Suggestions for San Juan Tours

[cjml]

Our ship does not offer many excursions in San Juan. We would appreciate suggestions of private vendors offering day tours. We loved Sonny Liston in St. Thomas. Any suggestions?

[Coqui2007]

Hi

 

OSJ is not that big - you could easily do a tour on your own.

 

If you dock at the OSJ piers - you do not have to walk far to get into the old city.

 

If you dock at the Pan Am pier - just grab a taxi into OSJ - it's a fixed price

 

Ideas

See one or both of the forts (El Morro or San Cristobel)

Check out the Cathedral + tapas at El Convento Hotel

Walk over to the San Juan Gate and then head through and stroll along the Paseo La Princesa Promenade.

 

There is more info here at my blog post http://www.visit-the-coqui.com/2007/02/enjoy-yourself-in-old-san-juan/

 

also check out the Lifetime movie channel on Dec 15 at 9pm - the movie Christmas in Paradise was filmed in San Juan - should give you ideas also

[cjml]

We will be sailing on Celebrity and do not know why port they use. However, thank you for your DIY information.

[Sandi149]

I also recommend you doing a walking tour of Old San Juan. The area is not big at all and it's definitely walkable. You could walk to El Morro or San Christobal but it's uphill so you might want to take a cab there and then walk down through the streets of Old San Juan. That is what we did. We also stopped at a lovely place called Cafe Bohemio located in El Convento Hotel. http://www.elconvento.com We also had drinks at the Parrot club. http://www.parrotclub.com/

 

Here is a link to a map of Old San Juan that you can print out. It lists all the major places of interest.

 

http://www.travelmaps.com/OldSanJuan.html

[Stevesan]

Our ship does not offer many excursions in San Juan. We would appreciate suggestions of private vendors offering day tours. We loved Sonny Liston in St. Thomas. Any suggestions?

 

Old San Juan is quite small and very walkable. The streets are narrow and jam packed with traffic, so I'd avoid bus or shutle tours of OSJ.

 

El Morro is extremely well maintained. It's a national park and staffed with trained park rangers. It's well worth the visit. Getting there is uphill . You might taxi up if walking is a problem, then walk back.

 

Princess offers an audio tour. That might be useful for a first timer.

 

http://www.visit-the-coqui.com/2007/05/pre-or-post-cruise-in-puerto-rico/

 

http://www.travelmaps.com/OldSanJuan.html

 

http://www.nps.gov/saju/

 

http://www.butterflypeople.com/

 

http://www.langland.org/cruises/sanjuan.asp

 

http://www.barrachina.com/

[cjml]

We are so appreciative of Cruise Critic members who offer suggestions to first timers like ourselves. Thank you so very much.:)

[rainforestgirl]

Puerto Rico is BIG. There wouldn't be enough time in a week to actually tour the island, let alone a few hours in port. I agree with everyone- do your own tour in Old San Juan.

I love OSJ and go there often. Walking is my #1 mode of transportation. But there is a new trolley (free) system available to help you get around.

I have written loads of things to do and tour routes to take to help others.

http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/category/oldsanjuan/

 

Some of the ships aren't getting in until afternoon, but you should still be able to find stuff to do. At least stop in at the Casita and Don Q and sample some local rum drinks as a welcome to PR!

[orquidia]

Puerto Rico is BIG. There wouldn't be enough time in a week to actually tour the island, let alone a few hours in port. I agree with everyone- do your own tour in Old San Juan.

I love OSJ and go there often. Walking is my #1 mode of transportation. But there is a new trolley (free) system available to help you get around.

I have written loads of things to do and tour routes to take to help others.

http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/category/oldsanjuan/

 

Some of the ships aren't getting in until afternoon, but you should still be able to find stuff to do. At least stop in at the Casita and Don Q and sample some local rum drinks as a welcome to PR!

