A Fascination Graduation and a week in San Juan

A nicely done review! Really enjoyed your awesome photos!

A nicely done review! Really enjoyed your awesome photos!

Than you! I will give my husband a bit of credit too[emoji12]

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A couple of hours later we were refreshed. Catedral Metropolitana Basílica de San Juan Bautista church was open, so we went in and did a self-tour. Beautiful church, and we were able to use Google translate to read the plaques on the monuments. It's the second oldest church in the Americas, and Ponce de Leon is buried here.

Phone translation app-

We then walked around and explored the neighborhood, found a cute place for a lunch/snack thanks to Yelp, and shopped at the local grocery store. Then back to the room for A/C. Have I mentioned yet how hot and humid it was?!

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Sunday street market-

We walked around following the old walls. The lighting was beautiful!

The front desk clerk told us about a street fair that was happening tonight, so a couple of hours later we followed his directions and walked to the fair. So much fun! The streets were cordoned off from cars and there were lights strung across the road. Bands were playing at the street corners. Restaurants had special menus and tables set up outside.

We had some local street food, did a little shopping at the artists tables that were set up in the plaza, and I even danced along in a spontaneous line dance. A fun evening in Old Town San Juan!

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Monday - San Juan

Enough rest and relaxation, today we had an adventure planned! Before we left on the cruise I started thinking about what we would do afterwards, with 3 more full days in San Juan. Cities are fun, but we wanted to get more of a feel for the island of Puerto Rico. I looked on Trip Advisor and found this tour that would go to the Ventana Caves - which was on the list of top 10 natural sites to see in the world. Natural Wonders PR: "Arecibo Adventure Tour: Cave “La Ventana”, Cave “Del Indio” and Much More" plus, the cave was open on a Monday, other caves we looked at were closed that day.

The photos online were exciting and made us want to go there. It also involved some hiking, a stop at a beach, and about an hours of driving to the west of the island. The tour was pretty spendy at $145/pp though. Hubby and I discussed it and decided that we just really did not want to rent a car, so we bit the bullet and booked it via email for today. The driver met us at the church close by our hotel at 0845 for an 8 hour tour. Turns out that once again we were the only people on this tour. This time though it felt a little awkward. The guide, who also was the, driver was nice enough, but not exactly chatty. More of a point and name the location kind of guy as we were driving through the city and countryside to the cave.

At the Ventana cave we joined a group tour led by a cave guide that was very interesting. We all were given flashlight and had to wear safety helmets.I do get claustrophobic and there was only one tight spot that I was through quickly, so it wasn't really a problem. The caves were large and cool. This is the cave entrance-

The narrowest spot-

We saw, heard and smelled bats on our walk through the rain forest and to the main cave. This place was so awesome! The view of the valley below made me feel like I was in the cave man days and had discovered this area on my own. It was so natural. No safety rails or artificial lighting. We were here about 20 minutes, taking pictures and hearing stories about how this area had been used in the past.

Next it was back to the van and on to the next stop, a waterfall. Only problem is that it started pouring rain! We waited in the van for a few minutes and it started to ease up, so we all got out in the light rain to hike to the waterfall. More heavy rain started. That was enough for us, we asked him if we could see a picture of the waterfall on his phone and move on to lunch! After all, we had been to some great waterfalls on this trip and we were hungry by this time. Lunch was at "Martin's BBQ El Original!" and consisted of our choice of traditional Puertorican lunch food. I tried the Bacalao (fish stew) and Hubby had meat with gravy and mofongo. It was definetly a casual place, with plastic seating and quick counter service, but the food was tasty and filling.

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Back in the van we headed to the coast for some hiking along the rocks and caves there. The weather had cleared up and it was beautiful with dark blue skies and fluffy white clouds.

