Haiti's first cruise ship shore excursion, to the island’s Citadelle, will happen, said Royal Caribbean International’s CEO.

But there is no guaranteeing when.

In a trip to Haiti over the weekend, Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein visited the Citadelle, he said in his blog.

Goldstein has been talking about making the Citadelle Haiti’s first shore excursion for years. Currently, passengers who visit Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private destination in Haiti, stay on site.

Goldstein said the Citadelle, the largest fort in the Americas, offers a "phenomenal" 360-degree view. The Citadelle sits atop a 3,000-foot mountain, with French and British cannons on wooden mounts.

"It’s extraordinary," Goldstein wrote. "How people in the early 1800s got the rocks and munitions up that big hill is mind-boggling."

Goldstein was joined by Haiti Minister of Tourism Patrick Delatour, who Goldstein said has been personally involved in the restoration of the Citadelle since 1972.

Goldstein said the tour would cost about $100 per person and be a full day trip "with a lot of travel logistics." Tour participants would forego "the normal Labadee experience."

"Whenever this tour gets going, it will be in the category of adventure tour," he said.

Goldstein said that with funding from international donors and a concentrated effort to prepare the site (including safety enhancements), it could be ready within a few months.

"But until work actually begins, there is no way to project when this will happen. We are determined that it will eventually happen," Goldstein said.

From Travel Weekly
Travel Weekly