Airport transfer to ship

[22sallybok]

How difficult is it to get to the ship from the airport in San Juan?

[Freelancer3]

Very easy. Catch a taxi right out of baggage claim. Its as easy as any other airport in the states.

[Freelancer3]

I would suggest that you come in the day before if possible to avoid flight delays.

[cantgetin]

1 hour ago, Freelancer3 said:

I would suggest that you come in the day before if possible to avoid flight delays.

This is always a good idea!

[MisterBill99]

Do they use the Old San Juan or Pan American Pier?

[sunlover2]

On 9/21/2023 at 2:34 PM, MisterBill99 said:

Do they use the Old San Juan or Pan American Pier?

Which cruise line are you asking about?

[MisterBill99]

2 hours ago, sunlover2 said:

Which cruise line are you asking about?

 

Ha ha. You're the first one to point that out omission. I'm talking about Virgin Voyages, and it turns out that they're using the pier in Old San Juan (supposedly a terminal that Carnival previously used?) It would be great if I could find a reasonably priced hotel downtown and could just walk to the pier. But the Sheraton is crazy expensive. I found a good deal in Condado and will just take Uber, which is still cheap in PR.

Edited October 18, 2023 by MisterBill99

[MisterBill99]

BTW, related to the topic at hand, my experience in San Juan is that Uber is much less expensive than the regular taxis.

[krueg2828]

On 10/18/2023 at 12:21 PM, MisterBill99 said:

 

Ha ha. You're the first one to point that out omission. I'm talking about Virgin Voyages, and it turns out that they're using the pier in Old San Juan (supposedly a terminal that Carnival previously used?) It would be great if I could find a reasonably priced hotel downtown and could just walk to the pier. But the Sheraton is crazy expensive. I found a good deal in Condado and will just take Uber, which is still cheap in PR.

I’m looking for a pre night hotel as well.  What hotel did you end up booking??

[MisterBill99]

6 minutes ago, krueg2828 said:

I’m looking for a pre night hotel as well.  What hotel did you end up booking??

 

I booked the Coral Princess Hotel in Condado. It's reasonably priced, gets good reviews, and Uber from the airport and to the port are cheap. And there are excellent restaurants in Condado.

 

Booking directly with them allowed me to get a refundable rate (no need to pay in advance) cheaper than the other sites.

 

Coral Princess – Hotel

Edited October 30, 2023 by MisterBill99

[krueg2828]

On 10/30/2023 at 2:20 PM, MisterBill99 said:

 

I booked the Coral Princess Hotel in Condado. It's reasonably priced, gets good reviews, and Uber from the airport and to the port are cheap. And there are excellent restaurants in Condado.

 

Booking directly with them allowed me to get a refundable rate (no need to pay in advance) cheaper than the other sites.

 

Coral Princess – Hotel

Thanks for the info….I ended up booking the Coral for 2 nights post cruise.  I would like to stay in Old San Juan pre-cruise, but not having much luck.  It’s either too expensive or not great reviews.  Any suggestions with that as well as any good restaurants near the Coral would be appreciated. 😊

[MisterBill99]

1 hour ago, krueg2828 said:

Thanks for the info….I ended up booking the Coral for 2 nights post cruise.  I would like to stay in Old San Juan pre-cruise, but not having much luck.  It’s either too expensive or not great reviews.  Any suggestions with that as well as any good restaurants near the Coral would be appreciated. 😊

 

Glad to hear that you booked it. When are you staying? I'll be there at the beginning of February. As for OSJ, the Sheraton is obviously convenient (if pricey), especially if you're on Virgin and your cruise ends in the downtown pier.

 

As for restaurants, we ate at Jose Enrique the last time and loved it. They have a reputation as one of the top restaurants on the island. I just found this place which looks excellent also. It looks like you need to appreciate good (and unusual) food if you're going to eat there. They do a $75 5-course menu.

 

Cocina Abierta

 

If OSJ, Marmalade is the top place, but they charge $135 for their price fixed menu. 

[krueg2828]

15 hours ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

Glad to hear that you booked it. When are you staying? I'll be there at the beginning of February. As for OSJ, the Sheraton is obviously convenient (if pricey), especially if you're on Virgin and your cruise ends in the downtown pier.

 

As for restaurants, we ate at Jose Enrique the last time and loved it. They have a reputation as one of the top restaurants on the island. I just found this place which looks excellent also. It looks like you need to appreciate good (and unusual) food if you're going to eat there. They do a $75 5-course menu.

 

Cocina Abierta

 

If OSJ, Marmalade is the top place, but they charge $135 for their price fixed menu. 

We are staying at the Coral first week in March, but need an overnight pre-Virgin cruise on 1/23.  Sheraton’s price of approximately $500 is steep considering I’ll be arriving late afternoon and leaving hotel around 1 the next day.  I might end up booking the Coral unless I find a discount on the Sheraton.

 

BTW, I just got off a back-to-back Virgin cruise out of Athens….fantastic.  I can’t imagine cruising with any other cruise because of the food.

 

I probably wouldn’t consider price-fix/tasting menus in San Juan….we are carnivores and just eat meat and fruit.  Fancy stuff is lost on us because we pick everything off….just a steak or fish/chicken/pork on an empty plate.  I’m looking for a place with lots of meat options 🤷🏼‍♀️. We don’t eat in Test Kitchen on Virgin because of that.  Is this your first Virgin cruise??