Post Cruise San Juan excursions

[saltymalty]

Does taking a post-cruise excursion get you off the ship earlier?:confused:

 

Also our flight leaves @ 3:20pm. I was thinking of taking the Bacardi tour or the Rain Forest tour but Princess says those tours are for flights leaving after 4pm. Would we have enough time?

Bacardi tour says it from 9am to 12:30 pm

Rain Forest Drive says 8:30am to 1 pm

[FuzzyMelton]

Given a choice go to the Rainforest. I have been to both and the rainforest is truly the better choice, unless you just have to have the free rum, but after a 7 day cruise you just may find yourself rummed out.

 

I would talk to the shore excursion desk to get their recommendations. If you can deal with 2 hours in the airport then you may be able to make it, but let me tell you about traffic on the island of Puerto Rico. There are no real highways and it can be bad, especially if there is a wreck or a political rally. Might not want to chance making the plane.

 

Just some suggestions, good luck, we are going on the Rainforest trip, but our flight isn't until 4:30.

[craigs172]

We did the Rainforest tour and thought it was nice. You do leave the ship early, we were one of the first two groups called about 8:45 am. They put our luggage on a truck and that was the last we saw of it until the airport. The tour guide then asked when our flights were and adjusted the tour to accommodate. Our flight wasn't until 4:25, but we were traveling with some who had 3:45 flight. They claim that they will get you to the airport by 1:00 pm, but we arrived at about 2:15 pm. A 3:20 flight might be a little tight, mainly due to potential traffic.

[saltymalty]

Thanks. Its such a hard decision. Obviously I want to get the most vacation for my buck.

[MaryPoppinz]

Does taking a post-cruise excursion get you off the ship earlier?:confused:

 

The last time we were in San Juan, we booked the disembarkation city tour as a cheap time-killer/luggage storage/transportation while we waited for our hotel room to be open. Booking that tour got us off the ship before the chaos of a bad disembarkation even got rolling. We breezed through disembarkation, customs and immigration and were at our hotel (after taking the tour, meeting up with our bags at the airport and taking a cab to our hotel right nearby) almost two hours before the ship completed disembarkation.

 

Most of the disembarkations in SJU are not as bad as that one turned out to be, but I will book and pay for the city tour everytime I go there now.

[saltymalty]

Yes I guess that what I'm going to do. Book a City tour for 29.00 each. I can do the rainforest or Bacardi tour the other 2 days before the cruise.

Plus for $29 its a great deal to just get off the ship at that point.

[saltymalty]

What time did they have you at the airport?

Also does your luggage go with you on the "bus" or do they forward it to SJU?:confused:

[MaryPoppinz]

I believe we were at the airport at around 11:00, and they took our luggage in a separate van and we met up with it at the airport. It was there waiting for us when we stepped off the bus, so no hassle there, either.

 

It's $60 well spent, particularly if you are *not* leaving SJU that day and your hotel is near the airport. Some days in SJU, it would also be $60 well spent if you never even got on the tour bus, but you didn't hear that idea from me.

[saltymalty]

11:00 is still kind of early isn't it?

[MaryPoppinz]

For trying to get into your room in a hotel in San Juan? Yes, for the most part the answer to that is....absolutely. We probably got to the hotel around noon -- in many cities it's easy to check in around that time. But, that's not generally true there.

 

But, you can leave your bags with the bell captain, grab some lunch in the restaurant, walk the beach a bit and then get in around 2...if you're lucky. If not, you might wish you'd done the rainforest excursion instead. :)

 

The truth is that you're probably going to do some waiting in SJU on disembarkation day. Either on the ship, at the airport, or in your hotel lobby. Choose your poison!

[saltymalty]

Good answer:)

[MustangJean]

SaltyMalty,

 

We did the Bacardi tour (it also took you to Ft. San Cristobel) post cruise. We left the ship at 9:00 am (one of the first groups) and arrived at the airport around 1:30 pm. I think we made it through check in and airport security around 2:15. Our flight left at 6 pm.

 

Jean