A Review: First Time with Royal on the Adventure

[alwalaska]

And just like that, we were at Castillo San Felipe del Morro. I was in awe looking across the giant green lawn to the looming fort.

 

We loved visiting both forts. For others making plans, if you have an America the Beautiful Pass, take it with you. It lowers the $7 to 0.

 

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[Wildcatfish]

Really enjoying your review! We enjoy OSJ, and walking the Paseo de la Princesa.

 

Looking forward to more!

[sjmbruce]

Looking forward to your thoughts on the Adventure. Just booked for NYE 2018.

 

A NYE cruise would be so much fun! It's on my bucket list.

[sjmbruce]

We loved visiting both forts. For others making plans, if you have an America the Beautiful Pass, take it with you. It lowers the $7 to 0.

 

Sent from my SM-T820 using Forums mobile app

 

That's awesome, thanks for the tip!

[sjmbruce]

So I won't post too many pictures of the fort although I took dozens. We spent a couple of hours or more exploring. There were a few places that were closed off due to restoration or safety issues, but the majority of the fort was open.

 

 

 

 

[sjmbruce]

I really liked the sentry stations and had to go in each one.

There were bathrooms and a gift shop right across from the entrance. We stopped in those after exploring the fort. It was hot and humid - definitely bring a hat, some water and sunscreen. We had climbed some steep staircases and walkways, but we were ready to see more.

 

We left the fort and made our way along the wall towards the cemetery.

Edited May 13, 2018 by sjmbruce

[Cruise a holic]

Will be on Adventure from NJ in August. Looking forward to our first time on her. Hope that Puerto Rico is finally getting back in shape. Hope the enitre island is healing from the hurricane.

 

Following

[geomancer]

Any tips on comfortable places to sit and read a book with a view of the ocean while on Adventure, that's accessible to non-diamond/non-suite guests?

[Clarea]

Any tips on comfortable places to sit and read a book with a view of the ocean while on Adventure, that's accessible to non-diamond/non-suite guests?

Inside: VIking Crown. Outside: deck 4 outside promenade.

[cltnccruisers]

Will be on Adventure from NJ in August. Looking forward to our first time on her. Hope that Puerto Rico is finally getting back in shape. Hope the enitre island is healing from the hurricane.

 

Following

 

With the exception of the Paseos de la Princessa and Morro being closed (from wave damage not related to the hurricanes) Old San Juan was in pretty good shape in March. San Juan proper was good in most cases according to some pax who went there. Of course, there have been a couple of major power outages since then and we are heading into the new hurricane season. Good luck.

[sjmbruce]

Will be on Adventure from NJ in August. Looking forward to our first time on her. Hope that Puerto Rico is finally getting back in shape. Hope the enitre island is healing from the hurricane.

 

Following

 

 

The areas that we were in during our stay (OSJ, Condado) were in good shape for tourists. You could still see signs of damage here and there. It was disheartening that residents were still struggling to get back to normal, but for tourists everything was fine.

[sjmbruce]

Inside: VIking Crown. Outside: deck 4 outside promenade.

 

 

Thanks for the recommendation! I don't think I had a quiet moment the entire cruise so I wouldn't have known where to send someone seeking solitude. Is the Viking Crown the indoor lounge with a view of the pool?

[sjmbruce]

After leaving the El Morro, we walked along the cemetery wall and enjoyed all the locals who had gathered on the fort lawn to picnic, play and fly kites.

 

 

 

 

[sjmbruce]

The transportation trolleys were running, but we decided to walk to the next fort. I'm really glad we did as the walk is a nice one full of different things to see. First, we stopped at the Plaza de Quinto Centenario.

 

[sjmbruce]

We passed the community of La Perla, which unfortunately had sustained major damage during the hurricane. We talked to a resident who was unsure if they would completely recover anytime soon.

 

 

[sjmbruce]

 

 

[sjmbruce]

We made our way to Castillo de san Cristobal.

 

 

 

 

 

[sjmbruce]

We didn't spend as much time here. For one, it's much smaller than El Morro. We were also hot and sweating, dreaming about cold drinks and our rooftop pool. This fort had some great views though and although less massive, it is worth visiting.

 

 

[sjmbruce]

I loved the street names and the tile signs to display them.

 

[sjmbruce]

We went to Greengos Caribbean Cantina for lunch. The food was decent, they had vegetarian options and most importantly, they had cold drinks. We ate and then returned to our hotel, spending the rest of the afternoon on the roof in the pool.

Before dinner, we walked along the waterfront.

 

My husband was the iguana "squirrels of the Caribbean" whisperer and found one everywhere we went.

[sjmbruce]

I kinda sort (okay really wanted) to go back to the Chocobar for dessert. They closed at 8:00 though, so we may or may not have had our chocolate before dinner.

 

[sjmbruce]

I wanted to eat at Raices for dinner, but there was a line and my husband didn't want to wait. We went down the street to a place called Mojito's. We both ordered grilled fish with fried and sweet plantains. The food wasn't great but it was good enough. We walked the streets for a while and there was a small parade like procession for Holy Thursday. We followed that for awhile until it started to disperse. It was late, so we headed back to our room. Luckily this one was quiet so we were able to get some rest in preparation for Good Friday.

Edited May 18, 2018 by sjmbruce

[sjmbruce]

It was Good Friday and although I'm not Catholic, my husband was raised in the religion and we figured going to a service would an appropriate thing to do in OSJ. We got up early, dressed up, and walked through OSJ until we found Parroquia San Francisco de Asis, a Catholic Church across from Mallorca Cafe. It's a pretty church with tombs in the basement. There was no active service, but they had live music. It was packed with people and we joined them in the pews to listen to the music for awhile.

Mallorca was super busy with lines out the door, so we headed to Caficultura. It wasn't chocolate waffles, but it was really good and I loved the atmosphere.

Random thought- Someone can correct me if we misunderstood our restaurant bills, but there didn't seem to be free refills on coffee anywhere we went. Just something to remember if you're on a budget.

[IrishLassie]

Enjoying your review & your pictures are great. Looking forward to hearing what you think of the ship & more of your pictures. Thanks for posting.

[dreadpirate3]

The pictures are great and I'm so ready for my trip on Adventure in January!