San Juan as a port of departure

We are leaving on a cruise the 1st of December from San Juan. Has anyone done so recently. Parents are very worried about us staying over night before we depart. We are staying at a Marriot hotel very close to the port. Plan to take taxis to the port. Fortunately our return port is Miami.

Some positive recent experiences will calm their nerves.

60 Minutes did a segment in San Juan. There is only 30% of population with power. No banks open. No ATM. No a/c. Hospitals running on generators. Sorry I can't say I would go.

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I haven't been there in person, but several recent reports on this board have reported problems with some hotels not being open, despite guests having confirmed reservations. I'd strongly recommend that you call your hotel directly (not just the hotel chain toll free general number) to make sure that they will be open on your dates.

Suggest you confirm with Marriott. There was a recent post where their booking was transferred to another Marriott location. Other posts had a successful check-in at Comfort Inn.

There are different posted experiences. You can check on the San Juan PR Port of Call Forum for any information on status of Marriott accommodations.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=131

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Do agree -- call the hotel directly.

Many of our TV stations have been checking in with San Juan officials and they keep saying that it is going to be weeks (maybe months) before all the power is restored there.

With all of that being said, there have also been reports of the people of PRA being very happy to see tourists returning. It means they can go back to work and take care of their family during these hard times for them.

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Thank you for those replies. It was the 60 minutes report that caused parents to be worried. I'm very disappointed in Disney for not changing our departure port given the conditions and the fact that we only leave from PR and return to me Miami. We called hotel directly ( Marriott Miramar) and they insist we have an intact reservation.

We are leaving on a cruise the 1st of December from San Juan. Has anyone done so recently. Parents are very worried about us staying over night before we depart. We are staying at a Marriot hotel very close to the port. Plan to take taxis to the port. Fortunately our return port is Miami.

Some positive recent experiences will calm their nerves.

I was on the Celebrity Summit that left San Juan on November 4 and returned on November 11.

To make a very long story short, to answer your questions:

* The airport had power and there were no blackouts when I was there

* The airport had air conditioning

* Security and the agriculture check proceeded normally

* There were plenty of taxis to and from the airport and the pier

* I didn't see a lot of damage - some blown over trees, damaged signs, blown out windows, a few damaged buildings

* There weren't enough seats and it was very crowded, but that was more due to the design of the terminal's seating than any backlog of cancellations

I should note that I flew in the day of and flew out the day of. I've heard a lot of horror stories here about hotel reservations. Much as I like SJ and knowing the people there could use the tourists and their $$$, I don't at this time recommend staying over any days unless you have a specific plan in mind for your stay.

All that said, have a wonderful cruise. I did.

Wishing you a wonderful cruise as well.

Keith

Thank you for those replies. It was the 60 minutes report that caused parents to be worried. I'm very disappointed in Disney for not changing our departure port given the conditions and the fact that we only leave from PR and return to me Miami. We called hotel directly ( Marriott Miramar) and they insist we have an intact reservation.

It is a "damned if they do, damned if they don't" kind of thing. Changing port of embarkation fouls up everyone who has travel plans in place. As Honolulu Blue posted, things seem to be working --- and it is likely to be a couple of years before everything is fixed: they have to make the call to be back in business as usual at some point - and, for the sake of the island, sooner is better than later.