Aviator of the Seas
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Posts posted by Aviator of the Seas
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On 3/22/2023 at 12:54 PM, sh1955 said:
The information I am finding indicates that as a port of call, the Getaway will dock at pier 1 near Old San Juan. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks!
Pier 1 in Old san Juan is closed/condemned/unusable.
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On 4/1/2023 at 12:02 PM, sh1955 said:
I just called them again this morning, and according to their internal information, we’re docking at the Pan Am Pier East.
However, according to crew-center.com, we are docking at Pier 3 East.
This is so frustrating!!!I guess I won’t be making any plans until I actually get there and find out where we are docked!
NCL's turnaround operations (embark/debark) are performed at the PanAm pier. Pier 3 is only for Port of Call operations. Pier 3 has no facilities (terminal) to handle embarking or debarking passengers.
Carnival, which used to use Pier 4, is not doing homeport out of San Juan anymore and not for the foreseeable future.
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If you can't get there and wish you could, you could donate to Save-a-Gato directly. They need the help.
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The port of San Juan is in 'transition' right now. The Puerto Rico Ports Authority, which runs the cruise ship piers, is bankrupt along with the rest of the government. Literally. The entire Puerto Rico government is going through a U.S. Bankruptcy procedure and it is under the financial control of a federal supervisory board. That's going to take another couple of years to surpass.
In the meantime, the authorities are turning over operations like the cruise ship ports to Private-Public Partnerships (PPPs). Global Ports Holdings won the bid to manage the cruise ship ports - over the objections of several cruise lines including Carnival and RCI. They were supposed to take over this year, but apparently they have been unsuccessful in securing financing and we haven't heard from them again. If you go to their social media, for example: https://www.facebook.com/sanjuancruiseport, you'll see that there hasn't been any updates since November 2022.
So, not much is being done. The PR Ports Authority is performing minimum maintenance to the facilities, which are in serious disrepair. Therefore, cruise lines have not much to plan on and are on a wait-and-see attitude, in my opinion.
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On 12/31/2022 at 8:31 PM, cruisingcasual said:
We are visitng San Juan for the first time this spring. We don't really want to walk around Old San Juan, that seems to be the go to from what I've seen. I was looking at some beach/food options, and Pinones has come up a few times. Anyone familiar with this area, have any advice to share?
Piñones is a popular locals hang out for food and beach. The first quarter mile or so of that strip might look shanty-like to some. It's just an unplanned mess of eateries. If you go further along the road, it is very nice. The problem is that this is a "remote" area, meaning a likely cell phone dead zone for most services, so getting an Uber or even a taxi back from there is a challenge. There is a city bus that runs along, but service is also spotty. Best bet is to rent a car but on weekends traffic can be a nightmare. Again, very popular locals hang out. If you're not up to this type of "adventure" I'd suggest Ocean Park beach between the Condado and Isla Verde districts.
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On 12/30/2022 at 4:43 PM, Maedie1 said:
I found out that the place I was thinking of is called El Yunque National Park! I decided to rent a car instead and drive there.
For the actual El Yunque National Forest, you need to make reservations for your car at recreation.gov. The park rangers won't let you into the recreation area without a reservation. This is a US federal agency that runs the park. many "tour guides" will try to snooker you into buying a tour for the periphery of the actual park. Be aware. Tour Guides with a 'YNF'-number permit are allowed inside the park.
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On 11/15/2022 at 9:12 AM, EatonDoolittle said:
Maybe @Aviator of the Seas can confirm for us next time he posts.
He lives locally and always has great up to date info.
Agree with PP, I always liked to ride up to the fort and walk back down, shopping and cocktailing along the way.
This past May, a cab charged me $25 to ride up to El Convento 😡, which is about half way.
It cut into my mojito budget for sure!
The Trolley is not up yet. They just have three 5-pax golf carts running around. Sorry.
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On 11/15/2022 at 9:12 AM, EatonDoolittle said:
Maybe @Aviator of the Seas can confirm for us next time he posts.
He lives locally and always has great up to date info.
Agree with PP, I always liked to ride up to the fort and walk back down, shopping and cocktailing along the way.
This past May, a cab charged me $25 to ride up to El Convento 😡, which is about half way.
It cut into my mojito budget for sure!
Hey, thanks. I don't know but I will find out.
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On 10/7/2022 at 3:20 PM, basenji56 said:
Just following up. No rules have been reinstated, right?
Nope. All good.
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On 9/22/2022 at 3:36 PM, lucyjlou said:
Thank you for the update. I hope things improve soon for everyone affected
My husband and I are scheduled to do a weeklong trip in old San Juan in about three weeks. I am wondering if we should change our plans? Are they saying power and water will be restored soon? We are staying a few days in old San Juan and a few days in the Condado area on the beach. Do you think we will have any issues? We arrive to the island October 10
Hi, sorry for the delay in responding. We're already back to normal in San Juan. Power and water services are restored.
