sandfact Posted June 5, 2018 Report Share Posted June 5, 2018 likes and dislikes of sailing out of SanJuan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacharius Posted June 5, 2018 Report Share Posted June 5, 2018 Delicious pork Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted June 5, 2018 Report Share Posted June 5, 2018 I think the likes outweigh the dislikes. Except for the extra time and airfare from the West Coast for me, everything else is wonderful in my opinion. San Juan makes an excellent pre/post-cruise stay, it's a U.S. territory so most U.S. cell phone plans work there without a roaming charge, the itineraries are much better with more and better ports, etc. The only other real negative I can think of is that the ships aren't often the newest or most recently refurbished. But in some cases, that's a plus as when I sailed the Jewel I liked her better before the refurbishment when the removed the Sea View Grill. KLA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted June 5, 2018 Report Share Posted June 5, 2018 Love San Juan. Had to really price my tickets out - was definitely expensive. I love that you can just walk around and find a ton of restaurants and things to do. The last time I went I just stayed at my hotel (which was lovely) the day before the cruise sat by the pool and drank and went out to dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted June 5, 2018 Report Share Posted June 5, 2018 Likes It's San Juan. Love this port and embarking there is like getting an extra stop on the cruise. Evening departure, gives more time to explore San Juan and enjoy the lights of the city during sail away. Relaxed day one. You start deep with the Caribbean so you can visit islands that are harder to reach from the US Mainland without longer cruises Often cruises fares are better (fuel costs are lower on some itineraries since you start deep in the Caribbean) Dislikes Airfare can be higher than flying to Florida (often offset by lower cruise fares) Fewer flight options coming from Colorado, flight times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKSglitz Posted June 5, 2018 Report Share Posted June 5, 2018 I wouldn't think about sailing out of any other port than San Juan. We cruise in January and I live in Michigan, so I can go from frigid weather to sunny, warm weather within 8 hrs! We usually fly in three days earlier and start off our vacation with a mini vacation at one of the ocean view hotels on the Condado strip and soak up those wonderful rays. Love the smaller ships and the fares are lower which gives us the opportunity to stay in San Juan longer. DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 San Juan is one of the best pre-cruise departure ports because the city offers so much culture and history (and food). marymcpherson, Suzanne and princevaliantus 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 I absolutely love cruising from San Juan! We spent two nights in Old San Juan pre-cruise and stayed in an Air BnB villa in the heart of it. Everything was easily walkable and the food was all delightful. It was a great way to relax for a couple days before boarding the ship! I'd highly recommend it. princevaliantus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VACruiser Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 This is a very timely topic since I am porting out of San Juan for the next two cruises. Where are the great hotels to stay at when going out of San Juan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 23 minutes ago, Tim B. said: This is a very timely topic since I am porting out of San Juan for the next two cruises. Where are the great hotels to stay at when going out of San Juan? El Convento and The Sheraton Old San Juan are always two great choices. Of course, they tend to be pricier choices because they are literally in Old San Juan. The advantage is you don't have to pay for taxis to enjoy OSJ. There are lots of beautiful hotels in "new" San Juan, which offer newer facilities, beach access and (sometimes) better prices. Of course, it means you cannot walk to OSJ and will be dependent on taxis or a rental car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny260 Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 16 hours ago, MKSglitz said: start off our vacation with a mini vacation at one of the ocean view hotels on the Condado strip and soak up those wonderful rays. We did the same thing and stayed at a Marriott on the Condado Beach area, taxi ride to Old San Juan wasn't bad, great restaurants around the hotel. Another perk no one mentioned (If it is your style) San Juan has Casino's. I also agree with everyone else's comments above, love San Juan, will be cruising out of there in October on Freedom to the Southern Caribbean... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2mybugs Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 Jumping on the bandwagon... loved san Juan. We found a little Argentinian steakhouse by our hotel that we still talk about 3 years later. We loved el moro and just walking around old town. It felt like a city you didn't need to spend a ton of money in to have a great time and the southern Caribbean is my favorite of the 3 areas. Jane princevaliantus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 2 hours ago, Tim B. said: This is a very timely topic since I am porting out of San Juan for the next two cruises. Where are the great hotels to stay at when going out of San Juan? 1 hour ago, Matt said: El Convento and The Sheraton Old San Juan are always two great choices. Of course, they tend to be pricier choices because they are literally in Old San Juan. The advantage is you don't have to pay for taxis to enjoy OSJ. There are lots of beautiful hotels in "new" San Juan, which offer newer facilities, beach access and (sometimes) better prices. Of course, it means you cannot walk to OSJ and will be dependent on taxis or a rental car. If you're going in a couple days ahead of time, don't rule out Air BnB. We had a GREAT experience that proved to be cheaper than hotels for our group of six, and put us in the heart of Old SJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 19 minutes ago, KLAconQueso said: If you're going in a couple days ahead of time, don't rule out Air BnB. We had a GREAT experience that proved to be cheaper than hotels for our group of six, and put us in the heart of Old SJ. The one you stayed