The Indian caves- anticlimactic since you can't go down in them anymore. Supposedly there are ancient drawings on the walls. Beautiful area to hike around though

The monument to Christopher Columbus can be seen in the far distance in this photo

We made it to the beach, which was busy with families celebrating the Memorial Day holiday. We were supposed to be here an hour, but after about 30 minutes the clouds rolled in and rain, thunder and lighting started. I was in the water when I saw lightning in the distance, and decided that maybe that wasn't the best place to be, so I headed back to our towels. Looking around, I wasn't the only one to decide that - those families had their picnics packed up and were off that beach fast! We texted our guide and he was right there to pick us up. What an adventure! Because we had taken our time and hiked around earlier it was actually time to head back anyway, but I really wanted some coffee. He pulled off the freeway and went to a drive through Burger King for me. Now I am a coffee snob, but I hadn't seen any better choices and was tired of fighting to stay awake in the car, so I bought some. It was fine! Strong, hot and good with real half n half. I just love that strong, tasty coffee they have here.

We were back to our hotel a few minutes before 5pm. Discussing it later we debated as to if we would do this tour again. The pluses were seeing the city and the countryside. We really felt like we saw some of the real Puerto Rico that is outside of the more tourist areas. The downside was the lack of that group interaction that we both appreciate, and the cost. The total with tip was about $350 for the day. Overall though, no regrets. We have lovely pictures and great memories. I would just check out a few different companies next time. Or travel with someone who wants to drive!

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After all the excitement of the day we were both tired and hungry. Figuring out where to eat seemed like too much work. So we fell back on Barrachina's, since we had enjoyed our meal there last week. It cracks me up that my husband, who is not much of a drinker at all, loves those Pina Coladas! Must be because they are sweet, he does have a sweet tooth. We had the grilled fish and vegetable for dinner and it was delicious. We strolled around Old Town for a bit, and called it a night. No plans really for tomorrow, our last day of vacation.

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Thank you so very much for your review. We have done this itinerary before and loved, loved, loved it. So, we have booked it again. It is over 200 days away, so I will probably look at your pics at least 20 times before we set sail, lol.

Thank you so very much for your review. We have done this itinerary before and loved, loved, loved it. So, we have booked it again. It is over 200 days away, so I will probably look at your pics at least 20 times before we set sail, lol.

Thanks you. This is my first review, and it has been so much fun reliving the trip. I didn't expect that part. I so enjoy researching and reading here on CC too. Hopefully that will make your wait better![emoji41]

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So sad, but every great adventure comes to an end. I think I've held off writing this because I don't want it to be over!

Our final day in San Juan- I woke up early and went for a run along the trail outside the old wall. I can't stress enough how conveniently located our hotel was to everything in Old Town... the San Juan Gate was a block away.

There were cats everywhere, and someone obviously caring for them-

Breakfast at our hotel each morning was served on silver trays in the dining room. They fixed the tray and cooked the hard or soft boiled eggs to order, so plan on it taking 15 minutes to get your food. Make yourself a delicious cup of Puerto Rican coffee, talk to the other guests, and relax. Right. We are still on vacation after all.

First up, we headed to the Governors Mansion for the English tour. Which we missed by 5 minutes. Whoops. Too much relaxing! So we decided to come back for the 3:30 pm tour, and instead make our way to the Museum of the Americas.

This place was interesting. There were exhibits about art, yes, but most interesting to us were the history exhibits. They had information about many different native cultures from all of the Americas. Including shrunken heads from a head hunter tribe! Weirdly interesting. From the reading it seems that the opponents heads were cut off and soaked in a solution to shrink them in order to decrease their power/ influence. It probably worked?!

I couldn't put the shrunken head photo here, too creepy. Instead this photo from a happier, celebration exhibit-

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Lunchtime. We used the Yelp app again and found a local diner type place. Delicious food. I just don't remember the name of the place!

We went back to our room to cool off, then walked back to the Governors Mansion for that tour. Only problem was the street was blocked off by guards with guns. Apparently there was a demonstration going on, and all tours were cancelled. We didn't see anybody, but we weren't going to argue the point either!

