After cruise review from Adventure of the Seas October 7th, 2017

There has been a lot of concerns and questions about the state of San Juan Puerto Rico and cruises from that port, so I thought I would give a recap of our cruise. I am going to focus mostly on PR, but if you have questions about other parts of the cruise, I will try to answer. We are currently staying 2 nights in Old San Juan, after our cruise of 10/7/17 on Adventure.

First, let me start with a re-post of what I posted on our M&M board. Copied and pasted to the next post.....

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At the FLL gate, the agent sang Preciosa, a song about PR. Some filmed, and all cheered and clapped. Our flight was going to push off from FLL on time, at 12:30PM today. They paused and announced that they would have to wait a little while because we were taking on what provisions we could for PR. Yeah SW! And everyone clapped. Flight was maybe 75% full. SW had a few more announcements and songs. They clearly have LUV for PR.

Left FLL. Do a few circles near SJU, and landed fine. The airport looked fine, except for a few torn roofs. The most obvious signs of Maria are the trees and brush. Some down and some stripped. Terminal is normal inside.

Outside, there we around 20 taxis and other ground trans. Everything looked pretty normal.

In the baggage claim area, there were a handful of RCI agents. In a few minutes we were led outside to load the bags in a box truck. Then, we were directed to our (airport style) bus. Great, informative driver (tipped well). Pence is here, so roads were closed some, but opened as we left. Along the way, we saw some devastation, but it wasn't as bad as we thought it would look. 15 later we were at the cruise terminal. It looked normal.

Along the way, we talked to a few locals. Some have stories of home problems. Most seem to want to downplay the situation to us. As day turned to night, there are a few hotels with lights on, so it's not a blackout.

I have faith in the positive attitude of our fellow citizens. They are a proud state (quasi) that will bounce back.

Dan

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Thank you so much for starting this post. We are travelling the 28th on Celebrity Summit and anxious to understand the conditions in Puerto Rico as well as the port of St. Thomas. Did you experience any unexpected glitches?

While on the topic of the terminal, I would like to mention that I asked fellow PAX about their experiences at SJU airport on 10/6 or 10/7. Most were similar to ours; "It seemed pretty normal for a smaller airport". One group told me that it was really busy when they exited the plane, and they had to weave through the crowd.

All used the RCI transfer. We did because we thought it would be a sure thing (no worry about finding a taxi), and RCI was offering it free to our cruise. They were trying to ease the chaos. All had reported a good experience with this RCI transfer.

As I mentioned above, there was still the option of getting a taxi, as there was a line of them there.

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We arrived at the ship on 10/6 (RCI let us on 1 day early). AOS was facing forward into the Pan American cruise terminal. Our balcony room was Starboard side, so we looked down on the terminal and land. The terminal looked normal, except some walkways were missing portions of their roofs. Next to the terminal is a National Guard base. All day Friday and Saturday Blackhawk helicopters, and even a few Osprey, flew missions in and out of the base. I'm not sure how much this constitutes the heli flights around the island, but it was encouraging to see.

As I mentioned above, I'm not going to focus on the cruise itself too much, but I'll do a quick rundown.

St. Marteen was first substituted to St. Croix. Then, STX was substituted to Martinique.

I had looked at what media I could find on St. Marteen before we left. RCI had no choice making the change. The island is devastated. This was confirmed by several of the islanders we talked to during the cruise. They have genuine concern for their fellow Caribbean friends. It was heart warming.

The Captain told us about their relief mission to STM. He made it sound like the island didn't even know that AOS was coming until practically the last minute. That's how bad the communications were at the time!

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Thanks for the info, Looking forward to learning more. We are on the Allure on November 12th, still not sure where we are going. Eastern Cruise. Then we are On the Adventure OTS in April 2018 out of San Juan and then we are landing in San Juan Next Year on a Trans Atlantic on the Jewel OTS. Hoping and Praying for all who live and are helping Puerto Rico. Like most of us know, the tourist areas are always the first to get fixed and made to look normal, it what most of us that do not see where all of the problems all. We were just in San Juan in May and traveled the island and it was beautiful. Puerto Rico Strong!

Following

Following

Following also

I'm sorry for the delay. When I settled in to post on the second night in our hotel, we lost internet. Then, things have been busy at work since coming home.

