"I can't see myself sunning on the beach while thousands of dead people are piled up on the streets"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

BoingBoing reported this morning on a Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines ship that made its scheduled docking at a private beach. Though the cruise ship delivered 40 pallets of relief supplies while it docked, vacationers frolicked and held a barbecue on the private area, just miles from the devastation caused by the 7.0 earthquake last week.

From The Guardian:

The decision to go ahead with the visit has divided passengers. The ships carry some food aid, and the cruise line has pledged to donate all proceeds from the visit to help stricken Haitians. But many passengers will stay aboard when they dock; one said he was "sickened".

"I just can't see myself sunning on the beach, playing in the water, eating a barbecue, and enjoying a cocktail while (in Port-au-Prince) there are tens of thousands of dead people being piled up on the streets, with the survivors stunned and looking for food and water," one passenger wrote on the Cruise Critic internet forum.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/18/luxury-cruise-ship-docks_n_427247.html

[Taverner]

1. Perhaps they could have had "volunteer at a food bank" as an option

I know if I were on vacation, I would choose that option...

[jonathon]

10. Probably not possible do to health regulations and logistics

[Taverner]

14. Make it unofficial then

Lots of ways around the red tape

[Ian David]

11. That's what I was thinking.

As well as snatch as much stuff off the maid carts to donate as I could.

However, some people might be so emotionally fragile, that rather than being helpful, they might just fall apart, get in the way, and distract others from assisting survivors.

[BeHereNow]

2. Talk about bad taste on the part of the cruise line...

I think who ever made that decision should resign.

BHN

[cutlassmama]

3. They should have dropped off the supplies and left. It's in really bad taste.

[Mari333]

4. Thats why I wont vacation in places for white tourists with money

right next to villages in poverty. I cannot sit there and drink margaritas while 2 miles away some little kid is starving to death. Mexico is full of gated vacation spots like that.
I might as well stay in MI and vacation next to the new poor here.

[tblue]

18. Sadly true. But then you can't vacation anywhere.

Well, not anywhere, but it will limit you. Not saying you are wrong. Not at all. Just that there are so many places with drastic economic disparity.


I've been to some of those places, in Africa, the Caribbean, South America. I am not white, but I am American. And I tried my best to be gracious and generous. The people of Kenya were the most beautiful people I have ever seen and it was such an honor for me to meet them and receive their warm hospitality. I'll never forget tipping a bellboy $5 and he told me he would share it with the other workers. How his face lit up when I told him, "I will tip the others. This is for you!"

[msongs]

25. will you vacation in places for non-white tourists with money? nt

[Mari333]

38. I am not going to vacation where the disparity between rich and impoverished it apparent

unfortunately, thats everywhere so I will stay in Michigan.

[dionysus]

5. omfg that's...

:puke:

[eqfan592]

12. I'm sure the Haitians that opperate the market area there don't think so.

It's their livelihood after all.

Now people that would seek to rob them of that so they can try and stick their noses up at others?

:puke:

[jonathon]

16. I agree with you. Definitely choose the path that would do the most good

Better to go ashore and spend (or donate) then stay on the ship in moral protest that won't provide help to anyone.

[eqfan592]

22. Exactly.

It spite of my harshness in my other post, I do understand the reaction some folks are having to this news, but once you spend some time to think about it, exactly what useful purpose would have been served by skipping this stop and going someplace else? It would have been that much less money into the local economy, and the supplies wouldn't have been dropped off.

It just seems to me that making the stop was the logical and rational choice to make.

[Donnachaidh]

33. do you really think ANY of those markets are FUNCTIONING at the moment?

If they are, it's not being shown on the 24 hour coverage.

[eqfan592]

35. That beach is 60+ miles away.

And the markets aren't exactly complex buildings. I'd be surprised if they weren't functioning.

[Warpy]

6. Depriving the Haitians who work in the tourist industry

of their livelihood won't help much, either. I'd probably have gone ashore, bought a few trinkets, and left the rest of whatever cash I had on me behind, hoping it would get to an extended family in trouble.

Yeah, I'm a softy.

[eqfan592]

9. There's also a fairly large Haitian market at that beach.

I know because I've been there before. Trust me, the people there literally survive off of that market, so the "high and mighty" folks both here and on the ship are basically in favor of screwing those people over royally.

Short sightedness FTW!

