Why stop in San Juan? - Just curious.

[bajathree]

Hello,

San Juan is OK...but there must be some requirement/necessity that I am not aware of. (is there a requirement?)

 

I have been to San Juan quite a few times (Just back a couple of weeks ago). We are taking our 3 kids (ages 8,9 & 11) on their 1st cruise in May.

 

For the 7 night (Independence of the Seas) cruise we have booked, the only ports are San Juan, St Kitts & St Martin. :confused: San Juan always feels like a somewhat wasted stop to me and I have always wondered why they stop there. Does Puerto Rico require that the ships stop there or something similar?

 

We didn't quite think it over when we booked this itinerary for our kids 1st cruise. I think that we will do the bio kayak tour but with that said, it's quite a bit of work to do with 3 kids. (I hope they like it) I sure wish they would have given us at least 1 more port but oh well...

 

Even a generic stop like St Thomas would be far more fun compared to San Juan. (just my opinion)

 

San Juan is a great stop....has a very Mediterranean feel to it compared to most other of the Caribbean islands.

With SO MANY ships out there.....Sounds like you didn't think or plan out your trip well if you are complaining about ONLY 3 port stops and 1 that you don't like.

Edited February 18, 2015 by bajathree

[dcgrumpy]

Different strokes....

 

 

I picked IOS over FOS because I wanted to stop in San Juan.

[tserface]

Add me to the list of people who like stopping in SJ. We enjoy Old Town and many of the restaurants. The beaches are beautiful and the Puerto Rican culture is very interesting. I don't think we've ever been there on a "stop", but we've left from there a few times and always plan at least one full day ahead to enjoy the town before embarkation.

 

There's a lot to see. Beaches, Old Town, Forts, Rain Forest, Rum Factories, great food, really nice people, etc.

 

Plus, our phones often work there.

 

Tom

[jmrothermel]

Add me to the list of people who like stopping in SJ. We enjoy Old Town and many of the restaurants. The beaches are beautiful and the Puerto Rican culture is very interesting. I don't think we've ever been there on a "stop", but we've left from there a few times and always plan at least one full day ahead to enjoy the town before embarkation.

 

 

 

There's a lot to see. Beaches, Old Town, Forts, Rain Forest, Rum Factories, great food, really nice people, etc.

 

 

 

Plus, our phones often work there.

 

 

 

Tom

 

 

Ahhhhhh the phones - and for that I reason, I love our stop in San Juan too [emoji23]. Usually we don't get off anymore either - we've been there a few times and the hours aren't really condusive to those with kids.

[sippican]

Just shows how different people's tastes are. We have been to San Juan three times, as a port of call and point of embarkation/disembarkation. We even extend our stays there. I would return in a heartbeat, it is one of our favorite Caribbean destinations. (We stay onboard in St Maarten, lol!)

 

As a point of clarification - Carnival does embark/disembark in the port of Old San Jaun, not Pan Am as the others.

[willing292]

Hello,

San Juan is OK...but there must be some requirement/necessity that I am not aware of. (is there a requirement?)

 

I have been to San Juan quite a few times (Just back a couple of weeks ago). We are taking our 3 kids (ages 8,9 & 11) on their 1st cruise in May.

 

For the 7 night (Independence of the Seas) cruise we have booked, the only ports are San Juan, St Kitts & St Martin. :confused: San Juan always feels like a somewhat wasted stop to me and I have always wondered why they stop there. Does Puerto Rico require that the ships stop there or something similar?

 

We didn't quite think it over when we booked this itinerary for our kids 1st cruise. I think that we will do the bio kayak tour but with that said, it's quite a bit of work to do with 3 kids. (I hope they like it) I sure wish they would have given us at least 1 more port but oh well...

 

Even a generic stop like St Thomas would be far more fun compared to San Juan. (just my opinion)

 

 

Your kids will love Adventure Ocean onboard the ship.

[ColoradoGurl]

Hello,

San Juan is OK...but there must be some requirement/necessity that I am not aware of. (is there a requirement?)

 

I have been to San Juan quite a few times (Just back a couple of weeks ago). We are taking our 3 kids (ages 8,9 & 11) on their 1st cruise in May.

 

For the 7 night (Independence of the Seas) cruise we have booked, the only ports are San Juan, St Kitts & St Martin. :confused: San Juan always feels like a somewhat wasted stop to me and I have always wondered why they stop there. Does Puerto Rico require that the ships stop there or something similar?

 

We didn't quite think it over when we booked this itinerary for our kids 1st cruise. I think that we will do the bio kayak tour but with that said, it's quite a bit of work to do with 3 kids. (I hope they like it) I sure wish they would have given us at least 1 more port but oh well...