Leaving San Juan

We left on time on 10/7. San Juan is a beautiful port to sail from due to the majesty of San Felipe del Morro Fortress, which would normally be lighted. We were on deck 12 for sail away. On that night, there were very few lights on in the Old San Juan area. As our view moved, we could see down one of the streets to see a line of car headlights.

Cruise itself

As usual, the ship is its own city. There was nothing on-board to indicate that we just left an island that was devastated by a hurricane.

The ship and staff were great, as we normally find on RCI. I guess that I have read some negative reviews lately that my expectations were low. A few things that stood out in my mind:

The food was great. Sure, the Windjammer is just a buffet. We found it more than adequate. I love the design/layout of seating and the way food is spread around. It is easy to "learn the system". I learned that if they don't have what you are looking for, just ask. One night I got a baked potato and couldn't find sour cream. I asked a crew member behind the counter. He came around and aggressively located it for me. Same on another occasion. That time, he went to the cooler and came back with a full bowl for me. The dining room is "fancier" food, but if you want a quick bite, especially at breakfast and lunch, the WJ is great. I have been to a good amount of great restaurants around the country, but would rather eat in the WJ anytime, especially with that view!

Tip: If you head into shore, watch the WJ times when you get back on-board. It does close in the late afternoon. You might want to grab a snack before it does.

I was disappointed at the main dining room seating layout. In the old days you sat with someone else and could share the mealtime with your new friends. Now, they isolate you. Our group of 3 sat alone at a table for 4. This has probably been covered on the boards? Probably some people are happy with this change, but I like meeting new friends, and missed it.

Our first experience with wifi was okay. Hey, it's not super-speed, but is adequate. It worked in our stateroom and throughout most of the ship. We bought only one package, but shared it between our 3 phones and 1 laptop. You can normally knock off another user by logging yourself in.

Contrary to a recent post, we had live "Caribbean" music on the pool deck.

Still had towel animals!

On day 5 (or so?) they offered a drink special. You can buy a punch card for $85 plus gratuity, which amounts to $100ish. Then, it is good for 10 drinks valued at $12 or less. This could save you a few bucks if you are normally getting $12 drinks. I don't know if they do this on every cruise???

Captain Tomas is very personable. At the Crown & Anchor reception, he had wonderful praise for the crew (and Royal) for their work on the hurricane relief cruise.

If you like Pina Coladas (there's that song...), try ordering a "Kraken Colada". It's even better! I found good beer, like Dogfish Head in the Pub.

The ship was quick and easy to disembark on the mornings in port. Same with coming back.

Dan

Itinerary

This is a great itinerary, with intensive island hoping at beautiful islands. Granted, I am not an expert, but IMHO, it is the best of Caribbean cruise itineraries. We met friendly and helpful people at every stop. Each island made us to want to go back (okay, some slightly more than others). I want to keep it brief and focus mainly on the post-Maria aspect of this sailing.

Talking to the islanders was heart-warming. They expressed support for their neighboring island friends. Each country seems genuinely concerned for the others. They are doing what they can to send help to the adjacent islands. Just a strong example:

In Antigua, we took the bus to Jolly Harbor to take the Reef Riders tour. When we arrived, the tour prior to us just got back. It consisted of two guys from Samaritan's Purse. This organization is doing a lot to help those hit by the recent hurricanes. These two guys recently arrived on Antigua, which is used as a base of operations for them to help Dominica. Once the owner of Reef Riders found out why they were there, he offered to refund their money. He further offered free tours to any of their fellow Samaritan's Purse members that could use a break and would like some relaxation. So wonderful!

We continued on our tour with the owner's son, Tiggr. Out at the reef, I asked Tiggr about Dominica, because I had heard that Maria destroyed the island. He explained the complete damage that occurred to Dominica and that they had friends there. He was happy that our cruises were returning to the post-hurricane area, because that meant money for them. In turn, that meant they could send more help to Dominica. He further explained that he lost friends in Dominica to the hurricane. It was very sobering! Then, like the professional that he is, he continued "but I don't want to tell you that story. You are on your vacation, not here to be depressed". He explained that Antigua has taken on a good amount of refugees from Dominica. We could feel the love they have for their neighbors and friends.

