Barcardi Rum Factory Tour

[Elcruzer]

Do you recommend taking this tour? Can we do this independently? How do you get from the pier to factory?

[TOlson70]

Do you recommend taking this tour? Can we do this independently? How do you get from the pier to factory?

 

Dpending on what pier you dock at, if you docking near OSJ, go to the water taxi located on that pier and get your RT water ferry tickets, 50 cents each way over to Catano. At the Catano pier you will walk to the parking garage located to the west of the pier where there are taxis waiting to take people to Bacardi, 3-4US PP. The tour is free and you get two free drinks. You can do this independent without and issues!

[Elcruzer]

Dpending on what pier you dock at, if you docking near OSJ, go to the water taxi located on that pier and get your RT water ferry tickets, 50 cents each way over to Catano. At the Catano pier you will walk to the parking garage located to the west of the pier where there are taxis waiting to take people to Bacardi, 3-4US PP. The tour is free and you get two free drinks. You can do this independent without and issues!

Great! Thanks so much for your very informative post, just the info I was looking for.

[Adventures ahead]

We had three days in San Juan, fit this in and thought it was worth it. The information centre had really nice displays and this was the first time I realized that Barcardi has a bat on the bottle.

 

I think we walked from the water taxi to the tour, but had lots of time. So, you may want to use the taxi.

[TOlson70]

Great! Thanks so much for your very informative post, just the info I was looking for.

 

My pleasure!

[Elcruzer]

We had three days in San Juan, fit this in and thought it was worth it. The information centre had really nice displays and this was the first time I realized that Barcardi has a bat on the bottle.

 

I think we walked from the water taxi to the tour, but had lots of time. So, you may want to use the taxi.

Thanks. Our ship only docks in the afternoon so will probably be better off taking the taxi there to be sure to get in. If the walk is not that far and safe, we could walk back to the water taxi. Is it an interesting walk and how long?

[tomchilmark]

The first comment to your question was perfect. What was described is quite easy. Your expense will be quite small compared to taking an organized tour. The factory is interesting and the drinks are good.

 

For all practical purposes, you CANNOT walk to the factory

[schmoopie17]

How much time does all of this take? We need to coordinate getting to the airport for a 3:45 flight.

[flapr]

tomchillmark is right! I'm from PR and wouldn't even think about walking. For the most part, there are no sidewalks, road is very congested & drivers don't watch for pedestrians -- ride a taxi . . .

[TOlson70]

One thing to keep in mind, when I was in OSJ in December on business, there were two ships in port and the line at the water ferry dock was out the door. Get there early!

[flapr]

Catano ferries run from 6:00am until 10:00pm 7 days/week. During rush hour (5:30am-9:30am and 3:30pm-6:30pm); on Monday through Friday the ferry runs every 15 minutes. During non-rush hour, weekends and holidays it runs every 30 minutes. Fare is .75 each way, or FREE for seniors 75+ . . .

[Elcruzer]

Catano ferries run from 6:00am until 10:00pm 7 days/week. During rush hour (5:30am-9:30am and 3:30pm-6:30pm); on Monday through Friday the ferry runs every 15 minutes. During non-rush hour, weekends and holidays it runs every 30 minutes. Fare is .75 each way, or FREE for seniors 75+ . . .

Thank you everyone for all your good advice. How late is Bacardi's open on Saturdays? Do you have to have exact change for ferry and what type of ID would you need for proof of senior rate?

[flapr]

The Bacardi tours are available 7 days/week — Mon – Sat from 8:30 am – 5:30pm (last tour @ 4:15pm), and Sun 10am – 5pm (last tour @ 3:45pm). Open 357 days a year - closed on Three Kings Day (1/6), Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.

 

Driver's license or offficial ID with date-of-birth should entitle seniors to free fare on the ferry.

[tin01]

Do we have enough time to catch a ferry and a cab - we dock in San Juan at 3.00 and the last tour starts at 4.15 ? How long is it (ferry+cab) ? Or should we take a cab from the pier to the factory to be safe...

And - can you just look at the factory without the tour ?

 

Thank you.

 

Tin

[rainforestgirl]

Do we have enough time to catch a ferry and a cab - we dock in San Juan at 3.00 and the last tour starts at 4.15 ? How long is it (ferry+cab) ? Or should we take a cab from the pier to the factory to be safe...

And - can you just look at the factory without the tour ?

 

Thank you.

 

Tin

 

First- you don't get to tour the factory at all. It is a more a tourist stop, not a factory tour. A movie, some information, a mixology class and a quick drive by of the factory.

