grammyprf

Panama Canal in a drought. Some cruise lines have cancelled. What port will be added if you can't go thru the canal? Can you take an excursion to visit from land?

How much to rent at taxi to Peggy Cove?

Visited Old

San Juan last week.  Umbrella street no longer is there. Locals say the government removed it. Disappointed but enjoyed the city and the people!

El Morro fort is it easy to get to? How far from the cruise port? Thanks....

22 hours ago, Aviator of the Seas said:

On and off there are local artisans displaying their wares along Paseo La Princesa, just west of the docks.  If they're not there during your POC, there's a store on Fortaleza street called, literally, Puerto Rican Arts and Crafts.  There are many other stores, but this one serves as sort of an outlet for many independent local artisans, so it is not like I am recommending a specific business (I am a local and CC rules forbid it).

 

Overall, shopping is great around Old San Juan, and by exploring Fortaleza, San Francisco and Cristo streets you will find many opportunities.  It is all perfectly safe.

 

And yes, you will also find many tourist traps that sell junk made in the orient, so be on the lookout for that.

Thanks so much!

Visiting San Juan in March and looking for local craft shops? Traveling alone so are they in a safe neighborhood?  List of shops and location greatly appreciated...Thanks

On ‎10‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 1:45 PM, teknoge3k said:

 

 

Awesome, thanks so much!! I think we're going to go ahead and book this. 

Just take a taxi to the ferry.....

THanks...nice overview! When was this taken? Wondering if Umbrella street back?

25 minutes ago, AlohaLivin said:

Thanks! Yes, it was set up that way, which is why I was confounded. When they were sent the option was set to 'view' - in the new map I had gone down the list and verified each to be sure (and hopefully nothing differs from that). I had assumed Google sent them as I had set them during the sharing process, but had not checked each individually in the shared list since there were quite a number and given my patient schedule and just other important life things I was not able to spend much more time on it than I did (again, assuming it was done correctly). It is what it is, as it goes, but it simply wasn't too pleasant and time I did not have. I chalk it up to Murphy's Law LOL But I do so appreciate that you wanted to help, very much!!

 

@grammyprf  I can understand  that 🙂 But do take a look at the food locations and descriptions and see if you might not find one or two that look tasty to you (most are quite close in to the port, in the SW section of Old San Juan. I hope that you enjoy your trip!

On a budget so eat on the ship but thanks! 

10 hours ago, AlohaLivin said:

❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️

 

It turns out looking at the google drive change logs that 7 people made edits in some way to the walking tour (one took out the food, but others made at least 1 edit since google maps lists the  google account name/email addressees of anyone making an edit. ☹️ A few made several edits on different days. I’m not going to call anybody out, but I assume they realize it occurred and at least a few had to have known that the tour I created was mine and it was shared with them and others vs. given (and that a change by one changes it for all). 

 

 So at the risk of repeating things  - PLEASE do not make changes to the tour. Please! If you do then all these other people won’t be able to use it and that wouldn’t be fair to them nor to me.  😊

Thanks but this is too detailed for us,,,We will just walk around as we are in our 70's. 🙂

On ‎9‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 1:13 PM, AlohaLivin said:

 

I have just sent it over but it gave me an error - google requires a google account to use the map (and apparently forward it to you even). You don't need a gmail account, you can get a google account with your existing email. If you have one and don't want to put it here in a posting, let me know and I can just email you and you can return the information that way 🙂  We will be in your part of the world next June on the Grandeur. The last time I visited I had sprained my ankle 😕 Definitely hoping for a better outcome this time!

 

@palolake your email to the gmail address should be there now 🙂

 

 

Could you send me one too….Thanks       mrsprfmom@comcast.net

Thinking of PR and praying that the people and island are safe from this next hurricane! Godspeed!

More concerned for upcoming hurricane...…..

18 hours ago, Racer70 said:

 

They were not up as of this past week. Local posters on the San Juan message Board on Trip Advisor, seem to think the umbrellas will not be put back up for a variety of reasons.

BUMMER! Seemed like a great tourist attraction! Maybe things will change by January 2020 when we cruise!

8 hours ago, Racer70 said:

We were there last week and the umbrellas on Fortaleza had not been put back up. It was a minor bummer, but OSJ is fully open for business and you'll enjoy your visit when you come.

Any reason why the umbrellas are not up? Going  in January one of my places to visit?

Seatrailer

How far by taxi/cost to Karakter beach? Thanks for information.

22 hours ago, curiousx said:

In February 2019, my partner and I had the pleasure of 3 tours with Ellis. We are usually independent travellers, so why choose a tour?