 

I agree, walk around the historic district, have a good map or travel guide of the district and enjoy the views, that is the best bet if you are staying for a few hours in the port of San Juan

[Froufie]

We just got back from San Juan and had a fabulous time with Tony of Countryside Tours. Having been in San Juan twice already I knew (or thought I knew) most of the sites but this time travelling w/dh and 3 kids so wanted them to get the flavor of San Juan as well.

 

At first I contacted Jorge Lopez who has been mentioned on these boards but frankly his communication skills were not great as I could not get good answers to my questions and I was a bit put off when the rate he quoted me INCLUDED a customary 15% gratuity!!

 

I then contacted Victor and Tony at countryside tours (countrysidetourspr@yahoo.com) and got an immediate response with answers to my questions and rates! We decided on a city tour - Tony picked us up in his brand new air conditioned Lincoln Navigator and off we went for a 5 hour tour - hitting not only the major sites but some 'off the beaten track' places which we normally would not have found ourselves.

 

We ended our trip with a visit to the Bacardi rum factory for their tour and were back at the ship in plenty of time (and he 'gifted' my little one with a DVD copy of "Flushed Away' for him to take home!).

 

I would definitely recommend them and would use them again when visiting San Juan.

 

Froufie

[Stevesan]

I agree, walk around the historic district, have a good map or travel guide of the district and enjoy the views, that is the best bet if you are staying for a few hours in the port of San Juan

 

That's an excellent suggestion. There's an info booth at the cruise dock with booklets and maps.

 

You can find the booth, number 1, on this map:

 

http://www.travelmaps.com/OldSanJuan.html

[jerseyjk]

Someone posted this previously so I can't take credit, but I found it extremely cool ...

 

http://www.eyetourpuertorico.com/site.php

 

Download video, audio and photo tours to your iPod or similar device.

[JLS cruiser]

Old San Juan is quite small and very walkable. The streets are narrow and jam packed with traffic, so I'd avoid bus or shutle tours of OSJ.

 

El Morro is extremely well maintained. It's a national park and staffed with trained park rangers. It's well worth the visit. Getting there is uphill . You might taxi up if walking is a problem, then walk back.

 

Princess offers an audio tour. That might be useful for a first timer.

 

http://www.visit-the-coqui.com/2007/05/pre-or-post-cruise-in-puerto-rico/

 

http://www.travelmaps.com/OldSanJuan.html

 

http://www.nps.gov/saju/

 

http://www.butterflypeople.com/

 

http://www.langland.org/cruises/sanjuan.asp

 

http://www.barrachina.com/

Great info on the websites. Thanks for posting!

[MERLOTCHAMPAGNE]

We're scheduled to dock in SJ at 2p in March and depart at 8p. Will we have enough time to tour El Morro and Bacardi Factory? Is Barcardi tour worth it? If so, how long is the tour and should we go there first ? Is the best way to get by taking a cab from OSJ?

 

Thanks

[WendyCn]

Thanks for all of the info. We will be in San Juan in December. We are only arriving at 5 p.m. so I am not sure what is going to be available as far as a private tour goes.

 

Froufie - I know Countryside has various tours, but what did they charge you?

[Froufie]

For the 4.5 hr tour we were charged $30 pp - came to $150 for the 5 of us and we also did tip generously!

 

Have fun!

[rainforestgirl]

We're scheduled to dock in SJ at 2p in March and depart at 8p. Will we have enough time to tour El Morro and Bacardi Factory? Is Barcardi tour worth it? If so, how long is the tour and should we go there first ? Is the best way to get by taking a cab from OSJ?

 

Thanks

 

You might have enough time for both if you catch the next ferry out to Catano and don't linger at Bacardi.

 

Bacardi's last tour open to the public is at 4:15pm or so. The cheapest way to go is via the ferry from Pier 2 to Catano, then a taxi.Total cost will be about $10 pp. The Bacradi tour is free. Some people don't think the tour is "worth it", I think it is ok. Here is a review: http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/2007/02/14/bacardi-rum-factory-a-tour-free-drinks/

 

The Forts (El Morro and San Cristobal) close at 6pm. They are very interesting. The museums in OSJ close at 4'ish, but stores, bars,restaurants stay open later. Lots of great views and scenery all day/night long.

