee 9:30am this Friday 7 Oct. This was a schedule change made a few days ago basd on the predictions for Matthew. Subject to change of course.

The changes on the Royal website are now happening more than once per day because of Matthew.

 

Multiple Florida ports are closing for certain days in advance of Hurricane Matthew, so its fair to say that schedules/itineraries are "fluid" at this point.

 

Since Labadee is still feeling the effects of wind/rain this morning from Matthew, predicting what damage has been caused and when the port becomes available is still too early to forecast.

[ckrobyn]

Someone on another site posted that Adam Goldstein has said Labadee did not sustain any damage - anyone else hear something similar?

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Someone on another site posted that Adam Goldstein has said Labadee did not sustain any damage - anyone else hear something similar?

I really hope he's right...

 

...but there are already numerous reports of Haiti being hit all over the country comparable to the 2010 earthquake there - significant flooding and damage.

 

In watching the progress of the storm...Labadee was definitely within the areas hit by hurricane-force winds and torrential rain. Coming out of that with "no damage" would be nothing shy of a miracle.

Edited October 5, 2016 by CRUISEFAN0001

[Crusin Cindy]

I talked to my friend this afternoon. She lives in Cap-Haitien very close to Labadee. She said that Southern Haiti is getting hit with the storm and they are not getting much in Northern Haiti.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

One of the huge problems with Haiti is the deforestation. The area around Labadee is lush. This will help avoid mudslides and it is not in the direct path of the strongest winds. I have my fingers crossed for good news. :)

[mrpotatohead]

On the Allure now and still expecting to arrive in Labadee on Friday. Thankful the route was reversed, perfect weather and calm seas so far. Captain expecting some rain tonight as we approach Jamaica.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[jk04]

I was pretty skeptical when the Captain said Labadee did not sustain any damage and we would still stop on Friday. I couldn't imagine docking at a port with significant hurricane damage. Have not seen a lot on the available TV news.

 

I hope everyone is alright from the storm.

Edited October 5, 2016 by jk04

[Lovecruisestoo]

Please let us know how the port is. Hope you have fun on Friday.

[TravelerThom]

I was pretty skeptical when the Captain said Labadee did not sustain any damage and we would still stop on Friday. I couldn't imagine docking at a port with significant hurricane damage. Have not seen a lot on the available TV news....

I would hope that any and all of TV news (available or not) is less information than is available to the Captain. I'm pretty skeptical that the Captain would make an announcement that would prove him an idiot 2 days from now (but worse has happened in the past). I will be watching and reading on Friday to see who the idiot is.

[ONECRUISER]

I talked to my friend this afternoon. She lives in Cap-Haitien very close to Labadee. She said that Southern Haiti is getting hit with the storm and they are not getting much in Northern Haiti.

 

That's great, still sad for rest of country. Sites was looking at into last nite that area on line with max rain either 3in or 7in. Same with winds on line high of 39 or 72 so was hoping for the lessor. Either way lot less damage then other parts.

Edited October 5, 2016 by ONECRUISER

[jk04]

I would hope that any and all of TV news (available or not) is less information than is available to the Captain. I'm pretty skeptical that the Captain would make an announcement that would prove him an idiot 2 days from now (but worse has happened in the past). I will be watching and reading on Friday to see who the idiot is.

 

Uh, wow. Not exactly sure why you feel the need to call me an idiot and I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say.

 

I am completely aware the Captain has access to the most up to date weather updates. Everything that we have seen or read moved the storm back east of Jamaica and Haiti would take pretty much a direct hit. At one point it looked like Jamaica would take the brunt and Haiti very little. I'm sorry I have not been glued to the TV or my tablet during the cruise to have the up to the minute track of the storm. But, have tried to follow as best I could.

 

Since Haiti still has not completely recovered from the earthquake from several years ago and the deforestation mixed with lots of rain would cause mudslides, it is difficult for me to believe Haiti would emerge unscathed from a Category 4 hurricane. My skepticism was not toward the Captain, more that Labadee was not affected. Have lived in Florida through several hurricanes and know the damage it can cause.

