readytolose

Just flew home yesterday from SJU after our cruise on the Adventure of the Seas.

 

 

 

 

We flew in 10/12, stayed at the Comfort Inn Condado. I had booked online AFTER Maria hit and was not able to confirm reservation prior to flight. Got there, no problems with reservation. On that date, the airport did not have power and the Comfort Inn was running on a generator, which they turned off from 11am to 5pm every day. This was my backup hotel, we had originally booked at Da' House but they were not open yet and will not until power is restored to OSJ.

 

After our cruise, we stayed at the Casablanca Hotel in Old San Juan. This was booked in person on 10/13 when we got confirmation that our stay on Vieques would not happen. Casablanca was running on generator power. It did go off one night for a short bit but was back by the time we got back for dinner.

 

We booked our rental car through Charlie Car for both before and after our cruise. Before we parked in the hotel parking lot, after we parked in the Dona Fela parking garage in OSJ for $4 a day. It is open 24 hours. The Condado office of Charlie Car is closed. We had booked through them cause they offer free shuttles to and from the cruise dock. They honored this from the Isla Verde Office, both dropping us off and picking us up. They had plenty of cars available and we had NO trouble getting gas in the San Juan area. There was a station open both times right before their offices. There was a short line both times but that was due to the fact that you had to get to the pump, go in and take your cash or credit card, pump your gas and then go retrieve your credit card or change if it wasn't exact. That was a pain and the main thing we saw slowing things down.

 

Many places are cash only, especially restaurants. I will try to remember where all we went:

 

Mi Casita-no power but serving food on 10/12-cash only.

Orozcos-ate there twice after the cruise. Took CC

Walgreens in Condado on Ashford was open 24 hours and took CC

CVS in Condado on Ashford was open til 7pm and took CC

CVS in OSJ was open, not sure of hours, took CC. Rear doors closed in evening but still open.

The Place in Condado was open and took CC

Moreno's Spot in OSJ was open, cash only

Barrachina's was open during the day, not sure on rest, didn't go there.

Bun's Burgers in OSJ was open 10am-4pm, took CC

Bun's Burgers in Condado was open and took CC, not sure hours

Cold Stone in OSJ was open after 5:30pm, not sure on rest, didn't go

Chili's in Condado was open, took CC

Pizza Rustica in OSJ was open, cash only

 

Several places had items they were out of but plenty of options as well.

Some places had altered hours, even if they were open. Best to call them. Most had info posted on their doors.

 

Places we noticed were open:

Condado:

Buenos Ayres

Pannes

Serafina

Cocina Abierto

Denny's

Muchie Burger

Stop n Go

Madarin House

Condal

Punk Burger

Latin Star

Ropa Vieja

Di Zucchero

Starbucks on Ashford

Toll House Cafe (in Condado Palms)-open til 7pm i think.

Ali Baba

Yerba Buena

Tijuanas

Burger King

Cayo Caribe

 

OSJ-

El Patio and next door to them

Barrachinas

Moreno's Spot

Triana

G Spot

Melao

Taster's Place

Aroma's

Vaca Brava

Dominos

La Burgett

Pepe's by the bay

La Revolucion

Latin Roots

El Hamburger

Ladi's

This is great information to have! Thank you so much!!

We stayed in Old San Juan

1. 10/14/17 and 10/15/17 (two nights)

2. Casablanca Hotel.

3. Powered by generator. At the time, I believe anything open in Old San Juan was powered by generator

4. Open nearby: Casablanca Hotel's bar and Cafe, Pirilo Pizza, Caficultura (coffee & breakfast), Starbucks and Walgreens by Sheraton OSJ, and Moreno Spot Bar & Grill

Open walking distance: Barrachina Restaurant, Casa Cortes ChocoBar :D, Senor Paleta, La Madre (Mexican), Nono's bar & restaurant, El Meson Sandwiches, Yeyos, Club Spritz, Cafe Manolin.

There was a great artist co-op store just across the street from Parroquia San Francisco de Asis (church) and under the hotel Da House, at 301 Calle San Francisco. At the time, they were only opened on Sundays.

Closed nearby: Marmalade (although it looked like they were working on it)

 

5. Hotel lobby had AC, wifi, and ice cold water dispenser. The lobby has a nice bar that opens in the afternoon and night. Our room had: wifi, a cool tablet that was connected to the wifi, one TV with sat, private bath, balcony (not all rooms), running water and fixtures, hot shower. No AC in the room on night 1, but had AC on night 2.

