Need help - cruise line, flight and hotel

[DDMau]

We are looking at an Oct/Nov 2010 cruise r/t San Juan and have a few questions.

 

We are in our mid 50's & early 60's, will be flying in from Seattle Washington.

 

Cruise ships:

We are looking at three cruise ship, Carnial Victory - Celebrity Summit and Princess Caribbean Princess.

The itinerary are close to the same as are the costs, Carnival with slightly better price, so either ship will do.

We have cruised before but not any of these lines so any information on these ships would be helpful. Tell me your likes and dislikes. Will post this on the other cruise line sites as well.

 

Hotels:

Any recomendation on hotels.

What's the approx cost for the hotel?

Looking at a 1 day pre and post cruise stay.

 

Airlines:

Any airline better than another?

What's the best time to get in and leave?

I know the airport is busy the day of disembark but what about the day after? AM or PM flight doesn't matter.

 

San Juan:

Never been here.

What is the best way to get around?

Tell me some of the do's and don'ts.

 

I know it's hard to recomend things to someone you do not know but we are looking for any help you have.

Thanks

[mtaylor04]

We have sailed on the Caribbean Princess several times and love the ship, but in all honesty have never sailed on Carnival.

 

I love Muts at night, movie, blanket, popcorn

During the day Muts can be way too loud

 

Love the specialty restaurants on-board

 

Love the piano music in the martini bar - and the martini's :D

 

Coffee in Horizon court is awful - but you can purchase a coffee card and it is well worth the price

 

Enjoy your cruise - whichever you choose

[DDMau]

We have sailed on the Caribbean Princess several times and love the ship, but in all honesty have never sailed on Carnival.

 

I love Muts at night, movie, blanket, popcorn

During the day Muts can be way too loud

 

Love the specialty restaurants on-board

 

Love the piano music in the martini bar - and the martini's :D

 

Coffee in Horizon court is awful - but you can purchase a coffee card and it is well worth the price

 

Enjoy your cruise - whichever you choose

 

Thanks

Not a coffee drinker, I have heard before from a lot of people that the coffee on Princess isn't very good.

[r&rlovescruising]

We took the Caribbean Princess cruise out of San Juan in April. It was wonderful. The ship is very nice and there is alot to do in the evenings. The cruise was very port intensive so I wish we had a little more time to just enjoy! We flew Jet Blue into San Juan. They have alot of flights into San Juan. The flight was great, more legroom (I'm tall and that was great!) and tv's at all the seats. Great for a flight across country! We stayed post cruise at the Caribe Hilton which I got on Priceline. It was a beautiful property, close to the port and quieter than being in Condado where all the hotels were. We were told on the ship by other cruisers to ask for the garden wing rooms. We loved them! They are renovated and overlook the tropical garden rather than having an oceanview. We felt that after being on a balcony on the ocean we would rather have a nice room and a relaxing stay. Old San Juan and all the forts were very interesting. We walked from the hotel to the first fort (pretty good walk but we did it!) and then took the free hop on hop off shuttle around the rest of the city. Happy to answer any other questions! We loved our cruise and our stay in Puerto Rico. It was great!:D

[Tak8]

In terms of ship, I would recommend the Caribbean Princess. I've done 2 Princess cruises from San Juan, though none on the Caribbean Princess.

I stayed at the Embassy Suites near the airport. Hotel was ok, but not what I expected for EB. Still it did have the full breakfast and free drinks.

Also stayed at the Hampton Inn, about 5-10 minutes from airport. Nice hotel. Free breakfast and a terrific Cuban/Caribbean place about 3 buildings down. Sorry can't remember the name of the place.

[kendon]

For hotels, I prefer the Condado area...plenty of outdoor cafes and the strip is a block or so from the beach. Isla Verde was too isolated for me and you needed a taxi to get a bite to eat. Old San Juan is really great and you can save that for the first day. Drop your things off on the ship as early as noon, and spend the rest of the day and early evening in OSJ. As for air, I look for the best price as airfare to SJU can be high. As for ships, the CB is my least favorite, however it's the ship most often sailing from San Juan. Enjoy.

[Clutterlady]

Sailing the Caribbean Princess for the 3rd time, she is my favorite Princess ship. Have also sailed on the Carnival Victory. Although we had a good time, there is no comparison to the Caribbean Princess. She is an older and much smaller ship. Which ever you choose...enjoy:)

[DDMau]

We have booked the cruise.

 

But first I want to thank everyone who have replied to my post, your answers, information and experiences were very helpful so thanks again.

 

We booked the Caribbean Princess for Oct 31, 2010 sailing, the other two cruise lines are still on our list for future cruises. We also used some of the advice about pre / post stays, we are doing a three day pre cruise and one day post cruise. The airlines were a little harder but we got a flight from Seattle to Atlanta to San Juan at a fare price. There were so many different flights.

 

Now the hotels we have not booked them yet, this is where I am asking for some more information and experience from you. We would like the pre cruise stay in the Old San Juan area and the post in the downtown area maybe close to the airport. Do you have any experience with the hotels in Old San Juan, I know the prices have a big range but would like to stay in the low to mid range and still get a nice hotel.

 

Thanks again for all the good advice you already have given.

[mtaylor04]

I don't know about hotels but I was going to tell you that another thing we like about Princess is that the muster drill is held inside the air-conditioned ship as opposed to some other lines who make you stand in the hot sun wearing your lifevest - on princess you only put in on the last couple of minutes - and you get to sit during the process - makes it a better experience.

