Suzanne Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Does anyone have any suggestions for a reasonable hotel for 1 night on San Juan? I haven't heard anything since the hurricane about which are available. We are sailing on Adventure Of The Seas in May and will be flying into San Juan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 I've stayed in the Sheraton Old San Juan, and it was great. Granted, you pay a higher price for staying in Old San Juan. There are great hotels outside OSJ, like in the Condado area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne Posted January 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Thanks Matt! I just wasn't sure what was available since the storm and the electricity issues. I love OSJ! Do you recommend booking directly with the hotel sites or using some other source? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Just now, Suzanne said: Thanks Matt! I just wasn't sure what was available since the storm and the electricity issues. I love OSJ! Do you recommend booking directly with the hotel sites or using some other source? Ordinarily, I don't think it matters. With the hurricane damage, you might just consider calling them before booking any hotel to verify they are up and running. May is still about 4 months away, so a lot can improve between now and then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne Posted January 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Great idea...thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bayousteelers Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 We are staying at the Airport Hotel. We are arriving late the night before a cruise. We will only being staying about 12 hours, so no need to go to a fancy hotel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 18 minutes ago, bayousteelers said: We are staying at the Airport Hotel. We are arriving late the night before a cruise. We will only being staying about 12 hours, so no need to go to a fancy hotel. i agree, No point wasting money on a fancy hotel if you're only there a few hours. We are sleeping in JFK airport on way to san juan simply because its a waste of time getting a room for 6 hrs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 4 hours ago, Suzanne said: Do you recommend booking directly with the hotel sites or using some other source? My experience with my last several hotel bookings has been that, at worst, the hotels offer the same rate you'll find on Expedia / Orbitz / Travelocity / etc; often, booking directly has gotten me a better rate, or given me options that I wasn't offered on the big sites. And here's a key thing to consider: Even if the rates listed on the hotel chains' sites are the same as those big online travel sites, the other big difference I've found is that booking directly with the hotel means my card isn't charged until I actually stay there, and I retain the option to cancel as late as 3 PM the day of arrival with no penalty. With the big travel sites, a lot of their posted rates are immediately billed to your credit card and carry a note in micro-print that this is a "specially negotiated rate" (which is total BS) that does not allow for any cancellation for any reason whatsoever. This is a deliberate effort on the part of the hotel chains. The Expedias of the web are becoming a bit of a racket and keeping more of the money for themselves than before, and the hotels want that money back. Definitely look up each hotel you're interested in online, and when you find one you want I'd say personally call the hotel's actual reservation desk or chain's booking number. You may even find they'll tell you about some unadvertised options that could save you a little more (this happened to me twice) or get you in a slightly better room for the same rate. Boston Babe and KLA 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Also sign up for hotel loyalty schemes, many hotels offer discounts for members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digmenow Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 On 1/20/2018 at 2:21 PM, bayousteelers said: We are staying at the Airport Hotel. We are arriving late the night before a cruise. We will only being staying about 12 hours, so no need to go to a fancy hotel. We will be doing the same since we arrive at SJU after 8 PM. We will be a party of four adults and one 2 year old. I figured that it would be easier to roll our bags down the concourse to a hotel with an attached restaurant (free breakfast!) than to struggle with a late night taxi and finally get to bed near midnight, only to have to get up early and catch a cab (or walk) to the terminal. The only issue is that I wanted to have the opportunity to stop by the WalMart on the way to the cruise terminal. I figured that we would catch a cab at the airport after breakfast and swing by the store to pick up any last minute items that we might have forgotten or didn't want to carry on the flight (2 bottles of wine?). I am wondering if the cabbie will wait and how much extra he might charge while we wander the aisles. Conversely, if we cut the cab loose at the store, what are the chances of getting another to pick us up at the store on Sunday morning? Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Vitale Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 I’ll be there 2 weeks from Friday. We were booked into Embassy Suites and a few months ago they made contact and informed us we were cancelled. Not sure why, but I assume it’s storm related. I didn’t do the booking. Now we are booked into Doubletree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 28 minutes ago, Michael Vitale said: I’ll be there 2 weeks from Friday. We were booked into Embassy Suites and a few months ago they made contact and informed us we were cancelled. Not sure why, but I assume it’s storm related. I didn’t do the booking. Now we are booked into Doubletree. When does Jewel board? On Sunday? We're coming in two weeks from Thursday (boarding Adventure Saturday) and staying at an AirBnB in OSJ. What is your itinerary? I think a lot of the hotels (such as the Embassy Suites) are just on the edge of being ready to go. As I mentioned, if you're coming in more than one day ahead of time and want to stay in or near OSJ there are some great AirBnB options out there that are reasonable (for two nights and six of us, we're staying at a villa in northern OSJ for $100 per person total). My inlaws are staying at the Casablanca hotel, and I've heard really good things about the AC Marriott in the Condado area (which I do know is ready to go at this point). While there are definitely still rebuilding efforts ongoing, there are definitely options in San