There are lots of interesting blogs out there, one of them being Kenneth Cole’s Awareness Blog, which contains an article "Cruise Boat Docks in Haiti."  It has the following political cartoon by Mikhaela Reid at her Flickr page, which pretty much sums up my view of spending several thousands of dollars to sail on a monstrosity like the Oasis of the Seas into an impoverished place like Haiti.

Labadee - Haiti - Colonialism

I have written a number of articles about Royal Caribbean’s Labadee® boondoggle. It nauseates me to read the cruise line’s description of sovereign Haitian land at its website:

On the north coast of Hispaniola, surrounded by beautiful mountain slopes and exotic foliage, sits Labadee®, Royal Caribbean’s private paradise. This exclusive destination offers pristine beaches, breathtaking scenery and spectacular water activities . . .

Royal Caribbean’s relationship with Haiti seems predatory to me, although the cruise line’s PR people are working overtime. The cruise line just announced a charity cruise with Reality TV star Amy Roloff – advertised as "little people . . . Big Ship!"  I am a big fan of Amy and her family, but this one of the weirdest things I have ever seen.  

If you buy a cruise on the Oasis of the Seas with a balcony, its $2,000 a person.  It’s hard to imagine a couple handing over $4,000 to Royal Caribbean to sail to Haiti, just to spend hundreds more for a zip line and a wave runner to tool around in the cruise line’s "private paradise."

That money could do so much good for the Haitians suffering on the other side of Labadee’s barbed wire security fence.  

Labadee Security Fence

 

Credits:

Cartoon      Mikhaela Reid Flickr page 

Labadee security fence            Rudbeckia Flickr Photostream  "A Haitian view of Labadee"