San juan, PR - 3:30 arrival

[81Zoomie]

Last time we were in PR Bacardi closed at 4:00 pm, so double check before you head over there - it may be different now, or differ based on season. Same for the forts.

 

Editorial comment - never understood why someone would pay so much money to go on a cruise which includes great meals, and then pay to eat on land. But to each their own. Your money; your choice.

 

PR is struggling to recover from the hurricanes. This year we plan to spend $ in the local venues to assist the businesses trying to get back on their feet. Same is true in St Thomas and St Martin. We are fortunate enough to cruise, so we will help those in their time of need.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

If there's not a full moon, you can go kayaking or on a small boat in the bioluminescent bay.

 

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Interesting

 

We aren't fans of the 3:30 PM arrival. (n)(n) We didn't leave the Equinox until around 7:00 PM. We ate first, changed cloths and wonder around OSJ in the dark for awhile, sat and looked at the ship all lite up and then got back on the ship. Most of the shops were closed. The bars were alive but we had the BP so we didn't stop in any of them to have a drink.

 

I'd say the last two times we docked there (mid/late afternoon) we just stayed on the ship. We wandered around the streets a couple of times on previous sailings, we can now say we've been there/done that.

 

PR stops for us are considered SEA DAYS. As is often the case for Nassau, and an increasing number of other ports. Once you've been there a couple/few dozen times, the ship just seems more relaxing, less crowded, more comfortable and cool !!

 

Tom

Edited May 30, 2018 by Tom-n-Cheryl

[SchnauzieMom]

PR is struggling to recover from the hurricanes. This year we plan to spend $ in the local venues to assist the businesses trying to get back on their feet. Same is true in St Thomas and St Martin. We are fortunate enough to cruise, so we will help those in their time of need.

 

That’s a great idea. Our first time. (1st cruise ever🤗). Will definitely go for a wander and spend some money locally.

[hcat]

Interesting

 

 

 

I'd say the last two times we docked there (mid/late afternoon) we just stayed on the ship. We wandered around the streets a couple of times on previous sailings, we can now say we've been there/done that.

 

PR stops for us are considered SEA DAYS. As is often the case for Nassau, and an increasing number of other ports. Once you've been there a couple/few dozen times, the ship just seems more relaxing, less crowded, more comfortable and cool !!

 

Tom

Also it is a good stop to book a spa service at disclunted port pricing..ship MUST be in port to apply it.

[cangelmd]

We did this stop in January. We spent 3 days in San Juan Thanksgiving weekend 2016, so 1 year prior to Maria and re-visited 4 months after Maria.

 

If things haven't changed a lot since January there is very little to do in Old San Juan after 3:30, but these folks need tourist dollars spent in their city or they will never recover. In January, a bars and restaurants were open, and some of the tourist shops, but most of the higher end tourist shops, and any business that depended on local trade or people staying longer than a cruise ship stop were still closed. We walked past at least 5 businesses that we had patronized before the hurricane - all padlocked. We ended up going into Barauina and having a pina colada and a snack.

 

Go get a pina colada, or buy a tacky souvenir from India or China, better yet have dinner, the restaurant at the top of the Hotel Milano has fairly good Puerto Rican food (mofongo), and good drinks. They need our patronage desperately.

[cangelmd]

I re-read what I just wrote, and I don't mean to sound patronizing - I live on the Gulf Coast, I've seen how long and how hard hurricane recovery can be, and that is within the continental US. A couple of million tourist dollars is a drop in a very deep bucket.

 

Old San Juan, though, where the ship will dock lives on tourism, they need help now and people stopping there can give it.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I re-read what I just wrote, and I don't mean to sound patronizing - I live on the Gulf Coast, I've seen how long and how hard hurricane recovery can be, and that is within the continental US. A couple of million tourist dollars is a drop in a very deep bucket.

 

Old San Juan, though, where the ship will dock lives on tourism, they need help now and people stopping there can give it.

 

For our part, they'll have to make due on what the ship pays the port per passenger.

 

Tom