Juan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Vitale Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 We’re staying at Doubletree near the airport. Sail date is Sunday the 25th @ 8:30 pm. Ports are St Thomas, Antigua, St Kitts, St Lucia, Barbados. I don’t remember the order LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 31 minutes ago, Michael Vitale said: We’re staying at Doubletree near the airport. Sail date is Sunday the 25th @ 8:30 pm. Ports are St Thomas, Antigua, St Kitts, St Lucia, Barbados. I don’t remember the order LOL Oh, awesome! We're mostly the same - St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados (in that order)! Maybe we'll run in to you at some point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 Looks like Adventure in May is using the new check in process where you upload your photo and SeaPass cards are outside your stateroom. Bet she will be added to the new app soon too. KLA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 2 minutes ago, twangster said: Looks like Adventure in May is using the new check in process where you upload your photo and SeaPass cards are outside your stateroom. Bet she will be added to the new app soon too. I was pretty underwhelmed by the app on Allure back in October, but I'm sure as new functionality is added it'll become far more useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 4 minutes ago, KLAconQueso said: I was pretty underwhelmed by the app on Allure back in October, but I'm sure as new functionality is added it'll become far more useful. With Symphony launching soon I'm hoping new app features will be available. For ships like Adventure and Indy going through dry docks I'm hoping they too will see some Symphony like app features unlocked sooner rather than later. I do like having the ship time always on display in the app. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne Posted February 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 Yes, when I did our online check in for our May AOTS sailing, it had the photo prompt. I bypassed it since it was first thing in the morning and my hair had a mind of its own...lol. It let me proceed through without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne Posted February 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 Turns out we got a better deal on a flight coming in on the same day as our cruise, so we didn't need a hotel after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 34 minutes ago, Suzanne said: Turns out we got a better deal on a flight coming in on the same day as our cruise, so we didn't need a hotel after all. I don't normally fly in the same day but I am doing it in May for Adventure in San Juan. I booked through Air2Sea with the $18 transfer through Royal. Air2Sea has guaranteed arrival so I'm willing to take the gamble since the ship departs at 8:30pm. Flight was $400 but I'm saving the hotel cost and meals so it's turning out be one of the cheaper cruises for me to get to. I had a pretty good corporate rate at the Courtyard by Marriott but saving the cost of hotel and meals cuts my airfare in half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 Hampton Inn or just Hampton, I don't remember. I was happy with it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 50 minutes ago, twangster said: I don't normally fly in the same day but I am doing it in May for Adventure in San Juan. I booked through Air2Sea with the $18 transfer through Royal. Air2Sea has guaranteed arrival so I'm willing to take the gamble since the ship departs at 8:30pm. Flight was $400 but I'm saving the hotel cost and meals so it's turning out be one of the cheaper cruises for me to get to. I had a pretty good corporate rate at the Courtyard by Marriott but saving the cost of hotel and meals cuts my airfare in half. Were you able to pick Delta as your airline still through Air2Sea? Or are you, dare I say it, not flying Delta? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 Just now, Sabrinaklai said: Were you able to pick Delta as your airline still through Air2Sea? Or are you, dare I say it, not flying Delta? Yep. Picked Delta, got the confirmation number, entered into my Delta account and got my free upgrade to Comfort +. KLA and Lovetocruise2002 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 For anyone who is eligible for government rates, the Ritz Carlton San Juan offers a government rate - even during the holidays. What a bargain ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 5 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: For anyone who is eligible for government rates, the Ritz Carlton San Juan offers a government rate - even during the holidays. What a bargain ! I used a corporate rate and stayed there dirt cheap as well. Even scored an ocean view room. However I thought I heard they've closed temporarily, not from damage but just because there are few bookings and they didn't want to stay open for a handful of guests. I tried to book it for May and couldn't, got redirected to other Marriott properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 19 minutes ago, twangster said: However I thought I heard they've closed temporarily, not from damage but just because there are few bookings and they didn't want to stay open for a handful of guests. I tried to book it for May and couldn't, got redirected to other Marriott properties. What a shame ! It's a beautiful property. Let's hope they aren't going to close permanently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 19 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: What a shame ! It's a beautiful property. Let's hope they aren't going to close permanently. Agreed. Got me hooked on using three towels on my loungers with one rolled up into a pillow. That and the dried fruit. Yum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcarney Posted February 18, 2018 Report Share Posted February 18, 2018 On 2/7/2018 at 8:17 AM, KLAconQueso said: When does Jewel board? On Sunday? We're coming in two weeks from Thursday (boarding Adventure Saturday) and staying at an AirBnB in OSJ. What is your itinerary? Jewel (and Adventure) typically start boarding between 10:30 and 11:00am. It all depends on how quick Customs is with the previous sailings passengers. If you get there too early you have to wait outdoors in the sun; arrive later, and lines can be long, so it's a coin toss. Sailing is either 8 or 8:30pm; I've boarded before, hung out in the Diamond lounge, ditched the luggage, and the headed back into Old SJU for a rum enthusiasts event at La Casita Rones and made it back before sailing. Both sail from the Pan Am pier, so a taxi is required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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