Cruising out of San Juan

I am looking at the Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan quite a ways into the future, April 2017. It will be me and my sister going on our 4th Sisters Cruise. She lives in Colorado and I live in Kansas. She will fly out of Denver and I will fly out of Wichita. We previously have cruised out of Miami and fly in the day before. Is it still best to fly in to San Juan the day before cruise? And where is a good place to stay in Old San Juan near the Port? Thanks in advance for your replies.

The closest hotel to the port is The Sheraton in Old San Juan. The daily rates are about $300 for the night. The hotel is walking distance to the port.

I was on the Liberty recently and stayed at the Embassy Suites in San Juan. Managers reception at night with free drinks and a hot breakfast to boot in the morning. Cab fare was $25 from the airport and I booked through hotels.com, watched the price and our final price went down to $119 and after taxes and "resort fees" it was about $160. There are cabs waiting outside to take you to the port and yet gain the fare was $25. Some people shared a van and paid $10 per person. Hubby and I had our own.

The Sheraton is a place to stay and does not offer any food. Depends on what is most important to you.

I am staying at the Sheraton old San juan in a couple of weeks and we paid around $150 a night for the room.

We are from Iowa and would never, ever consider flying the day of a cruise. Too many variables - cancelled or missed flight, lost luggage, etc.

We are a family of four and sailed from San Juan two years ago. We actually flew in on a Tuesday and made a mini-vacation in Old San Juan prior to Saturday cruise. For four of us, it was more cost effective to rent an apartment in OSJ and fly earlier -- we still came ahead for the rates!! If you are interested in experiencing a little taste of the old Spanish living, you could consider an apartment. It is in OSJ. A queen bed upstairs and a trundle bed in the living room worked well for our family. It was a unique way of staying......we would definitely do it again, more space for our family and we could cook. Look up Caleta64.com We stayed in LaPuerta (I believe that's the name). Rented directly from the owners (Betsy Garcia) who have a business right around the corner. This isn't for everyone, but thought I would throw it out there as an option. We have rented apartments in San Juan and Paris with good experiences.

The cruises out of San juan leave at 10pm so you have a bit more leeway, it's the only cruise we flew in the same day for, but it's always a bit risky. :rolleyes:

I'd definitely recommend flying in the day before. Old San Juan is a beautiful place to visit! You'll enjoy the extra time there. When we cruised out of San Juan, we stayed at a hostel near the port. It's called Posada San Francisco (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g147320-d1902834-Reviews-Posada_San_Francisco_Old_San_Juan-San_Juan_Puerto_Rico.html). We LOVED it. It was 50-60 dollars a night. We had to walk to get breakfast but the stay was very homey. They do have a kitchenette if you want to bring your own food. We took a taxi from the airport to the hostel. The one downfall was the hostel wasn't well marked. I recognized the building from the pictures on trip advisor.

We are staying at the Sheraton in old San Juan in early August for a couple of nites before our cruise. We are paying 200 a night so it looks like cost can change a bit depending on when you are going. Looks like a great location. We have stayed at the Radisson before but they just closed a couple of weeks ago.

We're going out of San Juan in April 2016. We are going two days early and after much searching and comparing we are staying at the Holiday Inn Express. They have hot breakfast and are close to the beach and old town.

On both my last cruise from San Juan and the next one in July I will be staying at Hotel Casablanca, located in Old San Juan. I found the staff friendly and the rates very reasonable. I paid $99 a night for a lovely room. It is in easy walking distance to the port, about four or five blocks all downhill.

On a side note most hotels in the Old San Juan do not have elevators, so plan accordingly. :)

I flew in the day of the cruise, as I had a direct flight, but I regretted it, as I wanted to see some of the city. The Sheraton by the port is rumored to be nice. There are also numerous resorts along the coasts if you plan on flying 3-4 days in advance.

There is a review link in my signature, feel free to ask more questions there :)

My boyfriend and i just got back yesterday. We went down on Friday and the ship left sunday night. We stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan and were very happy with it. Our room was $200 per night. The hotel dies have ekevatirs. Its oerfect fir getting to the port (we walked over with our bags, across the street from hotel and about one block down, 2 minutes if that), and for seeing old san juan. Note there is no beach and the pool is very small, so if those things matter look elsewhere.

Flying in a day early is definitely good insurance. I try to fly in at least a couple of days early and enjoy Puerto Rico.

Definitely fly in a day or two early.

We are staying one night at the Tres Palmas Inn, right across the street from the beach in Ocean Park. (Highly recommeded by Trip Advisor)

Our plan is to relax on the day we arrive, enjoy a nice dinner, maybe order in and sit on their rooftop terrace.

We are heading into Old San Juan early the next day and check in, then go and explore OSJ. The ship does not leave until 10 pm, so need to be back on board latest 8pm for muster drill.

If you are on Carnival it works out great as they dock right in OSJ, RCI docks across they bay by the old airport, so an easy 10 min cab ride from OSJ

Yes yes stay a couple of days before your cruise in Old San Juan it is a gem of a city. You will love walking around old town. I found a few small local bars and had a great time. Most hotels were full and we stayed at S.J suites and paid $95 per night. Im sure was not the Sheraton but worked for us. I have read people talking about the street noise on Fortaleza st but we always came in late so didnt bother us. Also helped us relax before our vacation started:-)

Fly in at least the day before and if you can make it 2 days. Old San Juan is very interesting and visiting both forts will take most of 1 day. We've stayed at the DoubleTree, the Conrad (via hotels123) and in '16 the Holiday in Express. We've never staying in Old San Juan but it is was a short bus/cab ride from our hotel(s). Your ship may not leave from the downtown pier. Instead it may leave from the Pan American pier and the only hotel is a Sheraton convention hotel (different hotel then the Sheraton OSJ) which is isolated (not near anything and you'll need to take a cab to OSJ anyway) so hotel shop by location and price.

I live in Colorado and as I'm sure your sister is well aware, the weather here in April is very risky for flights! April can be beautiful and sunny, or we can have a blizzard that cancels flights. I would never risk a vacation by flying out of colorado the day of the cruise during winter. Definitely go the day before and pay for a hotel. I'm going on a cruise out of San Juan in August (6 weeks from now) and am flying in the day before and staying at the Embassy Suites for $144/night (with taxes and fees I think it's like $220). They give you free breakfast.

Sheraton OSJ is on special deals at hotels.com right now

Sheraton OSJ is on special deals at hotels.com right now

Specials for 2 years away?:eek:

Another is the Hyatt near the port. I just booked it and with taxes etc, it was $165.

http://www.sanjuan.house.hyatt.com/en/hotel/our-hotel.html

Another is the Hyatt near the port. I just booked it and with taxes etc, it was $165.

http://www.sanjuan.house.hyatt.com/en/hotel/our-hotel.html

Is that within walking distance like the Sheraton is?

Is that within walking distance like the Sheraton is?

No, it is not close at all. A 15 min taxi ride to the Old San Juan pier for Carnival Liberty, and about a 5 min ride to the Pan American pier for RCI Navigator OTS.

Is that within walking distance like the Sheraton is?

The Sheraton is within walking distance of the pier in Old San Juan. But not within walking distance if leaving from the Pan American Pier. The Celebrity Summit leaves from the Pan American Pier. The Hyatt is closer to the Pan American pier but far from the pier in OSJ. I still would not walk from the Hyatt to the Pan American pier. Also if you are there early enough the day before the cruise you would enjoy being in OSJ better than being at the Hyatt. So many things and restaurants in OSJ. You can also walk around OSJ before heading over to the ship for boarding.