 

6. We walked by these OSJ hotels that seemed opened, but I didn't ask their front desk: Hotel El Convento and Sheraton Old San Juan. I heard that other pax stayed at La Terraza, but had no AC.

Airport is fine, taxis are easy to get. We didn't feel unsafe at any time. Not all attractions may be open, but there is still plenty to see in this beautiful city!

 

For a complete story of our 10/7/17 cruise see my thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2553861

Dan

Thank you for sharing! I was thinking we would just have to stay at our hotel poolside (can you imagine? 😂😜) for 2 days but it looks like we will have plenty to see and do in OSJ!

We stayed in Old San Juan

1. 10/14/17 and 10/15/17 (two nights)

2. Casablanca Hotel.

3. Powered by generator. At the time, I believe anything open in Old San Juan was powered by generator

4. Open nearby: Casablanca Hotel's bar and Cafe, Pirilo Pizza, Caficultura (coffee & breakfast), Starbucks and Walgreens by Sheraton OSJ, and Moreno Spot Bar & Grill

Open walking distance: Barrachina Restaurant, Casa Cortes ChocoBar :D, Senor Paleta, La Madre (Mexican), Nono's bar & restaurant, El Meson Sandwiches, Yeyos, Club Spritz, Cafe Manolin.

There was a great artist co-op store just across the street from Parroquia San Francisco de Asis (church) and under the hotel Da House, at 301 Calle San Francisco. At the time, they were only opened on Sundays.

Closed nearby: Marmalade (although it looked like they were working on it)

 

5. Hotel lobby had AC, wifi, and ice cold water dispenser. The lobby has a nice bar that opens in the afternoon and night. Our room had: wifi, a cool tablet that was connected to the wifi, one TV with sat, private bath, balcony (not all rooms), running water and fixtures, hot shower. No AC in the room on night 1, but had AC on night 2.

 

6. We walked by these OSJ hotels that seemed opened, but I didn't ask their front desk: Hotel El Convento and Sheraton Old San Juan. I heard that other pax stayed at La Terraza, but had no AC.

Airport is fine, taxis are easy to get. We didn't feel unsafe at any time. Not all attractions may be open, but there is still plenty to see in this beautiful city!

 

For a complete story of our 10/7/17 cruise see my thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2553861

Dan

Thank you for sharing! I was thinking we would just have to stay at our hotel poolside (can you imagine? 😂😜) for 2 days but it looks like we will have plenty to see and do in OSJ!

How are you going to take taxi'

s and eat at the restaurants. There is no gas and all the restaurants are closed the place is a mess, and there is a chorea outbreak, raw sewage everywhere. A nice risk for your family to take. You need to know the full picture of the island in real time.

You might need to find another source for your information.

There are lots of restaurants open and taxis are running.

We will have plenty of places to spend our tourist dollars.

I found this refreshing, and it has some good information about hotels in SJU.

 

http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/why-visit-san-juan-puerto-rico/index.html

Great article, thanks!

While the airport is fully functional and San Juan appears to be getting on it's feet, our overall experience with this cruise was unfortunate. We sailed with a group of 6 couples and we were able to make our own good times, however we were quite disappointed by Royal Caribbean. Each of us had repeatedly contacted RC to inquire about transferring to a different ship, or to postpone our cruise because we did not want to fly into a federal disaster area, and we were told no. So we sailed in good faith only to find that our ship would have been 70% empty due to cancelations, but Royal Caribbean decided to open the cruise up to the residents of Puerto Rico. RC did not offer any upgrades to its full fare passengers, but they sold the remaining rooms to PR residents for $500.00 rate any many cruised for free. All children were also free. This was evident to us as well as confirmed by the ship's staff members. I realize these people have been through an ordeal, but some of the attitude was unfortunate and this was not the cruise experience we were hoping for. Personally I feel that Royal Caribbean should have allowed anyone who wanted to postpone or transfer ships to do so, then they would have been able to open the entire ship to the people of Puerto Rico for this opportunity. Everyone would have then been happy. Very Disappointed in the way they handled this.