 

Even a generic stop like St Thomas would be far more fun compared to San Juan. (just my opinion)

 

I think what you're saying is that it feels like a wasted stop because of the time allotted to be there? I can see that. A 4-10pm stop doesn't allow for beach time and gets in the way of dinner and bedtime for kids. When I was looking at cruises I saw this and scratched cruises with this stop off my list because I didn't like that it got there that late in the day. I read somewhere that it has something to do with having to pay more money to Puerto Rico in port fees for the length of time docked and that it costs more than other islands. I don't know if this is true but it could be. I ended up booking a cruise that sails from San Juan instead of going on one that stops there at night and I found that if booked early enough, the airfare is actually cheaper than it is to Florida. San Juan is beautiful and there's a lot to do there, perhaps next time you should look into a cruise that leaves from San Juan instead of one that stops there and basically eliminates a beach day.

Edited February 18, 2015 by ColoradoGurl

[Spike2000]

Don't confuse your personal preferences with universal truth. Of course there's not a requirement to stop in San Juan, that's silly. Sorry you've been to a cruise port so much you're bored of it (first world problem for sure), but for plenty of people SJ is one of their favorite stops. Keep in mind there are thousands of others on the ship who aren't you.

 

It was a simple question dude....lighten up. Sorry it was 'Silly' to you. It seems like a valid question considering the 'Silly' or 'Stupid' (or whatever the other words that seem to be flying around here) hours that the ships port here. 7-2, 4-10 etc.

 

That's not typical from my experience and it generally sucks for many people. Look, it's just my opinion and I am allowed to have one. (Are opinions allowed here?) Sorry if there are people that take offense to the fact that I don't care much for the OSJ stop. My bad.

 

In all fairness, I have always enjoyed the time(s) (for instance, 2 weeks ago) when I have stayed on the beach in Condado. We had a nice dinner and our stay at the Marriott was great. It seemed much safer that when I stayed there ~10 yrs ago.

 

Regardless, now that Kayaking is not a guarantee at this point (full at the moment), I will more that likely to cancel this cruise for a different route. Having only 2 truly effective stops (St Kitts & Martin) for a 7 night cruise doesn't cut it with me.

[Spike2000]

I think what you're saying is that it feels like a wasted stop because of the time allotted to be there? I can see that. A 4-10pm stop doesn't allow for beach time and gets in the way of dinner and bedtime for kids. When I was looking at cruises I saw this and scratched cruises with this stop off my list because I didn't like that it got there that late in the day. I read somewhere that it has something to do with having to pay more money to Puerto Rico in port fees for the length of time docked and that it costs more than other islands. I don't know if this is true but it could be. I ended up booking a cruise that sails from San Juan instead of going on one that stops there at night and I found that if booked early enough, the airfare is actually cheaper than it is to Florida. San Juan is beautiful and there's a lot to do there, perhaps next time you should look into a cruise that leaves from San Juan instead of one that stops there and basically eliminates a beach day.

 

Thank you:) ...essentially, this is what I was wondering about. It must be (like you read) some strange port fees like that. Thanks again.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Spike2000

[TravelerThom]

Add me to the group that thinks San Juan is one of the better stops in the Caribbean.

 

Well over half of the cruises in the Caribbean do NOT stop in San Juan. I suggest that the proper place to address a complaint about stopping in San Juan would be with the party that signed you up for a cruise that stops there.

[waterbug123]

The like, 4-10pm stop is not that conducive to a fun family stop though....

But you booked the cruise knowing this was a scheduled stop :confused:

 

I am sure we will have fun however, it's not an ideal situation for what I am looking for in a port.

Lots of itineraries and ships to choose from if San Juan was a deal breaker for you

 

Considering all the beautiful islands in that general area, there must be something that forces the ships to stop there. :confused: ...It's just that there are so many GREAT islands to stop at.

 

And many people consider SJ to be one of those many GREAT islands to stop at. There is obviously a lot of demand by pax to visit so RC keeps it on the itinerary for many of their eastern Carib sailings. :)

[mickev99]

Scratch kayaking...just called and excursion is full. :( Fort time i guess.:(

 

I do this itinerary in July and you motivated/scared me into booking the bio bay tour, so I did it before it sells out on ours. I was just procrastinating. It is the first time I am ever doing a ship's excursion, but I am concerned to do an independent with the 3 hour round trip drive to the bay. We (as well as you, it's the same itinerary) are actually in port from 4-11, not 4-10, so we would probably make it, but probably isn't good enough when it comes to possibly missing the ship if a van breaks down. It's too long of an excursion to risk it.

 

Again, I've never been to San Juan and am super excited about this Bio Bay tour. Really not a "fort person", and neither is hubby or kids, so not sure that I would want to go to this port over and over again, like is the case with you. I would love to go there once during the day to check it out, but that 7-2 time sounds horrible....I don't want to wake up at the crack of dawn on vacation, especially when I'm sure nothing is open, then rush back to the ship by 1:30. That would stink.