Along the way, we witnessed many similar stories of neighbors helping neighbors. This was a great cruise on its own, but was also an incredible learning experience for us.

I guess that I started this trip with a little guilt. In my mind, it was something like "should we be visiting a region that has been through this much?" This guilt was relieved at every stop. We did a tour, varying in style, at every island. Tour operators and taxi drivers alike told us how happy they were that Adventure was there and Royal took the leap to start coming again. They have been out of work for a while and were happy to start working again. This sentiment wasn't coerced from us, but rather, came from them.

There have been more than a few discussions on these boards about Adventure's return to service and whether RCI made the correct decision in doing so. I don't know the depth of relationship that Royal has with the islands, but I would bet that it is more than just casual. Therefore, I would assume that the people in this region were telling them "yes, come back now. It will help". In all, this experience taught me that Royal did the right thing in returning to this itinerary.

Dan

I'm sorry for the delay. When I settled in to post on the second night in our hotel, we lost internet. Then, things have been busy at work since coming home.

Leaving San Juan

We left on time on 10/7. San Juan is a beautiful port to sail from due to the majesty of San Felipe del Morro Fortress, which would normally be lighted. We were on deck 12 for sail away. On that night, there were very few lights on in the Old San Juan area. As our view moved, we could see down one of the streets to see a line of car headlights.

 

Cruise itself

As usual, the ship is its own city. There was nothing on-board to indicate that we just left an island that was devastated by a hurricane.

The ship and staff were great, as we normally find on RCI. I guess that I have read some negative reviews lately that my expectations were low. A few things that stood out in my mind:

 

The food was great. Sure, the Windjammer is just a buffet. We found it more than adequate. I love the design/layout of seating and the way food is spread around. It is easy to "learn the system". I learned that if they don't have what you are looking for, just ask. One night I got a baked potato and couldn't find sour cream. I asked a crew member behind the counter. He came around and aggressively located it for me. Same on another occasion. That time, he went to the cooler and came back with a full bowl for me. The dining room is "fancier" food, but if you want a quick bite, especially at breakfast and lunch, the WJ is great. I have been to a good amount of great restaurants around the country, but would rather eat in the WJ anytime, especially with that view!

Tip: If you head into shore, watch the WJ times when you get back on-board. It does close in the late afternoon. You might want to grab a snack before it does.

 

I was disappointed at the main dining room seating layout. In the old days you sat with someone else and could share the mealtime with your new friends. Now, they isolate you. Our group of 3 sat alone at a table for 4. This has probably been covered on the boards? Probably some people are happy with this change, but I like meeting new friends, and missed it.

 

Our first experience with wifi was okay. Hey, it's not super-speed, but is adequate. It worked in our stateroom and throughout most of the ship. We bought only one package, but shared it between our 3 phones and 1 laptop. You can normally knock off another user by logging yourself in.

 

Contrary to a recent post, we had live "Caribbean" music on the pool deck.

 

Still had towel animals!

 

On day 5 (or so?) they offered a drink special. You can buy a punch card for $85 plus gratuity, which amounts to $100ish. Then, it is good for 10 drinks valued at $12 or less. This could save you a few bucks if you are normally getting $12 drinks. I don't know if they do this on every cruise???

 

Captain Tomas is very personable. At the Crown & Anchor reception, he had wonderful praise for the crew (and Royal) for their work on the hurricane relief cruise.

 

If you like Pina Coladas (there's that song...), try ordering a "Kraken Colada". It's even better! I found good beer, like Dogfish Head in the Pub.

 

The ship was quick and easy to disembark on the mornings in port. Same with coming back.

Dan

Were you in MTD or traditional? If traditional, What size table did you request when you booked? We have always requested the "largest table possible" and have always been given at least a 6 top if not a10 top.

Itinerary

This is a great itinerary, with intensive island hoping at beautiful islands. Granted, I am not an expert, but IMHO, it is the best of Caribbean cruise itineraries. We met friendly and helpful people at every stop. Each island made us to want to go back (okay, some slightly more than others). I want to keep it brief and focus mainly on the post-Maria aspect of this sailing.