[ProdigalJunkMail]

+1

[hileeopnyn8d]

28. Nobody wants to hear that!

They are 100 miles from Port au Prince, and no one wants to hear that either. Royal Caribbean lost 10 of their employees (that they know of so far) in the earthquake. In addition to the revenue from the tours they've committed to donating at least £1 million in aid, and they are partnering with Food for the Poor to distribute aid to Haiti.

Get ready for more of these stories because Royal Caribbean has at least two more cruises arriving this week, again with more aid, but that part of the story doesn't sell newspapers or attract hits at Huffpo.

[Born_A_Truman]

49. I know RCI has been taking aid to Haiti

Here's a map showing Labadee.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=19.786389,-72.245556&spn=0.1,0.1&t=m&q=19.786389,-72.245556

[TornadoTN]

39. I've been there as well and it's a stunningly beautiful place

The market is a bit chaotic, but if you can find a "fixer" to guide you, you can save yourself a lot of hassle. I met some amazingly charming people there who made some of the most beautiful pieces of art that I've seen. I gladly paid the price for a couple pieces, and one hangs in our living room wall to this day.

I talked to one man who was so polite and candid in talking to my wife and I. He said that he has had offers to work for the cruise lines but he has turned them down because he loves his country and his family too much to leave. He talked to us about how the cruise ships keep his entire town functioning due to the jobs at the market and at the resort.He showed us a picture of his family and talked about his children being smart with the whole world ahead of them. We talked a bit about soccer, which he loved, and some of the things that he enjoyed doing. We found some common ground when we talked about fishing and shared some fisherman's tales. He kept offering to paint any picture we wanted, but we declined and thanked him for his work and his conversation. I gave him a Boston Red Sox hat that I had in our bag and shook his hand.

I really hope he and his family wasn't affected by this earthquake, and I hope that his dreams for his country will one day be a reality. I personally don't have a problem with the cruise ships visiting because they are a massive source of income for many people and communities there.

[eqfan592]

41. My wife and I had much the same experience there.

We have some art work from that same market also up in our living room :) I hope more people realize what you have and that RC isn't compelled to stop visiting that place because of the earth quake by people who know little to nothing of how those people live in that area.

[TornadoTN]

44. The fact that Royal has donated $1 million and tons of aid really is a strong testament

We bash on companies a lot here and rightfully so, but I think credit is due to RC for this. They are giving money, tons of food aid and supplies, and they are helping their own Haitian employees on the cruise ships. That's not to mention all that they are doing for the people on the shore in Labadee. If they had merely kept stopping without doing anything in return, I would have a problem with that, but it's simply not the case here.

I would probably feel a bit odd about being on that beach with a disaster on the other side of the island, but I'd still be glad to be there and giving to the Haitian community there. If RC halts that stop, it's unimaginable what would happen to the native peoples that rely on it for their source of income and living.

[eqfan592]

46. I couldn't have put it better myself.

I would also have felt odd, but I think I would have gone out of my way to drop a few more bucks over at the artisans market than I might have budgeted for otherwise, along with donating to the Red Cross as I did anyway.

[Ken Burch]

7. They should do the decent thing and hand all the food out to the starving folks

On the other side of the security cordon.

Especially the tons of BOTTLED WATER those cruise ships always carry.

[jonathon]

13. Not all the food, but anything non-perishable certainly would be a huge help

And, they need to keep enough aboard to feed the passengers on the ship.

[Ken Burch]

26. I meant all the food they had set aside for the shoreside reception.

n/t.

[jonathon]

8. Better that they made the visit and provided aid then skip it

And, the fact is that even if the people stay aboard, they will be eating well and drinking cocktails, just not in public view.

The reality is that the world's rich frolick, play, and consume at the expense of the world's poor on a daily basis and we are pretty much silent about it.

[mn9driver]

15. Disturbing that the cruise line thinks a festive beach bar bq would be OK.

But that is fairly typical of a lot of corporate thinking.

Much more disturbing is that some of the passengers apparently have no shame or second thoughts about partying down just a few miles from a scene of unimaginable death, suffering and destruction.

[hileeopnyn8d]

17. It's certainly a dilemma

and were I on a cruise I would probably opt to stay onboard but that article, and others I've read are really distorting the location of the cruise ship dock. As I understand it, they are 100 miles from Port au Prince, and Haiti can use the revenue and aid they are bringing.

[tblue]

19. Royal Caribbean, huh? Thanks, I'll remember that.

Idiots. I hope this is a PR disaster for them.

[eqfan592]

23. "Cruise ship delivers aid to Haiti."

Yep, it's the makings of a REAL PR disaster for them!