 

Hope you find an itinerary that you like!!!:):)

[bluegirlum]

And just when I thought people were only passionate about crown & anchor points and jeans in the MDR... :eek:

[Spike2000]

I do this itinerary in July and you motivated/scared me into booking the bio bay tour, so I did it before it sells out on ours. I was just procrastinating. It is the first time I am ever doing a ship's excursion, but I am concerned to do an independent with the 3 hour round trip drive to the bay. We (as well as you, it's the same itinerary) are actually in port from 4-11, not 4-10, so we would probably make it, but probably isn't good enough when it comes to possibly missing the ship if a van breaks down. It's too long of an excursion to risk it.

 

Again, I've never been to San Juan and am super excited about this Bio Bay tour. Really not a "fort person", and neither is hubby or kids, so not sure that I would want to go to this port over and over again, like is the case with you. I would love to go there once during the day to check it out, but that 7-2 time sounds horrible....I don't want to wake up at the crack of dawn on vacation, especially when I'm sure nothing is open, then rush back to the ship by 1:30. That would stink.

 

Hope you find an itinerary that you like!!!:):)

 

Thank you :) ...I am sure that you will have a wonderful time on your visit. I have always had a nice time in San Juan. Probably would have been better though if the stops had been from say....8am-6pm. (just a thought...but i had better start keeping my opinions to myself :D:D) Have a great trip.

[harry0]

I have been to San Juan many times and think its a unique city. But I understand why people do not like this stop. The beach area is fair, and the time in port is usually limited. My list of ports that are possible stay on ship ports

San Juan

Nassau

Falmouth

Grand Cayman(tendering could be a pain in the butt)

[emann195]

Yes in fact there is a requirement causing ships to stop in San Juan it is a international maritime law created in 1791 stating that any cruise ships traveling within 150 nautical miles must stop in Puerto Rico I believe it was to help combat piracy in the area

[bre]

Oh my gosh!!! Really??? I have a love affair with Old San Juan. I actually think it is quite romantic, in the evenings. In fact, I look for cruises to port out of there. Maybe you just haven't had enough time there. Port days can be hectic. Have you tried Zip lining? (I haven't) But my friend has been several times, and says the Jungle canopy is amazing. You could book a 15 minute flight to Culbera Island. It's beautiful there.

[Ocean Boy]

Yes in fact there is a requirement causing ships to stop in San Juan it is a international maritime law created in 1791 stating that any cruise ships traveling within 150 nautical miles must stop in Puerto Rico I believe it was to help combat piracy in the area

 

Ok I'll bite. So why do Oasis and Allure not stop there? They both pass well within the 150 mile limit. And did they really have cruise ships in 1791 that would have caused them to be written into the law?

Edited February 18, 2015 by Ocean Boy

[PennStateFan123]

Hello,

San Juan is OK...but there must be some requirement/necessity that I am not aware of. (is there a requirement?)

 

I have been to San Juan quite a few times (Just back a couple of weeks ago). We are taking our 3 kids (ages 8,9 & 11) on their 1st cruise in May.

 

For the 7 night (Independence of the Seas) cruise we have booked, the only ports are San Juan, St Kitts & St Martin. :confused: San Juan always feels like a somewhat wasted stop to me and I have always wondered why they stop there. Does Puerto Rico require that the ships stop there or something similar?

 

We didn't quite think it over when we booked this itinerary for our kids 1st cruise. I think that we will do the bio kayak tour but with that said, it's quite a bit of work to do with 3 kids. (I hope they like it) I sure wish they would have given us at least 1 more port but oh well...

 

Even a generic stop like St Thomas would be far more fun compared to San Juan. (just my opinion)

 

 

Huh?

 

 

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[PennStateFan123]

Yes in fact there is a requirement causing ships to stop in San Juan it is a international maritime law created in 1791 stating that any cruise ships traveling within 150 nautical miles must stop in Puerto Rico I believe it was to help combat piracy in the area

 

 

Nonsense

 

 

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[Wilda]

Love Puerto Rico, do a land-based vacation there every year. Agree that the ships typically have lousy timing there- 3:00 to 10:00 or something along those lines. Wish it was a full day so you could hit the beach or go to Luquillo. We always get off the ship to fly kites at the fort or hit the shops!

Edited February 18, 2015 by Wilda

[Ocean Boy]

Love Puerto Rico, do a land-based vacation there every year. Agree that the Oasis class ships typically have lousy timing there- 3:00 to 10:00 or something along those lines. Wish it was a full day so you could hit the beach or go to Luquillo. We always get off the ship to fly kites at the fort or hit the shops!

 

I don't think that either Oasis or Allure have been to San Juan yet.

[Spike2000]

Huh?

 

 

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Great response. It really adds to the thread.

[PennStateFan123]

Great response. It really adds to the thread.

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

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[Spike2000]

Thanks!

 

 

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Anytime. ;)