San Juan Protesters

[thunter1224]

I have been reading on the internet and Cruise Critic about the Cruise lines changing their itinerary to not stopping at San Juan P.R. because of the protests going on there .. And I have seen many passengers complaining about missing P.R. ... I am wondering how much more they would complain if they were attacked or harmed while on shore there .. I Praise the cruise lines for thinking about the safety of the people on their ships..

[alfaeric]

I don't see passengers being attacked- the beef with the people is between them an the governor.  The risk is that the protests are near the port, and right were many people go for tourist reasons.  And the police are not exactly being gentle with the protesters (I saw one video where tear gas was thrown at a single person standing in the street.  Yea, great idea.)

[thunter1224]

48 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

I don't see passengers being attacked- the beef with the people is between them an the governor.  The risk is that the protests are near the port, and right were many people go for tourist reasons.  And the police are not exactly being gentle with the protesters (I saw one video where tear gas was thrown at a single person standing in the street.  Yea, great idea.)

 

And they are setting fires , and throwing rocks.. So there is a chance of a passenger getting hurt !!    so I am glad they canceled docking until it is over ..  fyi.. Monarch was my first RCCL cruise also 🙂

 

[alfaeric]

6 minutes ago, thunter1224 said:

 

And they are setting fires , and throwing rocks.. So there is a chance of a passenger getting hurt !!    so I am glad they canceled docking until it is over ..  fyi.. Monarch was my first RCCL cruise also 🙂

 

I'm not saying that there isn't a chance someone will get hurt.  I'm saying that tourists are not the target of the protests, so they are unlikely to be targets of the violence.   The hard part for tourists is that to get anywhere they really want to see, you pretty much have to pass by all of the mess...  Let alone the people who are coming to San Juan who don't normally do that- so it will be fairly crowded.

 

It sucks, for sure.  And it will be interesting to see how this plays out.  We have a friend who has an apartment on Calle Sol, so we are asking her for some details.  Although, she may be spending time with other people....

 

Ironically, our Monarch cruise that started this whole obsession with cruising for us was out of San Juan.  

[hallsn3961]

We are headed there Tuesday. I am a little concerned because I am pregnant.

[alfaeric]

Got word from our friend who live in Old San Juan- she's actually participating in the protests.  And is very emotional to see so many people standing up for the same thing.  But she's also super frustrated that most of the media focuses on the violence and damage that is taking place- as that's not much of what is actually happening.

 

hallsn- I hope things clear up before you get there, as there's not much change that can happen for a half day stop anywhere.  Still have a whole weekend for things to change.

[linerode]

Wondering how this will affect where cruises leave from. We are booked on a cruise out of San Juan and haven't heard anything about leaving from a different port. I know it might be too early for them to know what to do, but we'll have to adjust flight arrangements. 

 

I do applaud cruise lines for not going to the port to protect their guests and staff. 

 

[crewsweeper]

31 minutes ago, linerode said:

Wondering how this will affect where cruises leave from. We are booked on a cruise out of San Juan and haven't heard anything about leaving from a different port. I know it might be too early for them to know what to do, but we'll have to adjust flight arrangements. 

 

I do applaud cruise lines for not going to the port to protect their guests and staff. 

 

When are you scheduled to depart?  Next week might be iffy, but a couple of months from now, this will have blown over.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, linerode said:

Wondering how this will affect where cruises leave from. We are booked on a cruise out of San Juan and haven't heard anything about leaving from a different port. I know it might be too early for them to know what to do, but we'll have to adjust flight arrangements. 

 

I do applaud cruise lines for not going to the port to protect their guests and staff. 

 

Looking at some other posts I think you're on a Royal Caribbean cruise in November? November is a long way off and i suspect this will just be an unpleasant memory long before then. Also Royal Caribbean cruises depart from Pan American cruise terminal, not Old San Juan. The demonstrations have taken place in Old San Juan in the general area of the governor's residence. Pan American terminal is across the harbor, not near where the demonstrations are. The reason you've seen some cruises cancel port calls is because the ships making those port calls dock in Old San Juan, close to the area where the demonstrations have been held.

[thunter1224]

23 hours ago, hallsn3961 said:

We are headed there Tuesday. I am a little concerned because I am pregnant.

 

 I hope it clears up there by then.. but don't be surprised if they cancel the stop there 😞

[ATC cruiser]

I’m leaving San Juan on Freedom in the morning. I’m staying at the Sheraton Resort and Casino, which is very close to the Pan American pier. The ships that dock in San Juan for the day use a completely different pier than cruises that depart from San Juan. The protests are in old San Juan which is about a 10 minute cab ride from this hotel. You’d never even know that there were demonstrations going on when staying here. This is the 3rd cruise I’ve taken from San Juan in the last 16 months. I had absolutely no apprehension  with going on this cruise. Now if I were going on a cruise that had a stop in San Juan it might be a different story. I think it’s a good idea that RCI cancelled these stops. 

[Desert Cruizers]

Our cruise isn't until next March and we will depart from San Juan and also doing a b2b. hopefully things will settle down by then

[springfire]

Recent cancellations include the MSC Seaside and Celebrity Equinox which will not be calling on Monday, July 22, as previously scheduled.   

 

[ATC cruiser]

Carnival Fascination is in port today 

[ATC cruiser]

I’m sitting in Olive or Twist on Freedom as I type this. The Freedom leaves from the Pan American Pier, a fairly long distance from where the demonstrations are, which are in Old San Juan.