[Bluebear]

27. They also donated $1m to Haiti yesterday, just remember that too

[Rabrrrrrr]

31. Yeah - fuck them for bringing aid and donating money. FUCK THEM TO HELL!!!!!!!

:eyes:

[malaise]

20. Thoughtless, tasteless

vulgar, disgusting :puke:

[Dreamer Tatum]

34. You mean the food they brought, or the money they donated? Which one?

You don't think the hard currency brought by tourists is welcome in port?

[PavePusher]

51. You haven't really thought this through, have you... n/t

[Rabrrrrrr]

21. Ah, the smugness of self-righteousness! Look, life goes on, even when there's tragedy.

As others have posted, there were surely Haitians nearby with businesses that rely on the tourists. I doubt that they stopped their business in some kind of smug "solidarity" with the suffering.

It's a difficult emotional thing, yes; but we up here in the states haven't stopped our normal lives just because of Haiti; why should we expect others to do so just because they're closer?

[eqfan592]

24. Well said.

There is indeed a nice sized Haitian market right off the beach there that relies almost entirely on the people coming off the cruise ships for it's business. The folks there are good people, who love to haggle! My wife and I have been thinking much of those people, and hoping they are all safe.

I still can't imagine what good people think would have been done if RC had skipped their stop.

[we can do it]

29. +1 Its Usually Good To Think Things Thru Before Casting Stones

[FarCenter]

30. The ship is docking near Cap Haitien on the north side of Haiti, over 100 miles from the quake

It is not near the disaster zone.

[TornadoTN]

42. Not to mention that they have a partner in Haiti that is ensuring delivery of food to Port-Au-Prince

Once people realize that the beach is far removed from the chaos and that Royal Caribbean is giving tons of aid and money to the disaster effort, the tune changes. Not so much around here though....

[RamboLiberal]

32. IMHO better to help the local Haitian economy in that area

By allowing the tourists to go ashore and put their money in to that economy.

Taking that off the port of call to be in good taste just means more Haitians who depend on those tourist dollars would be deprived.

Just make sure that none of the food or drink is depriving the victims of the earthquake.

And whatever dollars the cruise line makes from that stop should be donated to the aid of the earthquake victims.

[eqfan592]

36. Agreed.

And it does say in the article that RC will be donating all the money they made from the visit. So seems like they have all the bases covered.

[PeaceNikki]

37. I am 100% in favor of RC continuing service.

Here are a few comments from an article:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/abcs-world-news-diane-sawyer-question-day-royal/story?id=9593238
I guess the 800 pound gorilla in the room - Is it wrong for ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox, etc to continue to receive advertising revenue for commercials run during their coverage of the events in Haiti? Plus, is it wrong for the above networks to send in reporters, camera people, security, producers, etc during the first hours after the catastrophic earthquate - while planes with relief personnel and supplies could not land?
Posted by:
HappyLiberal1 1:43 PMMark As Violation


Almost exactly a year ago my wife and I sailed with a cruise ship that docked at Labadee. It was the most beautiful, pristine beach we have ever seen and the Haitians working there were very nice people, but it was obvious they didn't have much. When my wife heard about the earthquake in Haiti, she actually started crying because it made her think of the beautiful beaches and kind people we had met. We immediately started looking for ways to help the relief effort. It was BECAUSE we had been to Labadee that we are helping now, and I hope that maybe the effect on others will be similar. I applaud Royal Caribbean for delivering relief supplies.
Posted by:
MHAK2009 3:21 PMMark As Violation


No it is not wrong for Royal Caribbean to continue to call there. For one thing, Royal Caribbean's operation at Labadee employs about 500 people in Haiti directly and indirectly. They also pay the government through tax revenue each time they call. If they suspended the calls, it would be an economic hardship on the country and on 500 people particularly. On top of it, beginning last Friday, each Royal Caribbean ship that calls at Labadee is also bringing tons of relief supplies that are being donated by Royal Caribbean and their suppliers. In light of that, does it hurt that people on vacation enjoy themselves on that beach as opposed to another one a hundred miles away? I don't see it.
Posted by:
Alan4000 2:55 PMMark As Violation


And from Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labadee

Labadee (also Labadie) is a port located on the northern coast of Haiti. It is a private resort leased to Royal Caribbean International. Royal Caribbean International has contributed the largest proportion of tourist revenue to Haiti since 1986, employing 300 locals, allowing another 200 to sell their wares on the premises, and paying the Haitian government US$6 per tourist.<1>

