Troubling the Waters

I blogged before (here) about going to Labadee for the Beach Party on our Cruise. We went last week on the Celebrity Solstice, cruising the Caribbean. The final port was Labadee, Haiti.

I decided I wouldn't feel guilty about being there, even knowing that just over the mountain, there are people still without a roof over their heads in Port-au-Prince. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships stop at Labadee every week, and since the earthquake, have brought emergency supplies with every visit.

Since we had been there before, we knew to expect a large space for the local artisans to sell their wares. Hubby came prepared to "stimulate the economy," buying wooden carved stuff, and wicker woven stuff, and assorted objets d'art.

I was fine hanging out on the beach for a while, but the winds were high, and the shore was rocky. I had a hard time keeping my hot dog and ribs from blowing off the plate. I started feeling troubled. The spirits were calling me.

It was the same dizzy claustrophobia (even in an open space) I had in the slave dungeons at Elmina Castle, in Ghana. The spirits of the dead were calling me from under the rubble on the other side of the island. Will our dead ever rest in peace?

Labadee - Do or Don't

Is it insensitive to go on vacation when other people in the world are suffering? Is Hawaii OK when people in Port-au-Prince are living among the rubble of an earthquake. What about a day at the beach just 60 miles away from Port-au-Prince.

My husband and I travel a lot. We cruise two or more times every year. We book next year's cruise while aboard this year's cruise, earning discounts and on-board credit. When we first started cruising the Caribbean it was common for cruise lines to have a beach party day at a "Private Island" somewhere in the Bahamas. For Royal Caribbean and Celebrity the "Private Island" is not an Island, but a private beach known as Labadee on the northern peninsula of Haiti.

We booked a Caribbean cruise for April, 2010 last year, long before the earthquake in Haiti. The seven-day cruise aboard the Celebrity Solstice includes a day in Labadee.

The internet buzz about Labadee started immediately after the earthquake, because Royal Caribbean and Celebrity both stop at Labadee. Between the USA Today travel site and the Cruise Critic forums, the comments have become heated on both sides of the argument. Click here for article.

We have been to Labadee several times before. It is usually a good day at the beach. Will we get off the ship in April? We'll think about it.