When I heard that the cruise ship I was taking was going to Haiti, I felt uncomfortable. There’s something wrong with a picture of people laughing, drinking and having a great time when the poor people of Haiti have no home, no food and no clothing.
But when I first got on the Royal Caribbean cruise to Haiti and Jamaica, I realized that it is important for cruise ships to keep on going to Haiti.
Royal Caribbean does something special. Every time they dock in Labadee, Haiti, they bring food and supplies to the people of Haiti. In addition to that, they have a donation form in every cabin that encourages people on the cruise to give to the Haitian people through a charitable donation.
When we arrived in Labadie and I saw all the supplies and Quaker Oats cereal and water that was being brought over to the other side of the island, which was devastated from an earthquake that happened in January, I felt proud. I felt proud to be patronizing the ship and I felt proud that the cruise line didn’t only care about making money, that giving back was just as important to them as it is to me and my company.
In addition to giving back to Haiti, Royal Caribbean also had a program for children with Autism, which I found really interesting. There were several children with their families on the ship with Autism and they had special programs specifically geared for them.
If they didn’t win me over with what they did for Haiti, they certainly won me over for their Autism at Sea program. The one program that sealed the deal and made me a Royal Caribbean patron for life was when I learned that they had a fundraiser for the “Make a Wish” Foundation. They were collecting money from T=shirt sales and donations for the foundation and they held a walk for passengers to help raise money for the cause.
Wow, I was totally impressed! Are you?
