Confused about SanJuan

A few years ago San Juan was one of the stops on our HAL cruise. We got off the ship and walked to a strip of stores. Most were ones we could find in the US and there was one Mexican restaurant, I can't remember which one. I wasn't impressed enough with the area to want to go back.

My question is, what is that area called? We are leaving on the Summit in January and I am not sure where the other areas are such as OSJ or Condado. Just trying to get my bearings.

Old San Juan (OSJ) is not really about shopping like St. Thomas or St. Maarten. It's about culture, history, food and drink with maybe a bit of crafts shopping thrown in the mix. That said, the Mexican restaurant nearest to (actually at) the pier is Tijuana's, located at pier 2 where you catch the ferry to the other side of the bay. OSJ is where the cruises dock for port calls (except Carnival's Fascination which embarks on pier 4). All other big lines embark/debark from the Pan-am pier in Miramar on the far end of the bay. The Condado area is the one you find upon exiting OSJ, on the left, spanning from the Condado Plaza to the area known as Ocean Park.

For port calls most of the ships dock in Old San Juan but the street in front of the dock isn't the historical area.

On the street at the dock is a Sheraton Hotel, a CVS drugstore, a Senor Frogs, a Subway, and a few other charmless establishments. Does that sound familiar?

To see the real beauty of Old San Juan you should take the free trolley that runs through the area. Ask where the stop is that is closest to the ship.

Condado is a very popular area because of the many hotels lining the beach, and is a short taxi ride from Old San Juan.

Maybe you should take a toir so you can see more of San Juan.

Thank you. I was just trying to figure out where I had been and it definitely wasn't OSJ or Condado. I was trying not to go to the same area we had seen and wasn't sure if where we had been was actually OSJ. Some people were excited to be there and I couldn't understand why since there wasn't much there.

And yes, I intend to see more of SJ, last time I was ill and didn't want to stray far from the ship. This time we have 24 hours in SJ before our cruise.

Passengers who don't book tours often end up on Fortaleza, Tetuan and San Francisco streets, which are part of the narrow old city center, and this area is full of shops and restaurants and some classic old hotels.Those 3 are the parallel streets with the most shopping and food. The shops vary from famous names (Coach for example) to local crafts to T-Shirt/Souvenir shops. One trick is to board the free trolley on either route to the city (avoid the fort route) and get off at the other end of Fortaleza or San Francisco, where they cross Calle del Cristo. Walk east toward the ship. up and down the streets as you have time. Try some local food, or even have lunch or dinner. Get a Starbucks fix at the east end of Tetuan. (stop looking at me like that, I know PR has great local coffee too.) Then the ship is is a short walk away unless you are unluckily docked at the Pan Am pier.

Passengers who don't book tours often end up on Fortaleza, Tetuan and San Francisco streets, which are part of the narrow old city center, and this area is full of shops and restaurants and some classic old hotels.Those 3 are the parallel streets with the most shopping and food. The shops vary from famous names (Coach for example) to local crafts to T-Shirt/Souvenir shops. One trick is to board the free trolley on either route to the city (avoid the fort route) and get off at the other end of Fortaleza or San Francisco, where they cross Calle del Cristo. Walk east toward the ship. up and down the streets as you have time. Try some local food, or even have lunch or dinner. Get a Starbucks fix at the east end of Tetuan. (stop looking at me like that, I know PR has great local coffee too.) Then the ship is is a short walk away unless you are unluckily docked at the Pan Am pier.

Great info, thank you!