 

Talking to the islanders was heart-warming. They expressed support for their neighboring island friends. Each country seems genuinely concerned for the others. They are doing what they can to send help to the adjacent islands. Just a strong example:

 

In Antigua, we took the bus to Jolly Harbor to take the Reef Riders tour. When we arrived, the tour prior to us just got back. It consisted of two guys from Samaritan's Purse. This organization is doing a lot to help those hit by the recent hurricanes. These two guys recently arrived on Antigua, which is used as a base of operations for them to help Dominica. Once the owner of Reef Riders found out why they were there, he offered to refund their money. He further offered free tours to any of their fellow Samaritan's Purse members that could use a break and would like some relaxation. So wonderful!

We continued on our tour with the owner's son, Tiggr. Out at the reef, I asked Tiggr about Dominica, because I had heard that Maria destroyed the island. He explained the complete damage that occurred to Dominica and that they had friends there. He was happy that our cruises were returning to the post-hurricane area, because that meant money for them. In turn, that meant they could send more help to Dominica. He further explained that he lost friends in Dominica to the hurricane. It was very sobering! Then, like the professional that he is, he continued "but I don't want to tell you that story. You are on your vacation, not here to be depressed". He explained that Antigua has taken on a good amount of refugees from Dominica. We could feel the love they have for their neighbors and friends.

 

Along the way, we witnessed many similar stories of neighbors helping neighbors. This was a great cruise on its own, but was also an incredible learning experience for us.

 

I guess that I started this trip with a little guilt. In my mind, it was something like "should we be visiting a region that has been through this much?" This guilt was relieved at every stop. We did a tour, varying in style, at every island. Tour operators and taxi drivers alike told us how happy they were that Adventure was there and Royal took the leap to start coming again. They have been out of work for a while and were happy to start working again. This sentiment wasn't coerced from us, but rather, came from them.

 

There have been more than a few discussions on these boards about Adventure's return to service and whether RCI made the correct decision in doing so. I don't know the depth of relationship that Royal has with the islands, but I would bet that it is more than just casual. Therefore, I would assume that the people in this region were telling them "yes, come back now. It will help". In all, this experience taught me that Royal did the right thing in returning to this itinerary.

Dan

Thanks for sharing!

Skiiergirl,

We had traditional dining at 8:30. We hadn't requested a table size. I didn't know you could request "largest table possible", otherwise I would have. In the past, we have done the thing where you link your profile with those traveling with you, so you end up at the same table.

On day zero, pre-cruise 10/6, we did the Windjammer, because we were tired from travel, etc. We also did WJ on day one. Our first Main Dining Room night, day two, I wondered about the layout. There were only two tables in our area that were bigger than 4 place. Both of these tables had people that seemed to get along so well that I assume they were already together. I wondered what was happening, so I walked around. From our deck 5, I traveled down the MDR stairs to deck 3. There was an abundance of 2 and 4 place tables, with few larger. Okay, maybe taking this too far, but I went to the head waiter. I asked why we weren't sitting with strangers, like we have done in the past. He said something to the effect that the table layout is optimal for My Time Dining. So, it dawned on me that MTD has caused the change. He offered that they could pair us with someone at another table. That seems like it would be awkward by this point, on day 2, so I thanked him for the offer but declined.

Dan

Cruise finished - Disembark

Following the instructions that Royal gave us on the last night, we had our bags out in the hall by 11PM. In the morning, you have to be out of the room by 8:00AM. Our assigned waiting area was the Main Dining Room, with an approximate disembark call at 8:00. That time is different for every group. We ate breakfast, cleared the room, and got to the MDR by just before 8:00. Shortly (maybe 5-10 min) the call came for us to Disembark. We left the ship. In the cruise terminal, you enter the luggage hall. There were a handful (maybe 10 or so) porters in the hall just as you entered. I had read on these boards that if you have one of them help, it expedites the customs process. In this case, I also figured they would be glad to have the work and a tip. So, I engaged one of the porters. The bags were spread out in the room well and it only took a few minutes to find ours. He grabbed them. There was a separate customs line for porters and nobody was in it. The "help yourself" line was about 20 feet long, still not bad. Customs was another few minutes, and almost before you knew it we were heading outside. The whole process was as quick and painless as it gets. Thanks Royal. There were a bunch of taxis outside and the taxi agent lined us up with one. Off we go! About 10minutes to Old San Juan.