Ok. Another change of plans. We went to the local grocery and bought coffee and food souvenirs. After dropping them off in our room, and cooling off for a bit, we headed out to walk along the walls again. We found a trail and got to hike for a bit.

We walked around more that night, just enjoying the atmosphere. Our hotel had a lovely roof top terrace with hammocks and seating areas that was a nice place to relax too.

A nice way to end what had been a fabulous vacation!

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Thank you for you great review. I am doing this cruise on Oct. 8. So this was very helpful.

Thank you for you great review. I am doing this cruise on Oct. 8. So this was very helpful.

You're welcome! Have fun planning. I'm glad to try to answer any questions :cool:

There were cats everywhere, and someone obviously caring for them-

If I may... I'd like to share some history and info on the cats of San Juan. Years ago (and you'd be amazed how recent it's really been) Old San Juan had an incredible mice and rat problem. They were simply everywhere! But stray cats started making residence in the area and the natural solution to one problem became another nuisance. An organization called Save a Gato (Save a Cat) came in and started capturing the city cats. But they don't discard them. They spay and neuter them, get them healthy with vaccines and let them loose again. They also feed them, do health control (remove sick individuals from the population) and do some population control. They have a collaboration with local Petsmart stores where they offer some of the cats to be adopted by the public. My daughter actually has a cat that she adopted through them and as an added " perk" they try to involve the children into the care system by having them volunteering at the stores to help clean their living space and play with the cats for a while as well. All that food and water you see around comes from residents as well but mostly from the Save a Gato organization through food donations.

Congratulations on a great review!! You're pictures were awesome as well. Having done some myself, I appreciate the hard work I know you've had to do to go through with this. Thank you very much for sharing you and your family's vacation with us. I'm so glad you got to travel outside the metropolitan area and see the "other Puerto Rico". Hopefully next time you can get a more fun and informative guide. Sometimes the guides are half the fun of any tour and when they don't work out as we'd want, we're left with a bit of a sour taste on our mouths even though we enjoyed the rest of the day,

The "diner" place you went to is called Cafe Manolin. It's basically as local as you're gonna get in OSJ. go during lunchtime on a weekday and you'd be lucky to find a table in less than 15 minutes. It's where a lot of working SJ locals do lunch.

Hi Stinger-PR! It is always great hearing from you. I love the help you are able to give.

Thanks for the information about the cats. I would much rather see them than wild rodents! My grandparents owned a cat boarding facility when I was growing up, so I too spent part of my childhood cleaning up after cats. The best part was always playing with the kittens.

In regards to the tour, the guide was fine, just not very animated or as enthusiastic as other tour guides. So we didn't feel as much of a connection I guess. At least he wasn't artificial though, like St Kitts guy was. Plus, if there had been more people on the tour it could be a totally different experience!

Hubby and I are taking an anniversary cruise in Europe next year. What I have learned from doing this review is that it is hard to remember things! I am definitely going to try to take pictures of the daily schedules and the outsides of restaurants and museums to make that part easier.

I was wondering about your review lately, did you ever come up with a solution to your picture problem?

I just finished the rest of your review and wanted to let you know I really enjoyed following along. We've done this itinerary twice fairly recently (Valor in 2013 and Liberty in 2015) and it is, hands down, our all time favorite of the Caribbean itineraries that Carnival offers and I love reading reviews of this itinerary. Now I can't wait until we can do it again. I've already started "arm twisting" my DH, so hopefully in 2018. I really enjoyed the pictures you included, including your extra time in San Juan and Puerto Rico. I'd hoped to spend extra time the last time we did this cruise in 2015, but my husband had just stared a new job the previous year, so he was limited on vacation days. Next time we do this, I'd love several extra days...or a week. Thank you for taking the time to do a review. I've done a few and know how time consuming they are.

