The family faces travel headaches after a cruise ship hijacked in Haiti

A Florida family said they are frustrated and angry after Royal Caribbean changed its cruise itinerary to Haiti less than a week before it left the United States.

The US State Department has placed Haiti on a Level 4 travel advisory, meaning it does not recommend that Americans travel to the country. The Federal Aviation Administration also banned US air carriers from landing in the country after several planes were hit by gunfire earlier this month.

Yvette Avila said warnings and restrictions from the federal government were the reason she didn’t initially book a cruise to Haiti. She said she was looking forward to celebrating her daughter’s 16th birthday in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but now she’s worried about going on a trip that’s costing her family thousands of dollars.

“We’ve overcome so much as a family and we should celebrate that in our Puerto Rican roots,” Avila said. “I can’t believe Royal Caribbean is allowed to do this.”

She said Royal Caribbean will only reimburse the family for taxes and port fees if they cancel the trip. Avila said he believes the company’s practice is unfair.

“Between doing last-minute things, we have to decide if we’re going,” she said. “Are we going to go? Are we going to compromise? Are my children going to be kidnapped? Is something going to happen on the ship? Other people can take that chance. We just don’t want to do that.”

Scripps News West Palm Beach reached out to Royal Caribbean, which told us it apologized to guests for the inconvenience. The Miami-based company said it had to change the itinerary for Symphony of the Seas because of a technical problem in San Juan, but it believes the trip to Haiti is safe.

“The safety and security of our guests, crew and the communities we visit are our top priority,” a Royal Caribbean group spokesperson said in an email. “Our global security and intelligence team is continuously monitoring the situation in Haiti. There are currently no changes to our planned itineraries.”

A U.S. Coast Guard spokesman in San Juan said the port of San Juan is open, but the pier for larger cruise ships, such as the Symphony of the Seas, has been damaged since April. He said the agency is waiting for the San Juan Cruise Port and the Puerto Rico Port Authority to meet certain conditions to reopen the pier in a news release.

“We understand the inconvenience of this matter, however, it is essential to ensure the safety of the port, the cruise ships and the thousands of people who operate or visit the island through this port facility,” said Captain Luis J. Rodriguez. , Commandant of U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan and Harbor Master – San Juan in the release. “My team is ready to move forward as soon as we receive the expected studies from the San Juan Cruise Port and the Puerto Rico Ports Authority.”

Yvette Avila said her family made payments for the April cruise and the cancellation without any indication that her trip might have been diverted. She said she believes this is a scam to ensure the company’s resort in Haiti gets more traffic.

“I’m very disappointed that they’re allowed to do this to American consumers,” Avila said. “Too bad, so sad. We’ll take your money anyway.”

This article was written by Ethan Stein for Scripps News West Palm Beach.