The resort is completely tourist-oriented, and is guarded by a private security force. The site is fenced off from the surrounding area, and passengers are not allowed to leave the property. It is also blocked off from the remainder of Haiti by mountains<2>. A controlled group of Haitian merchants are given sole rights to sell their merchandise and establish their businesses in the resort. Although sometimes described as an island in advertisements, it is actually a peninsula contiguous with the island of Hispaniola. The cruise ship moors to the pier at Labadee capable of servicing the Oasis class ships, which was completed in late 2009.<3>

And from another article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/17/cruise-ships-haiti-earthquake
Forty pallets of rice, beans, powdered milk, water, and canned foods were delivered on Friday, and a further 80 are due and 16 on two subsequent ships. When supplies arrive in Labadee, they are distributed by Food for the Poor, a longtime partner of Royal Caribbean in Haiti.

Royal Caribbean has also pledged $1m to the relief effort and will spend part of that helping 200 Haitian crew members.

The company recently spent $55m updating Labadee. It employs 230 Haitians and the firm estimates 300 more benefit from the market. The development has been regarded as a beacon of private investment in Haiti; Bill Clinton visited in October. Some Haitians have decried the leasing of the peninsula as effective privatisation of part of the republic's coastline.

[tammywammy]

40. +1 n/t

[PeaceNikki]

43. After much reading on this today, I have formed these opinions:

1) Journalism is written with a bias and when you only analyze it on the surface, it can seem shocking that people would vacation there at this time.

2) Sometimes (not all of the time) when people actually SEE someplace touched by such poverty and interact with the people, they get a connection and are more inclined to help than they may have been had they not.

3) If they don't port there, their tourism dollars are diverted

4) and several hundred people are directly impacted.

5) Labadee exists only to serve Royal Caribbean, if they weren't porting there, nobody would

6) RC *IS* helping with supplies and large cash donations.

There are 10 of RC's employees that are still missing.

[tammywammy]

50. Yes, I've read a few articles on RC and Haiti

Taking the port of call is better for the locals, they get the revenue. This area was not effected by the earthquake, and the Haitians there still need to make it to survive. If RC pulled out, it would be an economic boycott of people that NEED them to keep bringing in tourist. It seems that RC is donating supplies and money to help with relief efforts as well.

If Los Angeles is hit with a big one, should people avoid San Diego?

[Missy Vixen]

45. I feel sorry for the passenger who actually disagreed on the Cruise Critic board

Cruise boards are populated by travel agents who post under deep cover (lol), and shout down anyone who dares to say that cruises are not necessarily the world's greatest vacation, that they didn't enjoy their cruise, or dare to disagree with any decision a cruise line makes.

In the meantime, Royal Caribbean is going to be spending an awful lot of time and money to wash the taste of this out of people's mouths, and an open bar isn't going to do it. IMHO.

[eqfan592]

47. What taste?

The taste of them continuing to support the economy of that area, while donating money and supplies? That taste? Not sure that's a taste that NEEDS to be washed out.

[TornadoTN]

48. Honestly, what would you have them do?

As has been pointed out, a good portion of the Haitian's in that region rely on RC and the tourism that they bring in as their sole source of income. Take that away, and you've just made the suffering a whole hell of a lot larger.

I understand people raising some eyebrows at their continuing of service to Labadee, but honestly, their presence there is a net positive for the region. Take into account all that they are doing in response to the disaster and I think they've been pretty fair and responsible in this particular case. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Royal Caribbean "fanboy" as I have had some experiences with them that were less than stellar to say the least, but what they are doing here just doesn't rise to the level of having to "wash the taste out of people's mouths".

[gleaner]

52. I read all of the remarks pro and con ...

to this point, but I still think I would feel very squeamish about vacationing while people are suffering and dying. It would have been better to deliver the relief and then mark the tragedy in some way that respects its existence better than a barbecue or a tour of the markets.

As for the markets being operational, I would doubt it. After the earthquake here in 1994 it was not just business as usual. Many government offices were closed, some businesses and people were discouraged from entering the city or going out to rubberneck. That was moderate devastation and it was scattered like a crazy quilt and not at all of the magnitude of what happened in Haiti. I do strongly doubt that anything there is going to be business as usual for a very long time.

[JCMach1]

53. In the midst of life, death always surrounds us...

Of course, do what you can as an individual... That is only fitting.

However, we also must live.

[dkf]

54. Maybe he can see himself valuing his life and his family.

You'd think an experience like that would mean more than whether he sunned himself or not.