Celebrity Apex Drops Labadee For Grand Turk

Celebrity Cruises has notified guests booked on the November 15, 2025 sailing of Celebrity Apex from Port Canaveral that the ship will no longer call at Labadee, Haiti. The line has instead substituted a call at Grand Turk in Turks and Caicos on November 20 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., keeping the rest of the seven night Key West, Bahamas and Caribbean itinerary the same.

A guest letter explains that the change is intended to provide a better experience, and lays out the revised schedule. Apex will sail from Port Canaveral, then visit Key West, Bimini, and Puerto Plata before heading to Grand Turk and returning to Florida after a final sea day.

Celebrity is automatically refunding any prepaid Celebrity Cruises shore excursions that were tied to Labadee. Those refunds go back to the original form of payment, and guests are directed to browse Grand Turk options in the Celebrity app or through the My Celebrity Cruises portal once the new excursions have been loaded.

There is a short term systems wrinkle as well. While Celebrity updates the sailing, the company says affected bookings can be temporarily unavailable online and in the app for up to five business days from the date of the letter, which means some guests may briefly lose the ability to tweak dining times, excursions, or packages through self service channels.

How this fits into the wider Labadee pullback

This is not a one off change. Celebrity's travel alert hub now lists multiple Apex sailings with Key West, Bahamas and Labadee itineraries as modified from November 2025 through at least early April 2026, alongside adjustments on Celebrity Beyond and other ships that had Labadee on their Western Caribbean runs.

Other brands under the Royal Caribbean Group umbrella are making similar moves. Royal Caribbean International has extended its pause on Labadee visits through spring 2026, citing escalating violence in Haiti and the United States Level 4 advisory. For those ships, Labadee is being replaced with alternate Caribbean ports or additional sea days depending on the itinerary.

In practice, that means Western Caribbean cruises that once leaned heavily on Labadee for private beach days are now spreading that demand across other ports such as Grand Turk, Cozumel, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas. Celebrity's use of Grand Turk on this Apex sailing fits that pattern, steering toward a port with established cruise infrastructure and a more manageable risk profile.

Safety backdrop, Haiti versus Turks and Caicos

Haiti has been sitting at Level 4, Do Not Travel since the State Department reissued its advisory in July 2025, warning specifically of kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest, and limited health care. The advisory notes a state of emergency since March 2024, frequent roadblocks, and widespread gang and organized crime activity that can spill into key transport corridors.

The same advisory points out that Port au Prince's Toussaint Louverture International Airport has seen gunfire in the surrounding neighborhood and that United States commercial flights are not currently operating to or from the capital. The Federal Aviation Administration has a standing prohibition on United States air carriers flying into Port au Prince because of those security concerns.

Cruise lines have long stressed that Labadee is a fenced, controlled private destination on Haiti's northern coast, but the State Department and United States Coast Guard have also flagged concerns about port security in Haiti more generally. With land routes increasingly risky and air links constrained, the buffer between Haiti's instability and cruise operations has eroded.

By contrast, the Turks and Caicos Islands sit at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution due to crime. The advisory highlights opportunistic crimes and strict laws around firearms and ammunition, however it does not call for people to avoid travel entirely. Grand Turk, in particular, is a small island where the dedicated Grand Turk Cruise Center acts as a purpose built enclave for cruise visitors, with shops, restaurants, a large pool, and a beach directly in front of the pier.

Putting those pieces together, the Apex swap lines up with a gradual, system wide shift to avoid Haitian ports until the security situation improves, while leaning on ports like Grand Turk that offer similar sun and sand experiences with less operational and security friction.

What this means for your booking

For guests who chose this cruise mainly for Labadee's private beach, cabanas, and zip line, the change is material. Instead of a day inside Royal Caribbean Group's Haitian enclave, you now get a classic port day at Grand Turk, where the ship docks beside a beach, a large pool complex, and a compact shopping area, with optional tours to Governor's Beach, Cockburn Town, and the island's lighthouse and salt history sites.

Financially, any Celebrity operated Labadee excursions should be refunded automatically. It is worth checking your card or bank statements to confirm the credit lands, especially if you had multiple tours booked or used a mix of onboard credit and card payments. Once the app unlocks again, you can then decide whether to put some of that money toward new Grand Turk excursions or keep it as savings against the overall trip cost.

There are a few practical steps to take in the next few days. First, monitor your email and the Celebrity app for confirmation that the itinerary change has been processed and that your reservation is editable again. Second, look at your excursion options early, because the most popular beach clubs and island tours on Grand Turk can sell out once multiple ships are in port.

If you booked through a travel advisor, loop them in. They can verify refunds, review alternative excursions, and help you weigh whether the revised mix of ports still fits the value you expected when you booked. If you booked direct, you can call Celebrity or use chat support once the reservation is fully updated.

In terms of cancellation or rebooking flexibility, cruise contracts for major lines, including Celebrity, generally reserve the right to change ports and itineraries for safety or operational reasons without owing compensation as long as the overall cruise still sails. You can always ask about options, but unless Celebrity announces a specific change fee waiver tied to Labadee substitutions, most guests will be working within the usual change and cancellation penalties.

Travel insurance is another variable. Many policies treat port swaps or missed ports as a normal part of cruise operations, not a covered reason for trip cancellation, although some more robust plans may have limited benefits for significant itinerary changes. If the loss of Labadee really alters your plans, read your policy carefully or talk to the insurer before making any big decisions.

How to think about Grand Turk as a replacement

Grand Turk is not a private island in the same mold as Labadee, but in practical terms it delivers a similar low effort beach day. The Grand Turk Cruise Center is a 13 acre complex at the southern tip of the island that combines a free beach lined with loungers, the Caribbean's largest Margaritaville with a huge pool and swim up bar, duty free shopping, and easy access to taxi tours.

If you want a turnkey day, you can simply walk off the gangway, pick a lounger, and spend the afternoon in the sand or at the pool steps from the ship. If you are willing to move around a bit more, taxis and excursions can take you to Governor's Beach for quieter sand, to Cockburn Town for colonial history and the small national museum, or to snorkeling spots off the southern tip of the island.

For families and less mobile travelers, the short distance from ship to beach can be a plus compared with some tender ports or larger private enclaves. On the other hand, visitors who were counting on Labadee style cabanas and line operated activities will need to recalibrate expectations, since the port mix now leans more toward a standard Caribbean beach stop than a fully controlled private resort.

Final thoughts

Celebrity Apex's November 15 itinerary change is one more data point in a clear trend. As Haiti's security situation worsens and its air links remain constrained, cruise lines are quietly rewriting their Western Caribbean playbook, dropping Labadee and plugging in ports like Grand Turk that can handle large ships without the same level of risk.

For most guests, the revised sailing still offers a dense mix of warm weather ports, beach time, and easy logistics. For those who built their plans around Labadee specifically, this is the moment to decide whether a day at Grand Turk is an acceptable substitute or whether to talk with Celebrity or a trusted advisor about other options in a Caribbean season that is still in flux.

Sources

• Itinerary Modifications, Celebrity Cruises
• Celebrity Apex November 15, 2025 Guest Letter PDF
• Haiti Travel Advisory, U.S. Department of State
• Turks and Caicos Islands Travel Advisory and Country Information, U.S. Department of State
• Grand Turk Cruise Center, Visit Turks and Caicos Islands
• Royal Caribbean Will Be Skipping This Popular Port Of Call Through Spring 2026, Time Out
• FAA Extends Ban On U.S. Commercial Flights To Haiti's Capital To March 2026, AP News