I just finished the rest of your review and wanted to let you know I really enjoyed following along. We've done this itinerary twice fairly recently (Valor in 2013 and Liberty in 2015) and it is, hands down, our all time favorite of the Caribbean itineraries that Carnival offers and I love reading reviews of this itinerary. Now I can't wait until we can do it again. I've already started "arm twisting" my DH, so hopefully in 2018. I really enjoyed the pictures you included, including your extra time in San Juan and Puerto Rico. I'd hoped to spend extra time the last time we did this cruise in 2015, but my husband had just stared a new job the previous year, so he was limited on vacation days. Next time we do this, I'd love several extra days...or a week. Thank you for taking the time to do a review. I've done a few and know how time consuming they are.

Thank you for responding. It does take time, but gets slightly addictive too. It's so much fun reviewing the vacation and the pictures! I have started reading your review on the Liberty. I love how you listed other reviews that helped you in your planning! That is a great idea!

I really enjoyed your first review. Great job. I am doing this same cruise December 17-24. This will be my third time but the first on a smaller ship. Thank you for giving me ideas.

Hi Stinger-PR! It is always great hearing from you. I love the help you are able to give.

Thanks for the information about the cats. I would much rather see them than wild rodents! My grandparents owned a cat boarding facility when I was growing up, so I too spent part of my childhood cleaning up after cats. The best part was always playing with the kittens. ��

In regards to the tour, the guide was fine, just not very animated or as enthusiastic as other tour guides. So we didn't feel as much of a connection I guess. At least he wasn't artificial though, like St Kitts guy was. Plus, if there had been more people on the tour it could be a totally different experience!

Hubby and I are taking an anniversary cruise in Europe next year. What I have learned from doing this review is that it is hard to remember things! I am definitely going to try to take pictures of the daily schedules and the outsides of restaurants and museums to make that part easier.

I was wondering about your review lately, did you ever come up with a solution to your picture problem?

Hi kathleen, I'm always glad to help out. About the reviews, yes... they are a labor of love for sure...lol. My first review was quite "to the point" but the next two had a lot more information, since I knew that the more info I could provide the more helpful it'd be to someone. Besides, in a few years when Alzheimer's kicks is, I'd have some reference to my own travels...lol. (BTW... my most sincere respect to those dealing with that disease themselves or through a relative. No disrespect meant with my comment)

I'm migrating my pictures to Smugmug in order to re-post, possibly in the same thread. While I took a paid subscription at that site, it will cost a bunch less than Photobucket was asking. IMO, pricing was very affordable for the tier I picked with the features I needed for hosting pictures to share in places like these and for other plans that I have. In short, they're coming....

Thanks for the great review Ms Kathleen. :)

We have done those ports ourselves over 2 different cruises. Love the shot from the hill looking down at the Caribbean and Atlantic. When we were in St Lucia, we did the catamaran to the Pitons. Such beautiful scenery.

Thanks for the great review Ms Kathleen. :)

 

We have done those ports ourselves over 2 different cruises. Love the shot from the hill looking down at the Caribbean and Atlantic. When we were in St Lucia, we did the catamaran to the Pitons. Such beautiful scenery.

It's funny, but being from Southern California we thought we knew about beaches. We didn't. Those Caribbean beaches were so beautiful, and fun to play in. We're ruined now ;p

Thank you so much for your great review. We plan to tour several of those ports in Nov, so I made notes. Hope we get s chance someday soon to go to St Lucia and Barbados. I'd totally forgotten The Witch of Blackbird Pond. What a good reminder [emoji16]

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Thank you so much for your great review. We plan to tour several of those ports in Nov, so I made notes. Hope we get s chance someday soon to go to St Lucia and Barbados. I'd totally forgotten The Witch of Blackbird Pond. What a good reminder [emoji16]

 

You're welcome. It's funny what sticks with us from elementary school :') Have a great trip!

Kathleen21, What was the name of the beach you were at on Barbados? We were thinking of going to the Boartyard and use the beach there. The cost is like $20 pp a complimentory drink, they have water things out in the water play play on, a boat ride to snorkle and see the turtles.

Me and my sister aren't sure if we want to do this or just go out on our own to a beach. We will be sailing on the same trip on the Fascination Dec 3, 2017. Anyone any suggestions?