 

You are cutting it close with a 3pm docking. If you get off the ship right away, it may work out. But maybe not. If you can get the 3:30 ferry, you can get to Catano in about 8 mins on the ferry. Then you get a taxi and will be at Bacardi by about 4pm.

 

Unless you are really into Bacardi, you may be better off just getting some free samples of it at the Tourism companies bar and trying the competition Don Q at their free rum bar.

[RayInPR]

Catano ferries run from 6:00am until 10:00pm 7 days/week. During rush hour (5:30am-9:30am and 3:30pm-6:30pm); on Monday through Friday the ferry runs every 15 minutes. During non-rush hour, weekends and holidays it runs every 30 minutes. Fare is .75 each way, or FREE for seniors 75+ . . .

 

The Bacardi tours are available 7 days/week — Mon – Sat from 8:30 am – 5:30pm (last tour @ 4:15pm), and Sun 10am – 5pm (last tour @ 3:45pm). Open 357 days a year - closed on Three Kings Day (1/6), Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.

 

The above was copied/pasted from our web site http://www.PuertoRicoDayTrips.com/

 

It is good forum etiquette to attribute the source when you copy it verbatim.

[Elcruzer]

Do we have enough time to catch a ferry and a cab - we dock in San Juan at 3.00 and the last tour starts at 4.15 ? How long is it (ferry+cab) ? Or should we take a cab from the pier to the factory to be safe...

And - can you just look at the factory without the tour ?Thank you.

Tin

Hi Martin, Depending if our ship arrives in SJ on time and then they let us off the ship quickly, we are going to try to do this. But since you have probably never been to SJ before, you may want to take the free on/off bus instead to go around old San Juan.

[tin01]

Hi Martin, Depending if our ship arrives in SJ on time and then they let us off the ship quickly, we are going to try to do this. But since you have probably never been to SJ before, you may want to take the free on/off bus instead to go around old San Juan.

 

We have been to SJ before, just not the rum factory...

 

Tin

[Elcruzer]

We have been to SJ before, just not the rum factory...Tin

Oh since you come from Europe, thought perhaps you have never been there.

We also have never been to Bacardi even tho we've been to PR several times. So maybe we will be taking water taxi at same time:cool:

[Elcruzer]

Would the factory be the best place to buy rum or is there a better place in SJ?

[TOlson70]

Would the factory be the best place to buy rum or is there a better place in SJ?

 

Its a little spendy at the gift shop at the plant in my opinion. But you get all the offerings, from the standard rum to the premier aged blend.

[beachnut2011]

Do you recommend taking this tour? Can we do this independently? How do you get from the pier to factory?

 

Did this tour last week from a crusie ship.

My opinion, it's a waist of time & money.

Spend your money on something else. Buy extra tee shirts, etc...

 

The tour takes you to the factory.

You go a large building with 2 or 3 rooms.

Go to each room & see short films about the company & it's history.

(You could get much more history free on the internet.)

There's a few old barrels to see & very small barrells to smell the rum.

They show you how to mix a few drinks & on to the gift shop.

You get 2 coupons for small drinks ay the bar..........

That's it folks. Nothing else..........

Of course, this is only my opinion...........

[LHP]

Does anyone know how much it is for a "land" taxi is roundtrip from the pier to the factory?

[Cruising Lions]

San Juan has so much to offer so don't waste your time and effort to see a video of a rum distillery. This is a complete waste of time.

[MDSue]

Does anyone know how much it is for a "land" taxi is roundtrip from the pier to the factory?

You have to take the water taxi to Cantano-(going around isn't really an option) The cost is 50 cents. Then you grab a land taxi to the Bacardi Factory. The price is $3-$4 per person if you ride in a van-type taxi with a few others. There should be others riding the ferry to go to the Factory when you are, so walk together to the taxi area which is about a block down to the right of the ferry entrance. My sister and I stopped to take a few pictures and wait for a bus that doens't run too often and it costs us a few extra dollars because we didn't stay with the others and we had to hire a taxi for just the two of us.

My sister loves Bacardi and enjoyed the tour. She bought herself a nice collectable and engraved bottle of Bacardi at the factory. It is not a bad way to spend a few hours if you have already toured Old San Juan. The grounds are nice.

It is not necessary to pay for a tour unless you are uncomfortable getting around on your own. It is very easy to navigate San Juan.

I think it is an individual choice whether the tour is worthwhile or not.