Nothing Will Stop A Haitian Vacation

Come on, it’s time to do the limbo on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship that recently docked in Haiti.

Not even a horrific earthquake that killed over 200,000 Haitians, will stop the party on the other side of Haiti, or stop a Royal Caribbean cruise ship from docking. On the other side of Haiti, about 80 miles from Port au Prince, at the Labadie Beach Resort, the sunscreen was on and the fish were flying.

From the view on the top deck there was nothing to fear at all. In comfortable beach chairs while digesting a recently enjoyed buffet meal and cocktail, passengers sat in awe over the beautiful Haitian landscape; the rolling hills, the aqua crystal blue sea and the creamy white sand. Some were even preparing to go Jet Skiing.

Life, however, on the other side of Haiti remains unchanged.

The sight of toothpick thin Haitian children, and the stench of the dead lying helpless under the cement, being buried alive, won’t be an experience on the deck of the Royal Caribbean Cruise ship.

In a reply to discussions around the ship docking in Haiti, John Weis, the associate vice president of Royal Caribbean has announced intentions to donate $1 million in humanitarian relief, food supplies, and spare beach furniture to Haiti.

Patrick Delatour, the tourism minister of Haiti, still has positive hopes to turn Haiti into a tourist destination, and many argue that the real travesty is denying the struggling nation income from tourist dollars.

In what has turned into a moral dilemma for the sea-going brand, Royal Caribbean must navigate the tides of discretion and ask itself a serious question, "If not now, when?"