Brickwood

We always dress as suggested. I think most people do though you'll see a little bit of just about everything.

We just spent our pre-cruise night at Sheraton Old San Juan. Some are disappointed that there is not casino anymore but that's not for us anyhow. Didn't notice any noise from our room. They have a small roof top pool that we didn't use. We walked up to San Cristobel in the afternoon and then had dinner and some of the night scene on Friday night. Left our luggage with the hotel in the morning and then walked to El Morro, around more of OSJ, had lunch, then picked up our luggage and took a taxi to the port (Pan American port). Didn't want to fuss with finding a breakfast spot so did the brunch at the hotel - typical hotel fare for $20. If you want to walk to all the Old San Juan sites, then this is a great location. Rooms and staff were good too.

Also, ff you choose My Time Dining, they automatically add prepaid gratuities for each passenger. That puzzled me for a while as I was perusing cruises over the weekend.

Don’t envy your task with 3 teenagers. Here are my thoughts having raised 2 and currently enjoying a 12 yr old grandson in the Seattle area:

Definitely do the needle as it is unique - maybe ride the monorail there from downtown. If you want to at least take a quick turn around the Pike Place Market to watch the fish being tossed and say you've been there, you could also try to find the “gum wall”. Google it - pretty gross but maybe fun for a teenager to leave their mark. Also, might try a ferry ride or harbor tour. Woodland Park is a pretty nice zoo if that's of interest.

My #1 recommendation with teenagers would be to rent a car and get the heck out of town for at least a day so you can enjoy what keeps us Washingtonians here, namely, the outdoor activities. Take a day trip and take a hike, a fishing tour, whale watching tour or whatever you think your kids might be interested in. The Agua Verda/kayaking is a great idea but if you want to get a bit farther out, you’ll need to rent a car. Or, you might find an outfit that would meet you at a ferry dock and take you on that kayak trip. You can catch a ferry from downtown to Vashon Island, Bainbridge Island and Bremerton so maybe look for an outfit in those areas.

There are lots of hikes to take in an hour’s drive or less. Then there are Mt. Rainier and Mt. St Helen’s. St Helen’s is probably 3-4 hrs and Rainier somewhat less. I’m not sure what the visitor center situation is at either so you’d want to check those out.

Lastly, the Olympic National Park is, I believe, the only temperate rainforest in the US and it is definitely beautiful but probably an overnight trip. The typical rain and clouds on the Olympic peninsula are probably why Forks, WA is the center of the Twilight book/movie series. You’d also get a good feel for Northwest ocean beaches (as opposed Seattle’s Puget Sound beaches) Have a great trip!