There is so much to see and do in Old San Juan. It’s one of the most loved cruise ports and it’s SO easy to explore Old San Juan on your own! So, why did we book “San Juan on Your Own – A Royal Caribbean excursion? Well, it can be explained in one simple word. Luggage.
We had a late afternoon flight on disembarkation day and wanted to explore Old San Juan. We had plenty of time but…what would we do with our luggage? Yes, we could have taken a taxi back to the Intercontinental San Juan Hotel, where we stayed before boarding our cruise. I’m sure they would have held it for us. But then we would have taken another taxi to Old San Juan…then back to the Intercontinental and then on to the airport.
That seemed like a lot of wasted time and cab fare!
Instead, we booked a Royal Caribbean sponsored excursion Old San Juan on Your Own – with airport drop off – for a fee of $39 per person. For this charge, we received transportation from the cruise port to Old San Juan, a few hours on our own to explore and then transportation on to the airport.
AND…they kept our luggage and had it waiting at the airport for us.
We made our way through customs at the cruise port with our group. We loaded our luggage onto a truck (that made us a bit nervous) then boarded a shuttle bus that would take us to Plaza de Colon in Old San Juan.
High on my wishlist for Old San Juan – Castillo San Felipe del Morro, “El Morro” and Castillo San Cristobal, both of which are within walking distance of Plaza Colon. Actually, Castillo San Cristobal is quite close. But, being mindful of our time, we decided to set out for El Morro (20-30 minute walk….if you are taking pics along the way as I do) and work our way back to our group rendezvous point back at Plaza de Colon.
Castillo San Felipe del Morro, “El Morro”
What a cool space. It was a little rainy during our visit but the views were still amazing. I just love how you can see kids and even sports teams running around on the beautiful lawn outside the fort. The long majestic path leading up to the fort. It’s quite spectacular.
In case you are wondering, yes, these photos were taken on the same day. The one above, about an hour earlier than the one below.
The Entrance fee is $7 and is valid at both Castillo San Felipe del Morro, “El Morro” and Castillo San Cristobal. They offer guided tours or you are welcome to explore on your own.
We only had a few hours in town so we enjoyed El Morro for about an hour then started on the path toward Castillo San Cristobal. This was another 20-30 minute walk but given the beautiful views, it may take you longer with all of the photo-ops!
There is supposed to be a trolley or shuttle that will take tourists from one to the other. But, when we asked, we were told we could walk there in less time that it would take waiting for the shuttle. Ah…island time. 🙂
We prefer to walk and it’s a beautiful path. I’m sure there is a shuttle or trolley bus but we never saw one during our visit.
Castillo San Cristobal
We ended our time visiting Old San Juan by paying homage to one of the world’s most popular mixed drink – the Pina Colada, said to have been born in Puerto Rico. It was lovely!
For the worrier’s out there like me, our luggage was safe at the airport. All of the luggage was supervised and well organized in rows right outside the doors entering the airport terminal.
If you have the opportunity to sail from, have a port of call to, or a land vacation in San Juan take it! It’s a wonderful place to visit. It is full of culture, friendly people and so much to do.
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Happy Travels!
Jillian
San Juan is one of our ports of call for our April 2020 Harmony of the Seas cruise. Do you have any “can’t miss” adventures in San Juan? I just got the Frommers Easy Guide to Puerto Rico, but haven’t started looking at it yet.
Hi Debbie, You are probably sick of hearing this after reading my post but San Juan is super easy to explore on your own. There is so much right in Old San Juan to see. As long as you don’t have mobility issues (the streets are narrow and typically uneven) just explore on your own. If walking a lot isn’t your thing, there are many tours to see the sites and to eat yummy food. I hope you love it too! 🙂 Jill