Casablanca Hotel

We checked in. I guess that I was a little surprised to see lights on inside. What, electricity? The porter helped with the bags. Four floors of stairs:p

At the room, we received the big surprise as he informed us they are running on generator power and the AC is "kinda off and on". But the great salesmanship kicked in, when he said "luckily you guys have a balcony room - just open the doors". The room was beautifully decorated. Everything worked, including wifi, water, toilet (don't laugh), shower, and satellite TV. We went out to explore Old San Juan for the day. When we got back, the AC was on in the lobby, but not in our room. We slept with the balcony doors open. It was pretty muggy, but otherwise all was good.

Dan

Old San Juan (OSJ)

The woman at the Casablanca front desk gave us a map. She wrote down and marked some places that she recommends for eating. I asked what attractions were open. She said "none". Well, it looks like it will just be a walking tour. We explored many of the streets, eventually as far as del Morro. We had planned to visit to following places:

Castillo de San Felipe del Morro (fort), Fort San Cristobal, Catedral de San Juan (Cathedral with Ponce Leon), San Juan Gate at Calle San Francisco & Calle Recinto Oeste, Plaza del Quinto Centenario, Plaza de Colón, Plazuela La Rogativa Calle Rafael Cordero, La Fortaleza (oldest executive mansion in Western Hemisphere), Casa Blanca (historic home and home of Ponce de Leon), Paseo De La Princesa Calle

Of that list, the only things that were open were: Catedral de San Juan, San Juan Gate, and ALL of the plazas, including a few plazas we didn't have on our list. I was surprised, and saddened, to find del Morro closed. I guess that I expected it to be least affected by a hurricane, because it is massive!

Most of the city looked fine. There were a few trees and electricity poles down here and there. Even though the attractions were closed, we had a great time just looking around. This is one of the most beautiful, and interesting, cities that I've ever been too. Our DD loves photography, and was constantly finding something interesting to snap a pic at. On Saturday, there weren't a lot of people out, but it wasn't empty either. A decent amount of cars were on the streets.

On our way West, we went by Casa Cortes ChocoBar. They had a few workers outside, trying to drum up business. We headed in. If you haven't been here before, we would highly recommend it. It is smartly decorated inside. It looks like something you would find in any "upscale" restaurant market. Think gaslamp San Diego, or in our case, downtown Gilbert or Phoenix. All three of us ordered frozen chocolate mochas, which were delish!

On our way to the San Juan Gate, we went by Barrachina Restaurant. The manager, Luis, was outside and pitching. He was a friendly guy and we had planned to go there anyways, so we told him we would stop by later, which we did. It was nice inside, because the AC was on. We had a few of their famous "invented here" Pina Coladas and some great Puerto Rican food, then headed back to the hotel for the night.

A few pics...

Streets of OSJ

San Juan Cruise Port

PR Strong!

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Thank you for starting this thread. I enjoyed reading your posts and the pictures very excellent.

Sunday

We did more walking around on Sunday. First, we started with breakfast at Casa Cortes ChocoBar. The "Adventure" for us this time was a power loss. We had our frozen Mochas, and were waiting for breakfast, when it went out. The employees announced that it would be back on in about 5 to 10 minutes, which it was. Our breakfast came out. All enjoyed! Their menu is a floating one, changing day to day based upon the supply of ingredients. My recommendation is the french toast, covered in vanilla topping, if they have it when you are lucky enough to go.

Sunday was a lot busier than Saturday. We found a few new places to visit.

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. The girls bought some items: a Christmas ornament, a vase, a keychain and a backpack. All hand made, beautiful, and reasonably priced. We spoke with the friendly owners for a while.

You could almost follow the flow of people to Senor Paleta on 153 Calle Tetuan. They make popsicles. That place was hopping.

For dinner we went to Pirilo Pizza, at 207 Calle Tanca. The pizza was great (they also have pasta) and they had a good beer and wine selection.

