San Juan Rental Car

[cruiseonthebrain]

We are sailing the Sunshine in May and I was wondering if anyone knew of a rental car company close to the Carnival pier. We have never cruised to PR before (lived there, but have never cruised there). I was thinking that maybe there was a company closer than taking a cab to the airport to pick up a car. I posted on the San Juan board, but have gotten no answers.

[Jamericannn]

We are sailing the Sunshine in May and I was wondering if anyone knew of a rental car company close to the Carnival pier. We have never cruised to PR before (lived there, but have never cruised there). I was thinking that maybe there was a company closer than taking a cab to the airport to pick up a car. I posted on the San Juan board, but have gotten no answers.

 

I stayed at the Sheraton across the street from where the ship docks. There is a Hertz in the lobby of the Sheraton. This is literally across the street from where the ship docks. price is very reasonable too.

Edited December 1, 2016 by Jamericannn
updated enterprise to Hertz

[cruiseonthebrain]

I stayed at the Sheraton across the street from where the ship docks. There is a Hertz in the lobby of the Sheraton. This is literally across the street from where the ship docks. price is very reasonable too.

 

Thank you!!!!

[Jamericannn]

Thank you!!!!

 

You are welcome. I know a few places there so let me know if you need info.

[Athankfulheart]

We are sailing the Sunshine in May and I was wondering if anyone knew of a rental car company close to the Carnival pier. We have never cruised to PR before (lived there, but have never cruised there). I was thinking that maybe there was a company closer than taking a cab to the airport to pick up a car. I posted on the San Juan board, but have gotten no answers.

 

We have rented from Avis (airport) and from Charlies. Charlies has the best deals if you plan ahead and will pick you up right at the terminal. The Charlies with cruise pickup is in Condado. With Charlie's we rented after a cruise so they picked us up and brought us to Condado. When we flew out, we dropped the car at the airport location. With Avis we picked up the car at the airport (so simple) and stayed in Luquillo for a week. I cannot remember how we did that drop-off before boarding the ship though.

[cruiseonthebrain]

We have rented from Avis (airport) and from Charlies. Charlies has the best deals if you plan ahead and will pick you up right at the terminal. The Charlies with cruise pickup is in Condado. With Charlie's we rented after a cruise so they picked us up and brought us to Condado. When we flew out, we dropped the car at the airport location. With Avis we picked up the car at the airport (so simple) and stayed in Luquillo for a week. I cannot remember how we did that drop-off before boarding the ship though.

 

Thank you for the info!

[cruiseonthebrain]

You are welcome. I know a few places there so let me know if you need info.

 

Thank you for the offer Jamericann! Do you know if the Parrot Club is still there in OSJ? My husband has never been to the island, so I was thinking of either driving up to the caves near Arecebo or heading out toward Luquillo and El Yunque. I wanted to go see the old Navy base, but folks have told me it is pretty run down.

[Athankfulheart]

Thank you for the offer Jamericann! Do you know if the Parrot Club is still there in OSJ? My husband has never been to the island, so I was thinking of either driving up to the caves near Arecebo or heading out toward Luquillo and El Yunque. I wanted to go see the old Navy base, but folks have told me it is pretty run down.

 

If you decide to stay in Luquillo I would highly recommend this condo at Playa Azul. I will copy my review from VRBO below . We really enjoyed staying here and it was reasonable for a week's stay.

 

We spent our 25th wedding anniversary in this lovely condo in Luquillo, PR. We found the condo to be exactly as described and even nicer. As far as accommodations and amenities go, I can only say that we would have added some type of comfy lounge furniture on the balcony. Pushing the table to the middle and adding a couple of comfy beach loungers or a beach bed on the family room side would be wonderful. Thank you for allowing guests to leave useful things in the kitchen and the bathroom. I wound up benefiting from the sunscreen and my husband, the coffee. We restocked the coffee before leaving and I left some helpful things in the bathroom and kitchen. It was nice to be able to BBQ steaks and veggies and not have to purchase seasonings! The small things matter so much. We found this condo to be perfectly cleaned, which I cannot say for the condo we rented on the backside of our cruise on the same trip. We loved how the keys were stored right at the condo, another thing that can become time consuming and frustrating if not done well. Luquillo is a charming suburban town in which we never felt unsafe. We dined at the Kiosks (La Parilla) as well as Aromas and Board Riders. All were excellent. We also visited La Familia bakery in Rio Grande several times. We preferred shopping at Ralphs in Fajardo for groceries, but there is an Amigo right near the condo. Parking here is very secure and the security staff are friendly and fun. The outside of the building appeared to be near the end of a face lift and is looking very nice. The beach outside of the condo is beautiful, but not one for non swimmers or young ones unless you walk down towards the resort where the waves break further out. We would encourage you to hike the rain forest, drive around the perimeter of the island and take in all that PR has to offer. Its a beautiful island.

[Jamericannn]

Thank you for the offer Jamericann! Do you know if the Parrot Club is still there in OSJ? My husband has never been to the island, so I was thinking of either driving up to the caves near Arecebo or heading out toward Luquillo and El Yunque. I wanted to go see the old Navy base, but folks have told me it is pretty run down.

 

Is your cruise going to be there a long time for you to go to El Yunque? I did the drive to El Yunque before. It is in another state (Carolina). Even though its so close to San Juan, you will have trouble finding someone to ask for directions in case you need it. If you speak Spanish it will not be a problem. Also, there is a lot of hills to get there so the chances of something happening to your car so far away is kinda risky. I would leave El Yunque for a time when I do not have to worry about time. The forest is "ok" to me and not as how it's advertised. When you get there you have to walk a very long way up and down hills to get to the waterfall.

 

The parrot club is in San Juan still. The Navy base is awesomeeeeee. You will love it. There are even iguanas walking around there at times.

[cruiseonthebrain]

Is your cruise going to be there a long time for you to go to El Yunque? I did the drive to El Yunque before. It is in another state (Carolina). Even though its so close to San Juan, you will have trouble finding someone to ask for directions in case you need it. If you speak Spanish it will not be a problem. Also, there is a lot of hills to get there so the chances of something happening to your car so far away is kinda risky. I would leave El Yunque for a time when I do not have to worry about time. The forest is "ok" to me and not as how it's advertised. When you get there you have to walk a very long way up and down hills to get to the waterfall.

 

The parrot club is in San Juan still. The Navy base is awesomeeeeee. You will love it. There are even iguanas walking around there at times.

 

Thanks Jamericann,

 

I actually lived in Rio Grande- right across from El Yunque. I was stationed at the Navy base before it closed. I have heard parts of it that used to be beautiful are completely overrun and trashed.

[slidergirl]

Yes, The Parrot Club is still open.

 

I'll go with the recommendation of La Familia Bakery. I spent 5 nights out in Rio Grande at the St. Regis. I had a car, so I'd head over to La Familia for breakfast and daytime snacks instead of paying the obscene prices at the hotel (even with a 50% employee discount!). I did a dinner at El Verde BBQ, too - a drive-in place in Rio Grande. A mix of mostly locals and a few tourists. Looks like a dive, but food was good.

 

It's pretty easy to get to El Yunque National Park nowadays. You've got the toll highway from San Juan to Rio Grande, then the main road from Rio Grande right up to the road to the Park. I didn't see if you were doing this as a day trip in port or a pre/post cruise item. If it is a port day, please be sure to monitor your time! Depending if time is crucial, I'd pay the extra to pick up with Hertz at the Sheraton than Avis at the airport. I haven't used Charlies, but check to see if the shuttle is on-demand or if you have to wait until all clients are onboard - that could eat into your time.