Guatiao
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Posts posted by Guatiao
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On 9/20/2019 at 9:11 PM, gmachar said:
We did a walking tour with Isle Caribe last year from our Celebrity ship. It was the first time Celebrity stopped in Ponce & they were very excited to have the ship there! The tour we took was the only tour operator who was based in Ponce, but they brought in tour operators from San Juan. We just took a cab downtown & met the tour there. There were students posted all over the town to answer questions & direct people. We paid $47 for 2 & thought it was very interesting.
Charlene
Isla Caribe has a nice "what to do" blog post about Ponce.
https://islacaribepr.com/index.php/2018/11/06/10-things-to-do-on-a-cruise-stop-in-ponce/
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4 hours ago, njhorseman said:
Just so no one is confused, that is for a different Marriott than the one I mentioned in my previous post.
True, I failed to mention it.
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Check guided walking tours with Puerto Rico Historic Building Society (they are on Facebook).
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This link is for the Puerto Rico Convention center, but the map has hotels around it, which are near the Panamerican Port (the Convention Center is on the way to the pier).
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Hi! There's many attractions within walking distance from the pier, like casinos, local and international fare restaurants, coffee shops, souvenir stores, etc. Usually there's good police presence during a ship's stay at port, so you should be fine. For local fare near the port you can check restaurants in front of the Doña Fela parking building, which is located some 7-10 minutes walking from the pier. Google Maps is very handy in Old San Juan!
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On 7/30/2019 at 8:47 PM, Palmetto_state said:
Awesome, thanks for all the suggestions.
I'm looking forward to having fried plantains in garlic sauce if I can find it.
You can try at El Jibarito.
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Pizza - Pirilo's Pizza Rústica
Burgers - El Hamburger or Buns Burger Shop
Local fare - El Jibarito
Coffee - Café Colao (in the piers near Tijuana's, a Mexican / TexMex restaurant)
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There's already plans for bringing the umbrellas back. Here's a local newspaper article (in Spanish):
https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/nota/regresanlassombrillasalacallefortaleza-2511840/
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On 8/9/2019 at 1:39 PM, red-dragon said:
Hello everyone,
This will be our first time in San Juan. I found this link via Cruise Critic but it directs me to viator.com. I'd prefer to correspond with the actual tour operator rather than a 3rd party.
There are so many options! Would you please recommend some great tour companies for a city tour. I was also interested in the Segway tour, but I don't think I'd have enough time.
We will be on Harmony of the Seas, and in San Juan from 7 am - 4 pm (subject to change).
Many thanks!
Would you be interested in a OSJ walking tour? If so, look up Puerto Rico Historic Building Society in AirBnB or Facebook.
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On 8/10/2019 at 2:15 AM, Waterluv said:
I believe the only Segway operator in San Juan is Jose. You can book directly with him at http://www.segwaytourspr.com/. We will be on the Allure in 2 weeks and we are booked. I have been trying to find recent information on the condition and current atmosphere after all the protests. I hope you have a great time and an awesome tour.
Hi! The huge, huge protests have already ended after the governor resigned. Fortaleza street, the main gathering place of protesters, is already without barriers as of this week. There's still some much smaller protests going on, but not on a daily basis. So, it's basically back to normal in OSJ.
BTW, there's already talk of putting new umbrellas at Fortaleza street.
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Hi! Not all stores stay open until night, mostly restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops usually stay open when ships leave at night.
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Hi! An option for seeing downtown historic Ponce is Isla Caribe, as they offer guided walking tours.
https://islacaribepr.com/index.php/2018/11/06/10-things-to-do-on-a-cruise-stop-in-ponce/
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57 minutes ago, CruisingMarch2016 said:
A couple years ago we walked to the left over a couple streets and found a great local restaurant with tables/sitting in the street. Near the pigeon tree if anyone has been there.
Would love to know the name if anyone knows.
HI! There's one called El Parnaso in Google Maps at Calle del Cristo, maybe it's that one?
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If artisan pizza is of the liking of any visitor, Pirilo's Pizzeria Rústica is a great option.
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Hi! For local fare you can try El Jibarito.
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This link is no longer working, can you tell me what it was about? and whether still operational?
I want to go to Hacienda Pomarrosa but need a way to get there. Any ideas on how to achieve that would be appreciated.
HI! The new address for the walking tour persons is this: http://islacaribepr.com/
As for Hacienda Pomarrosa, I'd suggest you contact them their website is http://www.revoedutech.org/cafepomarrosa//#
I could provide driving directions if you plan on driving on your own when you visit Ponce.
