Royal Caribbean on Haiti Quake

Prior to yesterday, Haiti evoked varying thoughts in cruisers. Most would probably equate it with hurricanes over the years. Some who follow the news would immediately think of Papa Doc Duvalier (and Baby Doc) the dictators who are much to blame for even current day Haiti's poverty. But for cruisers on Royal Caribbean, Haiti often evokes very happy memories of a great day at the beach spent at Labadee, RCCL's private island, which happens to be at the tip of Haiti.

Geographically isolated from the epicenter near Port au Prince, Labadee is not a focus of the rescue efforts and early reports indicate no significant damage to the facilities. But with cruise calls scheduled over the next week, it is on the mind of many, not the least of whom is Royal Caribbean President and CEO Adam Goldstein.

RCCL is well known for its charitable endeavors, including disaster assistance including delivering relief supplies after the hurricane in Cozumel a few years ago among many others. When I first heard of the earthquake, I wondered how long it would be before they were involved in the efforts. Others wondered the same thing, and I fielded calls from clients and the press today.

Tonight, Adam Goldstein addressed the catastrophe in his blog. You can read it for yourself at Nation of Why Not. It shows clearly the corporate heart, spirit and generosity of this line, and puts assistance first. I expect this to be the first of several posts on this subject, and likely will be providing information on relief efforts.

While I expect all the major lines to participate in this effort if needed, because of Royal Caribbean's close relationship and partnership with Haiti, they will likely be in the forefront. Thank you, RCCL, for all you do, and for being the type of company who gives back without question when the need arises.

If you are wondering what you can do to help, of course the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders are two organizations you can feel safe in giving your hard-earned money. They are already there and helping. Doctors Without Borders already had more than 700 medical professionals in the country, and with that infrastructure, they will take the lead in medical relief. The Red Cross has already used all of their existing resources in Haiti, and are working on getting new supplies. A donation to either organization would go right where it is needed.