The "situation"

We talked to many locals. Everyone was so friendly. One thing that we noticed is they don't normally talk about "after the hurricane", or "after Maria". They just say "the situation", as though to describe the conditions as they are now. Anyways, from what we gather, the "situation" is close to this:

In San Juan, it seems most have running water now. Electricity was stated to be at 10 to 20 percent of the island. Must likely, mostly in the big cities. In the rural areas, there is little power or running water. Many that live there are waiting it out. Others are temporarily moving to the mainland for a while until things get better. Meanwhile, FEMA is delivering water and other needs, on a house-to-house basis. I found bottled water for sale in the Walgreens by the cruise port.

In OSJ, everything that was open was so because they have a generator. I would assume that the Condado are is the same, but we didn't go there. Cell service was spotty, but we did get it.

Police could be found at every major plaza, and sometimes in places in between. At night, they would light up the plaza with a portable generator-light setup like you see at construction sites. We never felt unsafe.

Along the way I noted some of the places that were open in OSJ:

Barrachina Restaurant, Casa Cortes ChocoBar, Senor Paleta, Pirilo Pizza, La Madre (Mexican), Caficultura (coffee & breakfast), Nono's bar & restaurant, El Meson Sandwiches, Yeyos, Moreno Spot Bar & Grill, Club Spritz, Starbucks near the cruise port, Cafe Manolin. There were probably a few more that I missed?

Ben & Jerry's was closed!

Back to Casablanca Hotel

When we got back to the hotel, I asked the front desk if the drinking water was potable. According to the utility company it is, but they recommended getting water from their water dispenser, because it was filtered. We all took showers and got ready for bed. Around maybe 9 or so, someone from the front desk came up. He told us that the AC was okay to use now. He showed me how to turn it on and we checked that it was running. We shut the doors to the balcony and enjoyed our new-found comfort! BTW, they have a bar in the lobby that was open until midnight.

Checkout

We were checking out of the Casablanca. The woman at the front desk offered to call a taxi for us, saying that it would take about 10 minutes for him to get there, which it did. The airport was only about 10 minutes away. The driver said that the airport has a total of 4 terminals. Before Maria, 2 of them were under refurbishment (closed). Maria damaged 1, leaving only 1. Just recently 1 opened, so they are back to the pre-Maria status. I think the improvement happened while we were on our cruise?

Upon arrival at the airport we had to send our bags thru a scanner for USDA inspection. It only took a few minutes.

SW didn't have their kiosks working, so we stood in the normal line. It went quick. In their ticketing area, I was getting cell and 4G. Gustos coffee, Domino's pizza, David's cookies were open in this area. La Fonda was closed at the time.

TSA inspection took only a few minutes.

We went thru the Dufry duty free shop on the way to our gate. I felt compelled to buy some Puerto Rican rum.

Our gate was A3. I think SW is sharing it now with JetBlue. Then gate area wasn't too full, looking similar to the very first pic I sent on this thread. It's the same terminal. The seats were maybe 75% taken. The disadvantage to this terminal is the seating. In a bigger airport, if the seating is taken, you can just go to the next gate. Here, there are only a few gates.

SW advised us to arrive about 3 hours prior. We sped through everything, so now we sat. In this terminal, the following was open: El Market Puerto Rico, Aeromeals, the convenience store, and Dufry duty free. Both bathrooms were open. Cell worked, but spotty. The AC was on!

We had so much time that I walked over to the gates C and D area. Popeye's, Church's, Gustos coffee, Landshark bar & grill, Domino's, Starbucks, El Market, V bar, and the convenience store were all open.

Overall, the airport was fine.

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Some final thoughts and tips

If you have a hotel booked, call them beforehand. Speak to them directly. Ask about the conditions. Do they have running water (probably most do)? How about AC?

Do good planning before you go. Most of us already do. It's why we follow these boards. I downloaded the Google map of OSJ on my phone. That way, I had a map even when the cell service goes down.

If flying SW, consider paying for the EarlyBird check-in. In San Juan, you might not have internet service at the time of your check-in.

Okay, a little personal now. I hate to get preachy, but I am taking some liberties due to the situation in PT. Do your best to be patient and kind to the people of Puerto Rico. The restaurant may be beautiful, their uniforms nice, and the food great, but their home life could (most likely is) a mess right now. They probably don't have electricity. They may have their brother's family living with them right now, because his house lost its roof. That is the case for our last taxi driver. If you are curious, ask. Spend some time. It seemed to make them feel better to know that you care. If you believe, tell them that they are in your prayers. Tip well!