Google Maps information:
Hacienda de Café Pomarrosa
143 Caminos Hogares Seguros, Mercedita, Ponce 00715, Puerto Rico
+1 787-844-3541
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First, you need to identify what it is people need to see.
Which isn't a lot. My wife is from Ponce, and she'd much rather spend time walking around San Juan for the 1000th time than spend tourist time in Ponce.
It's cool to see tourists in Ponce when we are wondering around, but we really have to consider what they are going to see. Tibes, Hacienda Buena Visa, Castillo Serralles, Museo de Arte de Ponce, and a few other items come to mind quickly. The Ponce Plaza does not have the same appeal as San Juan- and it does not go out as far, too. There are some other nice museums, but one should note that they are largely in Spanish- so it's tough on the typical tourist.
I do realize that there's a big potential for the Ponce Playa area. And if the more tropical farms pop up- they also can be tourist attractions (who would not want a fresh mango!!!).
In the shorter term, I've seen La Guancha when it was much more active. Pretty close to the dock, and in the path to a close beach.
The big issue is whether they want to keep Ponce more business like or attract tourists.
I hear you! And it's been my criticism for years, there's so much potential in the whole souther area for local and foreign visitors not just in Ponce. Beaches in Guánica, historic sugar mill plantations in Ponce and Salinas, mangrove walks in Guayama, a visit to San Germán historic district, local coffee plantation that offer guided tours, etc. The potential is there.
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So it's more likely that the container shipping port will be more active. In the many years I've seen those cranes in place, I've never once seen a ship there loading and unloading. (Have seen a cruise ship on one trip- blew my mind).
Ten years ago, there was more effort to draw people to central Ponce- but since it wasn't all that effective, the effort has fallen off. Now there's some more trickle effort...
Ponce is Ponce... ;)
Curiously they were used to unload power companies' equipment after María, which the Mayor touted as a major milestone.
I know for a fact that the cranes were operational but not up to date in inspections and certifications before María. Who or how did them in order to be used has not been disclosed to the best of my knowledge.
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Oh this is never going to happen. And to tell you the truth is quite unfortunate. I am all for tourism development, especially if an area has potential, like Ponce. But I see Ponce being a port for smaller ships and/or small, specialty, luxury ships. There is only so much you can do in Ponce. The two islets that are current attractions (Caja de Muertos and Isla Cardona) are both occupancy-controlled. La Guancha has to improve a lot to really be an out-of-towner attraction and the heart of the city is basically for history buffs. All these combined will never replace Old San Juan and, unlike Old San Juan, I don't think people are gonna book a cruise because it has a port stop in Ponce.
Would I like to see that change? Absolutely!!! The area has the potential to become sort of an Amber Cove-type of place. It has the acreage, facilities and infrastructure to become a great alternative to Old San Juan. Especially since the Caribbean is getting swamped with new ships and there's only so many times you can really get exited about sailing to the same places over and over again.
Then we need visionary leaders in both government and private enterprise to make Ponce and the southern area more attractive to visitors. There's many things that may attract visitors that have seen Old San Juan a zillion times. Sure, Old San Juan has soooo many things to offer, but the south part has much potential to be tapped.
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Thanks Alfaeric!
Any sites within walking distance?
The La Guancha boardwalk is within walking distance, where you can find local food, drinks, burgers, coffee, souvenirs, etc.
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Was on the 3/11 to 3/18 cruise and it was FABULOUS... and fabulous may even be an understatement!! I had no issues with the guest service line the three time I went (approx wait time less than 2 mins each time)
*New carpets in stateroom.
*beds very comfortable
*food was ok
*room service was excellent, priced fairly cheap and came fast!! I ordered almost every night and don’t think I ever waited more than 20 mins for delivery.
*The only issue, if I can even call it that was the internet. I ordered the social media internet package. It worked fine for the first day, had some hiccups and slow connection the next few days, but I was barely on it to care. When I addressed it to guest services they immediately upgraded me to the highest internet package FOR FREE and removed the charge for the original package i purchased! Great customer service. They did mention that the satellite was being upgraded and they were currently running at 60%. Basically it was hit or miss.
DJ Atomic kept the party going at all events, taking request and making sure every guest in attendance had a great time.
I had an awesome time on the 2.0 Fascination along with the other 4 guest in my party, I’m sure anyone else going on this cruise will to!
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
Thanks for the insight, I hope CCL keeps making the Fascination better with each trip!
Ponce Puerto Rico
in San Juan, PR
Posted
April 2020 video from Isla Caribe about ten things to do in Ponce.