at looked awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 If you qualify for a government rate, the Ritz Carlton has a government rate even over Christmas week ! What a bargain ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 5 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said: If you qualify for a government rate, the Ritz Carlton has a government rate even over Christmas week ! What a bargain ! Have they opened again? Awesome. My favorite hotel in San Juan. Love the dried fruit by the pool. This is where I learned the proper way to set up a lounger. One towel rolled into a pillow hanging over the back as counter weight, two on the lounger tucked in just so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilson Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 We currently have 3 sailings booked out of San Juan. DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 13 hours ago, tiny260 said: We did the same thing and stayed at a Marriott on the Condado Beach area, taxi ride to Old San Juan wasn't bad, great restaurants around the hotel. We stayed in this area, too, and really enjoyed it stay and access to grocery stores and more choices in hotels. Plus, it was only about 75 cents for a bus into Old San Juan, although we took a cab back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonemanbob Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 We love San Juan, especially Old San Juan. Absolutely zero negatives. The Southern Caribbean itinerary`s are so much better. The food is great. I could go on and on . We go on the advice of the locals and go where they go wherever we travel to. All of the after mentioned comments are spot on. Suzanne 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 19 hours ago, Matt said: The one you stayed at looked awesome If you (or anyone else) wants info on the one I stayed at, I'd be happy to share the link. There is a two night minimum, and being able to climb stairs is a required, but it's a gorgeous villa in a perfect location - and totally inexpensive when compared to hotels in the area for groups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 5 minutes ago, fonemanbob said: We go on the advice of the locals and go where they go wherever we travel to. Not to mention, the locals on all of the islands seem to be incredibly kind and proud of their island, and happy to see people there. Suzanne 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 It's cheaper for us to fly to San Juan then it is to fly to Fort Lauderdale or Miami. We live in Houston. Plus we get to go to better destinations. Sailing out of Galveston means going to Mexico...been there, done that. We recently flew into San Juan and sailed on Adventure, it was the easiest embarkation and disembarkation we have ever experienced. We looking into more cruises out of San Juan....better bargain for us. Plus we are all for helping this beautiful place get back on their feet. DocLC and twangster 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne Posted June 7, 2018 Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 On 6/5/2018 at 5:53 PM, twangster said: Likes It's San Juan. Love this port and embarking there is like getting an extra stop on the cruise. Evening departure, gives more time to explore San Juan and enjoy the lights of the city during sail away. Relaxed day one. You start deep with the Caribbean so you can visit islands that are harder to reach from the US Mainland without longer cruises Often cruises fares are better (fuel costs are lower on some itineraries since you start deep in the Caribbean) Dislikes Airfare can be higher than flying to Florida (often offset by lower cruise fares) Fewer flight options coming from Colorado, flight times We have just the opposite Twangster, it's cheaper for us to fly to San Juan from Houston than flying to Florida. Crazy how that works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKSglitz Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 22 hours ago, Suzanne said: It's cheaper for us to fly to San Juan then it is to fly to Fort Lauderdale or Miami. We live in Houston. Plus we get to go to better destinations. Sailing out of Galveston means going to Mexico...been there, done that. We recently flew into San Juan and sailed on Adventure, it was the easiest embarkation and disembarkation we have ever experienced. We looking into more cruises out of San Juan....better bargain for us. Plus we are all for helping this beautiful place get back on their feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKSglitz Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 I totally agree with you Suzanne. I too can fly cheaper to San Juan then to Florida, especially during the winter months when I tend to cruise, In Michigan, our "snowbirds" (people who migrate to the south to avoid the harsh winters, and there are many) head south and the airlines know that so they adjust fares to take advantage of the exodus. No savings on airfare here, ever! Suzanne 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted June 8, 2018 Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 49 minutes ago, MKSglitz said: I totally agree with you Suzanne. I too can fly cheaper to San Juan then to Florida, especially during the winter months when I tend to cruise, In Michigan, our "snowbirds" (people who migrate to the south to avoid the harsh winters, and there are many) head south and the airlines know that so they adjust fares to take advantage of the exodus. No savings on airfare here, ever! This is so true. I was with friends a few weeks ago (when RC still had KSF) and they were looking at cruises for next March. A couple of them were interested in a sailing out of San Juan to the ABC islands. The cruise itself was a great itinerary and a great price, however, flights from DTW (where we all fly out of) were over $1000pp at 9 months out. Now, that may go up and down a bit but that alone was enough to deter them because for a family of 4, how much can it possibly go down? We have not left from San Juan in over a decade and flight times/prices are the main reason. Excited to go back there in July though for a day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandfact Posted June 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2018 Thank you everyone for all the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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