Edited July 21, 2019 by ATC cruiser

[SakeDad]

So the Governor announced today that he won't seek re-election but that is not sitting well and there are now MASSIVE protests planned for tomorrow, Monday, July 22 with possibly hundreds of thousands marching. They plan on shutting down the major freeways there as well, not sure how that would affect getting to either port. This would not be a week I would want to port there, and I wish the residents of PR the best of luck in getting what they want!

[Aviator of the Seas]

Today's protests are taking place in midtown San Juan, well away from the tourist areas of Old San Juan, Condado and Isla Verde.

 

Aside from the usual yutes who like to disrupt things at the end, protest have been peaceful.  Puerto Rico is a civilized society.

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, Aviator of the Seas said:

yutes

Is that "yutes" as In "My Cousin Vinny"? 😉

 

Sorry about that...i know the situation in Puerto Rico is not a laughing matter.

[Zach1213]

3 hours ago, Aviator of the Seas said:

Today's protests are taking place in midtown San Juan, well away from the tourist areas of Old San Juan, Condado and Isla Verde.

 

Aside from the usual yutes who like to disrupt things at the end, protest have been peaceful.  Puerto Rico is a civilized society.

 

Sometimes disruption is needed to enact real change. The yutes are the ones who have to live with the future of Puerto Rico, good or bad.

Edited July 22, 2019 by Zach1213

[baldilocks]

Having been to Puerto Rico many times on business, the problem is transport. If the roads are blocked, how are tourists suppose to get around? The main highway was completely blocked today by tens of thousands of protestors. The protestors can move to different venues when the police push them. It then becomes a cat and mouse game of trying to get through the crowds. I think it was wise to cancel the port visits.

[Aviator of the Seas]

14 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Is that "yutes" as In "My Cousin Vinny"? 😉

 

Sorry about that...i know the situation in Puerto Rico is not a laughing matter.

Yutes, Vinny, yes.  Don't worry too much.  We pretty much laugh at the whole situation ourselves.

[njhorseman]

4 hours ago, Aviator of the Seas said:

Yutes, Vinny, yes.  Don't worry too much.  We pretty much laugh at the whole situation ourselves.

It's really a shame, particularly after all the suffering brought on by Hurricane Maria.

 

We love Puerto Rico and have been regular visitors for over 45 years. it feels like a second home  to us. The likely reason our son is a Spanish teacher is because he spent so much time in Puerto Rico as a child and started to learn the language at a very young age. 

[Aviator of the Seas]

28 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

It's really a shame, particularly after all the suffering brought on by Hurricane Maria.

 

We love Puerto Rico and have been regular visitors for over 45 years. it feels like a second home  to us. The likely reason our son is a Spanish teacher is because he spent so much time in Puerto Rico as a child and started to learn the language at a very young age. 

Thank you for your kind words.  Puerto Rico will be okay.  Hurricane María and its aftermath had a big ol' silver lining.  Puerto Ricans as a society performed remarkably well.  It awoke a sense of community that people who are focused on the rat race (me included) had forgotten about.  We survived, we managed and we were thriving until our childish governor brought on this man made disaster. But it ain't half bad, I swear.  Literally, it is a small bunch of trouble makers who taunt the police late at night.  Too many kids out on vacation looking for "fun".  The police have actually been very patient and restrained.  If cruise ships would go to the Pan Am pier instead of Old San Juan, and informed their passengers to enjoy the island but avoid the area around the governor's mansion late at night, everything would be perfectly safe.  Protests elsewhere are announced well in advance and are sensibly organized.  The highway that was closed yesterday was not a take over.  It often happens that this section is chosen often because of its accessibility and because it is the perfect setting to show a headcount.  Otherwise, it felt like a holiday around San Juan yesterday.

 

Anyway, again, I appreciate your love for the island and your concern.

[alfaeric]

If you want to see the protests, there are quite a few news reports that you can find. 

 

However, many of the lead with the teargas in Old San Juan- which is just a tiny part of what happened yesterday.

This Miami Herald news report shows the gross majority of what happened- 

 

Lots and lots and lots of people slowly walking and talking.  My wife watched a song sung by Olga Tanon, which made her cry (she's always torn between Puerto Rico and the US).  Virtually all of what happened was both peaceful and respectful of everyone (except Governor Ricky, I suppose).  

 

Aviator- do you see this lasting too long?  With the ministers that have already resigned, and the total lack of support by anyone else- I can't see how he can continue to govern.

[Aviator of the Seas]

23 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

If you want to see the protests, there are quite a few news reports that you can find. 

 

However, many of the lead with the teargas in Old San Juan- which is just a tiny part of what happened yesterday.

This Miami Herald news report shows the gross majority of what happened- 

 

Lots and lots and lots of people slowly walking and talking.  My wife watched a song sung by Olga Tanon, which made her cry (she's always torn between Puerto Rico and the US).  Virtually all of what happened was both peaceful and respectful of everyone (except Governor Ricky, I suppose).  

 

Aviator- do you see this lasting too long?  With the ministers that have already resigned, and the total lack of support by anyone else- I can't see how he can continue to govern.

Most level-headed and reasonable leaders are asking for a "few weeks" while a capable  Secretary of State can be named and confirmed, so he/she can take over after the Governor resigns.  If he doesn't resign, well then, it's gridlock until the end of 2020, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  You see, after the hurricanes of 2017 we survived and did well enough with no functioning government for a long while, and the people realized that maybe we didn't need so much government at all.