 

Enjoy your trip and the Caribbean Princess

[turquoisesea]

I think you have made a great choice. I am in your age range and love the CB! Sailing out of San Juan was great and the ports are all beautiful. For lots of hotel information go to the Ports of Call boards, where San Juan is listed -there are many opinions there! :D Have a great cruise! By the way...my favorite spot on the Carribean Princess is the pool under the fan tail! Quiet, with both sun and shade.

[Pam in CA]

There are many people who enjoy Carnival but for someone your age, it might be too "party hearty" for you. I've never been on Carnival but my daughter and friends have, and they all reported that there were too many drunk people for their taste. The accommodations were nice, the food was good, and the service OK, but the crowds of drinkers and partyers turned them off. Yes, there's probably more nightime activity but I prefer a more elegant (and sedate) atmosphere.

[bbenson]

We are looking at an Oct/Nov 2010 cruise r/t San Juan and have a few questions.

 

We are in our mid 50's & early 60's, will be flying in from Seattle Washington.

 

Cruise ships:

We are looking at three cruise ship, Carnial Victory - Celebrity Summit and Princess Caribbean Princess.

The itinerary are close to the same as are the costs, Carnival with slightly better price, so either ship will do.

We have cruised before but not any of these lines so any information on these ships would be helpful. Tell me your likes and dislikes. Will post this on the other cruise line sites as well.

 

Hotels:

Any recomendation on hotels.

What's the approx cost for the hotel?

Looking at a 1 day pre and post cruise stay.

 

Airlines:

Any airline better than another?

What's the best time to get in and leave?

I know the airport is busy the day of disembark but what about the day after? AM or PM flight doesn't matter.

 

San Juan:

Never been here.

What is the best way to get around?

Tell me some of the do's and don'ts.

 

I know it's hard to recomend things to someone you do not know but we are looking for any help you have.

Thanks

 

You've already booked but I thought I'd throw my $0.02 in anyway...

 

CB or X Summit were your best choices. I will say I'm not a fan of the itinerary for CB that week, I enjoy the one the week after with Aruba and Bonaire much better....but thats a personal preference since I don't like barbados.

 

Hotels.....I agree with the person who said go with the condado area. I've stayed at the Intercontinental which is a very nice hotel and I've stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in the same area...the hotel is OK. condado is closer to the airport than Old San Juan and the princess ship docks on the other side of the bay from Old San Juan so Condado is closer to the ship as well. If you are there for a few days and aren't opposed to a bit of a drive some friends of mine stayed at the Gran Melia and raved about it....though it is an hour or so (?) I believe from San Juan.

 

Getting around San Juan is pretty easy.....taxi.... the taxi's aren't bad AND since their fares are regulated you won't be overcharged...if I remember right there was a map in the back of every taxi there's a map telling you how much it is to go from Zone A to Zone B and so on.

 

You already booked your airfare so thats good...

 

You can tour Old San Juan, see the forts that kind of thing, you can take a trip to the rainforest.... you can your the bacardi factory... San Juan also has some casinos if you're into that and some upscale shopping...again in condado... it also has some GREAT eating so be sure to check the board on here for San Juan so you can get ideas of what you would like to do.

[howard6933]

We have booked the cruise.

 

But first I want to thank everyone who have replied to my post, your answers, information and experiences were very helpful so thanks again.

 

We booked the Caribbean Princess for Oct 31, 2010 sailing, the other two cruise lines are still on our list for future cruises. We also used some of the advice about pre / post stays, we are doing a three day pre cruise and one day post cruise. The airlines were a little harder but we got a flight from Seattle to Atlanta to San Juan at a fare price. There were so many different flights.

 

Now the hotels we have not booked them yet, this is where I am asking for some more information and experience from you. We would like the pre cruise stay in the Old San Juan area and the post in the downtown area maybe close to the airport. Do you have any experience with the hotels in Old San Juan, I know the prices have a big range but would like to stay in the low to mid range and still get a nice hotel.

 

Thanks again for all the good advice you already have given.

 

 

 

My suggestion to you is go to http://www.biddingfortravel.com and go down the list until you come to Puerto Rico and San Juan. You'll get an idea of what people are paying on Priceline and you could get a good deal using Priceline. I've used them 4 or 5 times and it's always worked out well. Good Luck. :rolleyes:

[DDMau]

Thanks everyone, we have everything booked and your answers and coments were very helpful. Now the waiting has begun.

[O2B@Cagain]

Oh, DD! I'm afraid I am too late for my suggestion of El Convento in Old San Juan! It is right in the middle of town. Lots of historic sites, resturants, etc. in walking distance. At least stop by there for tapas or a drink to see it. Quite a gem!

 

Old San Juan is full of great restaurants from French (Trois Cent Onze) to Puerto Rican. Make sure to visit El Morro on a walking tour of the area.

 

Since you asked on the Princess board, you will find lots of fans here. I was worried that the Caribbean Princess would be too big and full of people. They do an excellent job of getting everyone to the area that interests them. If you like wine, you will find Vines. If you like peace and quiet, you will find the Sanctuary. If you like football games, you will find them. The only crowds we saw were the first formal night when everyone wanted to see the champagne waterfall in the Piazza.

[azcruiser64]

This link shows the taxi rates by zone in San Juan.

 

http://www.gotopuertorico.com/images/interior/mapa-taxi-rates.jpg