 

My comment about docking at a port with damage again was not about the choices the Captain is making. It is that I feel badly for anyone affected by the storms and it seems kinda cruel to cruise into a port when people are without electricity, water, etc. and expect them to have the excursions and other services offered while at the port. Not looking for an ethical discussion on cruising, just making a personal observation.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Since Haiti still has not completely recovered from the earthquake from several years ago and the deforestation mixed with lots of rain would cause mudslides, it is difficult for me to believe Haiti would emerge unscathed from a Category 4 hurricane. My skepticism was not toward the Captain, more that Labadee was not affected. Have lived in Florida through several hurricanes and know the damage it can cause.

Thanks for your post - you are not alone in the belief that making statements this early about damage at Labadee is not only premature, but irresponsible by anyone who actually thinks it "escaped" the effects of this hurricane.

 

It's fair to assume that both regular Royal Caribbean port stops Labadee (Haiti) and Falmouth (Jamaica) have seen the dangerous and damaging impact.

 

The death toll in Haiti alone doubled overnight, and the damage estimates are rising by the hour. This is a devastating hurricane to Haiti, as well as the many other locations (including the upcoming effects in the U.S.

 

The only hope is that those people on cruise ships are positioned out of harms way, regardless of the specific ports. The last thing that matters is which port someone goes to at this point - only that people are safe.

[Mass2Cruise]

Obviously we'd find out how Labadee fairs tomorrow with the first arrival, but given that the Cat 4 winds were on the outer tip of Haiti, coupled with the location of Labadee being on the North coast, and considering the winds would have come from the South due to rotation effectively pushing any storm surge away from the port, it's likely to have faired ok as along as the rain wasn't overly hard in that part. Of course it's the Haitians that live there and have to work in Labadee that we should be concerned about. We shouldn't be upset if we have to have an extra sea day (or a different port).

[TravelerThom]

... it's the Haitians that live there and have to work in Labadee that we should be concerned about. We shouldn't be upset if we have to have an extra sea day (or a different port).

Well said.

 

I have been known to voice complaints about RCCL, and do not think I am a "cheerleader". However I was on Freedom otS first port call at Labadee after the 2010 earthquake. Labadee was a long way from the epicenter and the dock (less than 2 months old) had escaped damage. Freedom loaded 179 pallets of relief supplies (which had been crammed into "I-95") onto waiting UN trucks. Some of the supplies had been donated by RCCL, some by others, all were delivered free of charge by RCI. The ship actively (but without pressure) collected funds for the relief effort (example: a passenger gave $700 at an auction for the right to blow the ship's horn on departure). The were a number of internet complaints that people shouldn't be vacationing in a disaster area; I was impressed with RCCL's efforts to help.

 

Thom

[alfaeric]

 

Since Haiti still has not completely recovered from the earthquake from several years ago and the deforestation mixed with lots of rain would cause mudslides, it is difficult for me to believe Haiti would emerge unscathed from a Category 4 hurricane. My skepticism was not toward the Captain, more that Labadee was not affected. Have lived in Florida through several hurricanes and know the damage it can cause.

 

One has to remember that the island of Hispaniola is pretty big, and has a lot of mountains.

 

The earthquake was devastating, for sure, but mostly in the southern part of the island- there were little effects in the north.

 

And for this hurricane- mountains do a great job breaking up storms like this- so by the time the winds and rain got to the north end- there's a really good chance that the northern cities, and areas that are well protected from winds from the south, may not have much damage.

 

Considering that the eye passed to the western end of Haiti, before heading to Cuba- where Labadee is could have gotten off with very little damage. And if I remember, the passage over Haiti and Cuba really took a lot out of the storm going from a 4 to a 2. So the mountains have a big effect.

 

And, WRT Haiti- it's good for them to restart incoming money as fast as they can- just like the earthquake. What RCI puts into the economy may be small, but it's not nothing. And it's also possible that some of the ships could be carrying stuff for the northern part of the island- which would take pressure off the southern part to keep them going.

 

Having seen the effects of hurricanes on southern Puerto Rico when San Juan gets hammered, it makes a lot of sense to me that Labadee could come out really well.