San Juan shore excursion

[jimhpa]

I apologize if this is not the correct board to post this on. I was looking at my Princess Cruise Personalizer and they have a shore excursion:

 

Fortresses of San Juan (In-Transit) - New!

SJU-110 | San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

This is exactly what we want to do in San Juan - see both Fort San Cristobal and El Morro de San Felipe (along with Old San Juan). We are photographers so would like to have time to photograph. Does anyone have any info on this tour (Princess does not have details) and if it would give us time to photograph?

 

I know that many on here do not recommend shore excursions from the cruise line, but we are usually more comfortable knowing it is from the ship (even though we pay a little more). Our ship is in from 1:00PM - 11:00PM on early August and since it is a US territory and the ship is in port so late, we are considering doing this on our own. I'm not sure if this is walkable or not (we aren't in the best shape).

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Any guidance would be appreciated.

[Akiba]

You will be docking in old san Jaun yes you can walk to the forts but really high hill walk.There are free buses and trams for tourist that take you to both and pick up every half hour or so.Not a bad walk back(down Hill)

To use a ships excursion unless you want the tour guide I believe is not warranted.Its a easy city to get around if you don't want to walk the 2 blocks to the free tram buses you grab a cab it a very user friendly city except get an agreed price from the cab before getting in.:)

[caber]

We didn`t find the walk bad. we did the old town and fortress on foot. We followed a walking tour on a pamphlet we were given as we walked off the ship. I loved San Juan.

[zacc]

I agree with the previous two posters...no need to pay Princess for the excursion. Old San Juan is a beautiful location, easy to navigate, and very friendly. Since you are not rushed for time I would suggest trying to walk....you can rest as needed. You will pass a number of great photo opps that will make the walk more than worthwhile. If you are tired at the end of your day just grab a taxi. Maybe you might be able to talk one of the horse drawn carriages to take you back!

[Tyskie]

You might want to check out this website. There are several different routes depending on what you want to see. Stop #1 is right at the cruise pier. Free is always nice !:D

 

http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/free-trolley-old-san-juan/

[jimhpa]

Thanks for the quick responses. The trolley looks like it might be a good way to get around. Does anyone have experience with them - are they too crowded, run often enough, etc?

[Roses2]

We found the free trolley crowded, but a great way to savor the Old Town area and fun too. Most of the passengers were local families mixed with some tourists.

 

We got on and off and depending on the stop, the trolley came by about every 10 to 20 minutes. We did not ride out to the Fortress since we had been there before.

 

Last time in San Juan we caught the ferry and went across the bay to the Baccardi Factory. They have an excellent tour and a couple of free drinks. It is a very easy do-it-yourself tour too.

[caribill]

Our ship is in from 1:00PM - 11:00PM on early August and since it is a US territory and the ship is in port so late, we are considering doing this on our own.

 

Be sure to check out what times the forts close in the late afternoon so you do get to both of them.

[emmtee]

Some of our family arranged a private tour that included San Christobal. At the end of the tour, the guide dropped us off in Old San Juan so that we could explore on our own and walk back to the ship. Some other members of our family walked from one fort to the other. We were told by our tour guide that somewhere between the two is a high crime area. My family didn't have any problems, but I don't think they'd do it again.

[romnan]

You don't need to book an excursion to do this. Both locations are maintained by the National Park system so the price of touring is quite reasonable . The operating hours as I remember is like 10AM to 6PM.

 

The walk up the hill is doable if you talk your time and pace yourself. The views are just out of this world and if you two are camera nuts,you will get some memorable shots

[jimhpa]

If there is only one that I should make sure I get to, which is it... El Morro or San Cristobal? Thanks so much for your help - we've really appreciated it.

 

Jim