San Juan, PR

[RubySoho]

I need some help please. My DH and I will be taking our 7yr old DD and 3 yr old DS on their first cruise in Nov.:D We will be in SJ from 10-4 and need some ideas for what to do.

 

I would love to do El Yunque with them, but most of the excursions won't work because of our hours in port. I've also looked at the duck tour, but it's gotten mixed reviews. Any other suggestions? DH and I would love to see the old forts, but I'm afraid the kids will get bored easily.

[CeleBrat]

What time will you be there? We've done a self-tour of the fort, which was fun. Then followed it up with a bit of shopping.

 

We've also "winged it" and got off the ship to see who was offering a tour. We found a guy with a mini-bus, who was offering a 4-hour tour of the city for $20 pp. Stops included the govt building (very pretty!), a nearby oceanside overlook, the city in general, and the fort. Well worth the $20!

 

Another thing I've always wanted to do was bring kites and fly them on the long grassy hill near the fort. Tons of wind there. Maybe next time.

 

CeleBrat

[jam82]

We were just there Sunday with our 2 year old. He liked the forts. Kites are a great idea.

[KnightsofColumbus]

hey jam I posted a reply for you over on the Carnival boards titles "Victory suites" I think you said you were going to be in a cat. 12 suite and might post some pictures.

[sandytoes03]

You're right, El Yunque might not work since it's about an hour away, and you won't be in port that long. If you think they won't like the forts you could always do the beach. But, the beaches have big waves, and are not as gentle as some other places in the Caribbean, so I don't know how that would work with little ones. But at least they could play in the sand. Good luck.

[timothy998]

We had more time in port last month (10a-9p) so had time to visit both El Morro & the rain forest. That said, go to the fort. Walk past the gauntlet of "taxi" drivers at the pier, cross the street, then turn left. Walk about 2 or 3 blocks (it looks "sketchy" but is okay) and pick up a metered taxi. OR, there's a free trolley that runs from the pier to El Morro, which is better since you'll have the time. El Morro cost only a few bucks and the kids (3, 7, 10) really enjoyed exploring. Then we hiked downhill to the cathedral, then further on to the pier. That may be too much for your crew, but it's all downhill and we stopped periodically for souvenirs, and you can stop for snacks, too.

 

It's a great way to explore a Spanish city without leaving the U.S.! Just go downhill (south) and to the left (east) and you'll hit the cathedral then the piers. I put our little one on my shoulders for the trek, so that worked pretty well for him.

 

If anyone in your family is into history, the cathedral holds the bones of Juan Ponce de Leon.

[mia10010]

I was in San Juan last year with my son (8) and we went to El Morro and he had fun exploring the fort, and then he had the best time flying a kite there. There is a local street vendor across the street from El Morro that sells kites for $5. It was amazing how high the kites fly there. I think it is one of the better activities to do with kids. Hope this helps.