[cruzinnluvinit]

Our ship does not offer many excursions in San Juan. We would appreciate suggestions of private vendors offering day tours. We loved Sonny Liston in St. Thomas. Any suggestions?

If you want to go to the Bacardi tour, don't pay the 30 or 40 dollars to take a cab. We went to pier 3 I think and took a ferry (ask where it is but be careful one of the guys trying to make the 40 dollars per person got mad at the one that told us the truth about the ferry). It was 50 cents per person and then when it arrives you get a cab that is 3.00 to the plant. They offer 2 tickets for free drinks and you can have them before or after the tour. There is also a gift shop where they sell all their products including red peach (yummy for the free one with passion fruit juice). They also sell one rum that is only sold there. I believe it is aged 10 years or so. We took the ferry back to the dock and very close by there is a segway shop.

 

My DH and our friend then walked to a segway shop and took a tour of 3 hours that took them all around the outside of the island to the castles. They REALLY enjoyed it. We girls shopped of course. We ate at Cuzzins and believe me the food is really good. Make sure you allow extra time they are very busy.

 

Linda

[janetz]

For the 4.5 hr tour we were charged $30 pp - came to $150 for the 5 of us and we also did tip generously!

 

Have fun!

 

 

We have booked Tony for our trip in May but could not decide what to do. We were thinking rain forest. Where exactly did he take you? :) We do not want to sit in a vehicle for 5 hours.

[DreDay]

We just got back from a visit to San Juan, and we booked through Victor at Countryside. We chose the El Yunque tour. I wanted to visit La Mina Falls. His operation was top notch. He was not able to drive us himself due to a family emergency, but he still met us at the ship to explain and then introduced us to our driver, Pablo. Pablo was so nice and informative. We loved our excursion to El Yunque. Victor emailed me later that night and asked how our trip went. I just think that kind of personal attention is first class!!! I would highly recommend him.

[hobbit81]

does countryside have a web site or is it just an email? Sounds very interesting for what we are wanting to do on our port day

[LeoMom]

We just returned from a cruise ending in Puerto Rico. On the day of disembarkation Tony from Coutryside Tours met us with his Lincoln Navigator. My mother-in-law has a problem with stairs and walking long distances but he accommodated this by taking us to places where she could move freely or also have beautiful views from a shaded area. Tony was very knowledgeable and taught us alot about Puerto Rico and the rainforest. I also want to mention the downtown trolley in San Juan - for people with some problems walking the trolley takes you right to the top of the pathway to the fort - saving your extra energy for exploring the fort! We only got started seeing Puerto Rico and would return again.

[LeoMom]

Countryside has a website http://www.freewebs.com/countrysidetourspr/index.htm .

[cricket]

I believe you all that say Countryside Tours is good, but in all honesty, I didn't get much out of their website! It is really poorly done, without prices and the video leaves something to be desired. I think word of mouth is their saving grace. Of course word of mouth is certainly my main reason for choosing a tour guide.

[rainforestgirl]

I believe you all that say Countryside Tours is good, but in all honesty, I didn't get much out of their website! It is really poorly done, without prices and the video leaves something to be desired..

Really, for all it's city and modern ways, PR is not yet computer savey. Most places don't have web sites, and if they do, many are not monitored (like if it says "contact us"- don't expect a reply!). PR is about 15 years behind the US in computers- most people don't have or use email regularly.

So the fact that they have any website space at all is pretty "modern" thinking. And I know they monitor and make comments on these forums, so maybe they will take your comment and improve their site to appeal to their audience.

[trentmister]

Actually if you go to the Tours and Rates tab on their web site you can get pricing info and more details about the tours. We are booked with them in a couple of weeks before our AOS cruise - based on the many positive reviews here. They've been very responsive to my e-mails and are offering my group a special deal. That's much more important to me than how impressive their site is. :)