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2 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:
Been wondering about this. So currently no cruising in or out of San Juan I presume? I feel so bad for all of you there. Still not fully recovered from Maria and now more devastation.
No cruising out of San Juan right now but that was the case during the summer before the storm. This year no cruise line has a summer homeport in San Juan. That is scheduled to resume in the fall with Royal Caribbean first, in October I think, then NCL, then Viking, etc.
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Hi all,
Overwhelming day yesterday in Puerto Rico with Hurricane Fiona. The emergency is still going on due to continued torrential rains, especially up in the mountains and the southwest portion of the big island.
Otherwise, San Juan suffered minimal damage. Just no power and running water right now and for a couple more days. But we should be back to near normal pretty soon. Your fall and winter plans should not be affected.
That is all!
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This reference is in Spanish. As soon as I find one in English, I'll try posting it here.
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The same operator as Barcelona, Valetta, Malaga and others, has been selected by the Government of Puerto Rico to run the cruise piers in San Juan Harbor.
Just announced in a presser by the Governor of Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Ports Authority and Global Ports Holding.
Good or bad? Have you had any experience at the other ports managed by this company?
The chief local complaint is that they will take over ALL services, to include port agency, passenger transportation, sightseeing tours, shops, restaurants, etc.
Now, everyone agrees that the cruise ship piers in San Juan need investment, and the Government of Puerto Rico is broke and can't afford that, but to establish a monopoly which the major cruise lines have objected to (see earlier post that includes the letter from the cruise lines)...
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Aerostar Airport Holdings, the San Juan airport operator, announced today that they will make masks optional IAW the TSA's decision not to continue enforcing the federal mask mandate on airlines, public transit and transportation hubs because of the US District Court decision.
Making commercial flying a little less sucky.
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On 3/22/2022 at 8:14 PM, GonzoWCS said:
Any word how things are going now in PR?
Cheers
Everything back to normal, except with the usual fearmongers trying to stir up something with "the new variant", so who knows about next week, or the following.
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On 1/18/2020 at 5:36 PM, VTcruisenut said:
Are there any private tour companies that offer catamaran sails in San Juan? our shore excursions on our ship don't offer one, there is a sail boat sail, but not the catamaran. Thanks in advance!
Catamaran/Snorkeling/Booze cruises sail out of the Fajardo marinas, an hour drive east of San Juan. Most offer pickups from many San Juan area hotels. As a local I can't make any specific recommendations but I am sure if you Google ''snorkeling catamaran puerto rico' or some such, you'll get immediate results.
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10 hours ago, KKB said:
Interesting...those on the Edge seemed to think that they WILL be hitting SJ THIS week...
The Edge is docked in Old San Juan right now.
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The Governor of Puerto Rico just announced, today, March 7, 2022:
- The Travel Declaration/Proof of vaccine or test status/Infamous QR code required to enter Puerto Rico will be eliminated after March 10, 2022. That is, March 10, 2022 is the last day those will be required.
- Compulsory use of masks indoors/outdoors eliminated, although the federal requirement for ports and airports remain.
- Vaccine or test screening at commercial establishments like restaurants is no longer compulsory, but business owners may keep doing it for their own businesses if they want.
The Governor's Twitter is in Spanish, but here it is:
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On 3/4/2022 at 9:42 PM, Ashland said:
Thank you so much....I appreciate your help.
The Governor of Puerto Rico just announced that the travel declaration requirement will be eliminated after this Thursday, March 10, 2022!
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On 2/25/2022 at 5:35 PM, Ashland said:
Any idea if you can just fill out the travel declaration when you land at the airport?...Having trouble downloading my vaccine card on their website.
You can do it when you land, but it is better if you have it before hand AND print or take a screen shot of your QR code. If you have Verizon or AT&T as your cell phone carrier, you might have issues accessing the internet in San Juan and pulling your QR code from the app.
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On 2/5/2022 at 2:20 PM, Maraprince said:
Hearing that San Juan is not allowing cruise passengers off to visit this port. True?
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On 1/29/2022 at 8:07 AM, janroatan said:
Also looking for official confirmation link
Is it thought that NCL will provide this update in their Covid mandate info?
Here's the official word, attached.
2022-004 - Circular Letter All Cruise Lines - Passengers - Crew and Others-3.pdf
San Sebastián Festival in Old San Juan is Jan. 18 - 21, 2024
in San Juan, PR
Posted
The San Sebastián Festival is the largest mass event on the island, which traditionally closes out our very long Christmas season. It will run this year from Thursday, January 18 to Sunday, January 21, 2024.
If you never heard of this festival, hundreds of thousands of people descend on Old San Juan for the festivities, mostly Thursday and Friday night and all day Saturday and Sunday. Traffic will be affected immensely to go in and out of the Old City, so give yourselves plenty of time to navigate the traffic and the crowds if your ship happens to be at Piers 3 or 4 that weekend.
Good luck and have fun!