We just got back from our very first cruise (AOS 2/13-20), and it was amazing. You’re going to love it! I think I can give you an opinion on just about every one of your questions.
1. We stayed in the Sheraton Old San Juan the night before our cruise (as Ashland said, there are two Sheratons around there). It’s just across the street from the water, and though it was a 15 minute cab ride to the Pan American Pier, it was definitely worth being able to walk everywhere to see the sights. We thought about staying in Candado, but would have had a bunch of cab rides back and forth the night before and day of sailing. Since we were only there one night, we didn’t want to spend too much time getting around.
2. We didn’t board the ship until around 2:00. We signed up for a great Segway tour the morning of the cruise (the tour starts just a couple blocks from the hotel and goes through town to Castillo San Felipe del Morro and back). It went from 10:00 -12:00, and afterward we went back to the hotel to change and pack, and grabbed a taxi to the pier. We got a late checkout from the hotel, so that helped. Boarding took only about 15 minutes, and our cabin was open when we got on.
3. The fort was our favorite part of San Juan. We spent about ½ hour there as part of the Segway tour. The other fort (San Cristobal) is very cool too. We were able to walk there from our hotel.
4. St. Maarten was the reason we chose this sailing, and it didn’t disappoint. We took taxis all around the island, starting at Orient Beach, then to Marigot for lunch (and a walk up to the fort overlooking town there), and then to Maho beach to see the planes. We got there just after the 747 landed (around 12:30), but we saw a few other big jets and many smaller planes land, and were able to stay long enough to stand behind the 747 as it took off (around 2:00). We had no trouble getting a cab from the beach to the ship, and made it back in plenty of time. If you only do one thing on the island, go to the airport. You won't be able to do that anywhere else.
We had such a great time we’ve already booked our second cruise, Enchantment of the Seas to the Bahamas and Key West in September.
Adventure OTS / San Juan logistics.....
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
We just got back from our very first cruise (AOS 2/13-20), and it was amazing. You’re going to love it! I think I can give you an opinion on just about every one of your questions.
1. We stayed in the Sheraton Old San Juan the night before our cruise (as Ashland said, there are two Sheratons around there). It’s just across the street from the water, and though it was a 15 minute cab ride to the Pan American Pier, it was definitely worth being able to walk everywhere to see the sights. We thought about staying in Candado, but would have had a bunch of cab rides back and forth the night before and day of sailing. Since we were only there one night, we didn’t want to spend too much time getting around.
2. We didn’t board the ship until around 2:00. We signed up for a great Segway tour the morning of the cruise (the tour starts just a couple blocks from the hotel and goes through town to Castillo San Felipe del Morro and back). It went from 10:00 -12:00, and afterward we went back to the hotel to change and pack, and grabbed a taxi to the pier. We got a late checkout from the hotel, so that helped. Boarding took only about 15 minutes, and our cabin was open when we got on.
3. The fort was our favorite part of San Juan. We spent about ½ hour there as part of the Segway tour. The other fort (San Cristobal) is very cool too. We were able to walk there from our hotel.
4. St. Maarten was the reason we chose this sailing, and it didn’t disappoint. We took taxis all around the island, starting at Orient Beach, then to Marigot for lunch (and a walk up to the fort overlooking town there), and then to Maho beach to see the planes. We got there just after the 747 landed (around 12:30), but we saw a few other big jets and many smaller planes land, and were able to stay long enough to stand behind the 747 as it took off (around 2:00). We had no trouble getting a cab from the beach to the ship, and made it back in plenty of time. If you only do one thing on the island, go to the airport. You won't be able to do that anywhere else.
We had such a great time we’ve already booked our second cruise, Enchantment of the Seas to the Bahamas and Key West in September.