Monday, January 18, 2010
Well, if Nero could fiddle while Rome burned
Then these people have every right to frolic while Haiti starves. Given the rock bottom poverty of that country, it can't be too different from previous cruise stops.
In fairness, not all the passengers were jiggy with this. One was quoted as saying he was "sickened" and another put it this way.
Sixty miles from Haiti's devastated earthquake zone, luxury liners dock at private beaches where passengers enjoy jetski rides, parasailing and rum cocktails delivered to their hammocks.Thank goodness they are all safe.
The 4,370-berth Independence of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean International, disembarked at the heavily guarded resort of Labadee on the north coast on Friday; a second cruise ship, the 3,100-passenger Navigator of the Seas is due to dock.
The Florida cruise company leases a picturesque wooded peninsula and its five pristine beaches from the government for passengers to "cut loose" with watersports, barbecues, and shopping for trinkets at a craft market before returning on board before dusk. Safety is guaranteed by armed guards at the gate.
In fairness, not all the passengers were jiggy with this. One was quoted as saying he was "sickened" and another put it this way.
"I just can't see myself sunning on the beach, playing in the water, eating a barbecue, and enjoying a cocktail while [in Port-au-Prince] there are tens of thousands of dead people being piled up on the streets, with the survivors stunned and looking for food and water," one passenger wrote on the Cruise Critic internet forum.Some, despite complaining has a more flexible conscience.
"It was hard enough to sit and eat a picnic lunch at Labadee before the quake, knowing how many Haitians were starving," said another. "I can't imagine having to choke down a burger there now.''The cruise lines insist that they are essential to the local economy, their activities are the main livelihood of some 500 Haitians. But there was one ray of good news from Royal Caribbean.
Friday's call in Labadee went well," said Royal Caribbean. "Everything was open, as usual. The guests were very happy to hear that 100% of the proceeds from the call at Labadee would be donated to the relief effort
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
Post a Comment