I’m confused why sailing on a full ship would make you not have the cruise you were hoping for. Most ships sail full. And guess what... there’s probably lots of people on the ship that have paid less than you. There’s even some that paid more. I’ve never bothered to check how much someone else paid. I just go on my trip and enjoy myself and hope that they are enjoying their vacation too!

Sounds to me like you went with a bad attitude because you couldn’t cancel and let that affect your whole trip.

The San Juan Marriott was back up and running this morning. Lobby was busy with relief workers, but the Cafe and gift shop was open and televisions in lobby were on. Pool was open and slide is working. There is also another Cafe out here by the pool that is open and a few customers having breakfast. CVS next door is open as well.

 

 

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Thank you so much! The pictures have put me more at ease!

Sorry you got sick. That’s always a concern of mine, getting sick while on vacation.

Enjoy your day and safe travels home!

Can’t wait to hear about your last few days onboard and your day at the Marriott.

We are booked at the Marriott in a month and saw online the other day that their generator failed and were now dark. Hopefully you will be able to confirm that they are back up and running! Pictures of the pool area would be great, too!

Thanks so much for your great review. The week went way too fast!

My interpretation?

The fact that you’re even bringing it up means you’re flaunting your status.

My thoughts exactly

Did you happen to see a “roaming” Izumi cart selling sushi to go?

But are you buying each drink, or do you have a package? I'm just not seeing a NEED to tip each bartender for each drink with the drink package...

What’s the difference? You are still paying the 18% either way.

If you want to tip extra then do it. If you don’t want to no one is forcing you to.

Great idea!

Great idea!

I was also wondering the same thing today. I just read online that none of the beaches in St. Thomas are open because of run off contamination. I’m starting to think our stop in St. Thomas might be a quick walk around the shops and then back on the ship for us 😢

When you purchase the package 18% will be added. No other gratuity is added when you get your drinks but feel free to leave a little something if you wish!

I did ask this on the St. Thomas forum but so far no replies so I thought I would try here, too!

We will be going to St. Thomas on November 26th on Adventure of the Seas.

Our plan was to go to Emerald Beach Resort. I asked on Facebook and they will not be open for business by then.

I believe Royal docks at Crown Bay. What would be some other options for beaches that aren’t too long of a taxi ride.

We would prefer someplace with restrooms, bar and food.

Also just curious how far it is from the cruise port to paradise point.

We will be going to St. Thomas on November 26th on Adventure of the Seas.

Our plan was to go to Emerald Beach Resort. I asked on Facebook and they will not be open for business by then.

I believe Royal docks at Crown Bay. What would be some other options for beaches that aren’t too long if a taxi ride.

We would prefer someplace with restrooms, bar and food.

Also just curious how far it is from the cruise port to paradise point.

Where is the ice cream located?

This looks like the Marriott Stellaris, correct?

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Thanks Bob! I’m excited to see the oreo sundae is still available!

Anybody have a current menu for JR?

Made it to the Comfort Inn in Condado! They are running on generators but we have AC in the room! Airport is very crowded...the lights are on but AC is not. Also, the arrival/departure boards don’t work in the terminal, in case you are meeting someone.

 

Cell and WiFi Service is spotty. Cold bottled water was readily available at the gift shop near gate C8. Some shops and concessions in the airport are opened, but many closed. Taxis were readily available . We tipped our driver very well and he agreed to come back to the hotel to take us to the ship in the morning. Safe travels to everyone!

 

 

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Great news! Enjoy your cruise!

Looking forward to your review. We cruise on Adventure on November 25th and will be (hopefully) spending 2 days before at the Marriott Stellaris. Can’t wait to see how the hotel and facilities held up.

Enjoy your cruise!

I'm thinking the last time I saw that it was 72 hours.

Thanks Bob. I did find it online and you are correct. My purchases have to be made by 11:59pm on the 21st.

Guess I’ll have to hope for “Black Friday week” sales!

Im just curious how many days before the cruise do we have to make our cruise planner purchases before it’s no longer available online.

We are cruising on November 25th and I keep hearing about POSSIBLE Black Friday sales for things in the cruise planner. That’s only 1 day before our cruise so I’m guessing it wouldn’t work for us, but if we saw something cheaper than what we paid would we have time to cancel and rebook?

Maybe I’ll get lucky and the Black Friday sales will start early! :D