Don't have guilt about intruding on their island right now. Without fail, they were happy to see us "tourists" back, and happy to be back to work. Maybe it is comfort and hope.

I think that's about it.

Dan

The end

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Some final thoughts and tips

If you have a hotel booked, call them beforehand. Speak to them directly. Ask about the conditions. Do they have running water (probably most do)? How about AC?

 

Do good planning before you go. Most of us already do. It's why we follow these boards. I downloaded the Google map of OSJ on my phone. That way, I had a map even when the cell service goes down.

 

If flying SW, consider paying for the EarlyBird check-in. In San Juan, you might not have internet service at the time of your check-in.

 

Okay, a little personal now. I hate to get preachy, but I am taking some liberties due to the situation in PT. Do your best to be patient and kind to the people of Puerto Rico. The restaurant may be beautiful, their uniforms nice, and the food great, but their home life could (most likely is) a mess right now. They probably don't have electricity. They may have their brother's family living with them right now, because his house lost its roof. That is the case for our last taxi driver. If you are curious, ask. Spend some time. It seemed to make them feel better to know that you care. If you believe, tell them that they are in your prayers. Tip well!

 

Don't have guilt about intruding on their island right now. Without fail, they were happy to see us "tourists" back, and happy to be back to work. Maybe it is comfort and hope.

 

I think that's about it.

Dan

 

The end

 

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Great information Dan. We have friends living in PR and not in the city When they were able to contact us, the situation seems dire. The island is a wreck and needs major help. Glad that you helped the economy on the island. If tourists would see the real damage to the island they would understand that more help is needed. As you said, the taxi driver goes home to who knows what is left of his home that has no electricity or running water. They need much more help now.

Very enjioyable report, thanks much for all the useful San Juan info.:)

Great information Dan. We have friends living in PR and not in the city When they were able to contact us, the situation seems dire. The island is a wreck and needs major help. Glad that you helped the economy on the island. If tourists would see the real damage to the island they would understand that more help is needed. As you said, the taxi driver goes home to who knows what is left of his home that has no electricity or running water. They need much more help now.

As do we. Outside of San Juan IS dire.

And thanks for the report, Dan. We sail in December on WindStar, and ended up changing our flight to the morning of. We were having problems securing a hotel, some because of damage, and some because of relief workers. And that's okay, the relief workers need to be there.

This was a wonderful report! Thanks so much for all of the information. We are headed to San Juan in January on Jewel!

For anyone reading this thread that might have already stayed in a hotel in SJU please see the below thread....

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=54356894#post54356894

If you have ACTUALLY STAYED at a hotel in SJ area since Oct 1...please go to the above thread and give us a report.

Thanks!

Skiiergirl,

We had traditional dining at 8:30. We hadn't requested a table size. I didn't know you could request "largest table possible", otherwise I would have. In the past, we have done the thing where you link your profile with those traveling with you, so you end up at the same table.

 

On day zero, pre-cruise 10/6, we did the Windjammer, because we were tired from travel, etc. We also did WJ on day one. Our first Main Dining Room night, day two, I wondered about the layout. There were only two tables in our area that were bigger than 4 place. Both of these tables had people that seemed to get along so well that I assume they were already together. I wondered what was happening, so I walked around. From our deck 5, I traveled down the MDR stairs to deck 3. There was an abundance of 2 and 4 place tables, with few larger. Okay, maybe taking this too far, but I went to the head waiter. I asked why we weren't sitting with strangers, like we have done in the past. He said something to the effect that the table layout is optimal for My Time Dining. So, it dawned on me that MTD has caused the change. He offered that they could pair us with someone at another table. That seems like it would be awkward by this point, on day 2, so I thanked him for the offer but declined.

Dan

Thanks again for the info. Again....so sorry you weren't able to "dine with strangers". That is one of Mr. Ski's favorite parts of cruising. He always says "late seating, largest table possible". Even in WJ, he will ask folks if we can sit with them even if there are other open tables.

Just FYI....for future bookings...tell your TA or the RC rep at the time of booking to make sure that your table is listed as "large". Then...just to be sure... a few weeks before sailing, email rcldining@rccl.com and give them your booking number, sail date, ship, etc. and request "largest table possible".