Liquor Store at Pier in San Juan

[mgstm]

Can anyone tell me anything about the liquor store at the boarding pier in San Juan? Is it open on Sunday's? Do they have beer, wine & soda? Is there a website? Thanks!

[fuzzywuzzy]

Yes, there is a liquor store right there at the boarding pier with soft drinks as well. I don't know about whether it's open on Sunday or not. They had good prices.

[cjskids]

There is a small liquor store at the pier for the Golden. They have liquor, mixers, soda, wine and juices. The prices for the liquor was great but the soda and juice prices were high. Be careful, my husband brought some scotch to enjoy on board and Princess took up from us the minute we boarded. The moment you step foot inside they are there to grab your liquor boxes. If we would have known, we wouldn't have purchased it. If we had only been warned, we could have put it into our backpack and then we could have brought it to our cabin! I had pre-ordered vodka to our stateroom but they didn't have any of the brands of scotch that my husband drinks which is why we went to the store.

[Dreamer333]

They have really good prices (tho not sure if they are open on Sundays)...
I purchased two big bottles of flavored Rum for about a total of $15 (and when I got back on the ship, I was able to take them directly into my cabin!)

[guardhouse]

Yes, yes, yes, and yes, even to Sunday. The store is open any day that a ship is sailing, regardless of what day. Not when you return, however!

[mik]

What about the selection of wines. Is there much to choose from and how are the prices? We like good imported chardonnay as well as merlot and cabernet sauvignon. thanks for your help.

[stones902]

It depends on which pier you use in San Juan.

The Pan American Pier, which is used primarily by RCL, is not walking distance to the other piers and lacks a liquor store nearby. If the Golden is using the piers closer to downtown (probable), then you will have access to liquor stores.

Having said that, I carefully compared prices at dowtown stores on the islands and onboard the ship to the duty free shops at the San Juan airport. Believe it or not, you are better off buying your booze at the airport rather than going downtown. We saved about $2 on Capt. Morgan and $3 - 4 on Kettle One. They will also box it up for you for easy carrying.

It doesn't seem like you are getting value at the airport but we found the best liquor deals there.

[jcruise67]

Thank God there is a liquor store on the pier for the Golden. Sorry to hear you had your liquor confiscated cjskids. Someone should have told you to either put it in your carry-on or pre-pack it in your checked luggage.

John

[pcumberl]

Actually, both RCCL's Adventure of the Seas (AOS) and the Golden Princess dock at the Pan American Pier. They're back-to-back when docked. I've heard the building where AOS docks does not have a liquor store, but the one where the Golden docks most definitely does. From what I've read, pax buy booze there all the time and sneak it on by putting it in their carry-on luggage.

~Paul

[GE Mom]

You don't even have to try very hard to sneak it. Just zip it up in a carry on bag so it's not too obvious, notbody is trying too hard to find them. The store was open on Sunday.