 

Well, frankly, we did not want to have the hassle of renting a car nor cope with the challenges of driving and navigating in unknown territory.

 

Why choose a personal tour instead of going with a group? We wanted the schedule flexibility offered by a personal tour arrangement, and the ability to tailor destinations to our interests.

 

Why choose Ellis? We read the reviews, looked at the website, and corresponded with him directly. The reviews were enthusiastic, the website was informative, and Ellis always responded quickly and helpfully to our many emails and questions. And his prices were competitive.

 

Where did we go first? We went to the spectacular El Yunque forest only days after the interior roads re-opened. This tour had many beautiful view points...one was an old lighthouse with a tiny museum, overlooking the ocean where an ancient casuarina still struggled to survive. This tour also included a short hike on a well-marked trail to an ice-cold swimming hole where local lads jumped into deep clear fresh water (and we nervous tourists picked our way over stones to the same place!). Ellis’ vehicle was comfortable, air-conditioned, and Ellis was a super driver for these twisty tiny roads.

 

Our second tour was the ‘Mango Daiquiri tour’. Again, many beautiful look-outs, stops at road side snack bars for delicious daiquiris and snacks. 

We were impressed that wherever we stopped, Ellis was known and clearly popular. Among other places, this tour took us to the village of Guavate. We arrived on the day of one of the famous ‘pig roasts’...savoury aromas throughout the village and salsa music filled the air.

 

Our third tour was to see the part of the island hardest hit by Hurricane Maria. It was a real eye-opener. While San Juan is mostly recovered, the hinterland where Ellis lives is still clawing its way back. Ellis shared his experiences of survival during this time, and told us of the community spirit that helped people pull through. We ended this tour day with a few hours at one of Puerto Rico’s beautiful beaches.

 

As a guide, Ellis was informative, thoughtful and very caring. We never felt rushed. We also saw a bit of his tender side...at one stop, he brought some food for a stray dog that he knew had been living there. 

 

We plan to return to Puerto Rico and will definitely be touring with Ellis again.

 

We went on one other tour with a different tour agency to a destination not offered by Ellis. This was a small group tour. The tour guide was hopeless and really little more than a chauffeur (although a very good one). He seemed to know very little of the history, politics or economy of the country (in fact we ended up sharing with our little group information we had learned from Ellis).

 

Our only regret is that it took so long to write this review and share our wonderful experiences with others!

 

https://www.facebook.com/EllisPRTours/

Wondering how long are the tours and  the cost per person?  Couldn't find website?

On ‎7‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 7:09 AM, marys350 said:

Yes, free lockers. No, you must pay to enter the water park, even if you don't plan to ride the slides.

What's the price to enter the park? I don't do waterslides but my husband does?

14 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

The Bermuda government raised port fees effective April 1, 2019. The fee increase proposal that was reported in the article link was passed on March 15.

http://www.royalgazette.com/tourism/article/20190307/new-taxes-on-cruise-ship-passengers-tabled

 

Do you think they want another pier built? Will be interesting to see if more people won't cruise to Bermuda making it harder for cruiselines to fill their ships!

It seems the port fees have gone way up...higher than the Caribbean. Anyone know why? So disappointing as we live one hour from Boston so no air.

Does MSC  Seaside let you print their luggage tags at home before you board the ship?

Good info about Turtle beach close to the Seaside. Just curious how was the ship? Have heard mixed reviews especially about the food/ entertainment on board? Thanks

jcathers1 - if you're on the Seaside you'll be right at Turtle Beach. (We just got back from our Seaside cruise :) ) Just walk straight off the ship towards the taxi's and out of the port security gate.(don't go all the way to main street).Take an immediate left at security gate and walk towards fishing boats and along the water to the right. There will be an entrance to the end of Turtle Beach there and a booth to pay the small admission fee. We did have a local that walked with us, which was fine (if you don't want anyone just tell them). He brought us drinks throughout the day and stopped by periodically to see if we needed anything. Gets you chairs if you want to rent them, etc. We just tipped him at the end of the day. Overall it was a nice day. The beach feels safe (I wouldn't venture outside the gates though).

Visited sea glass beach this week! WONDERFUL!

Dockyard bus #7 to Naval cemetery cross street by boarded up buildings then walk toward beach!

Thanks...how far is the walk? Is it a long walk?:cool:

You could also walk from the Dockyards, cross the bridge(s) and bear right at the apartments. Look for the Convict's Cemetery on your right go through it and toward the water and you will see the path to the Sea Glass beach..

Thanks.....

A route #7 or #8 bus will get you there. Ask to be let off at the Royal Naval Cemetery. TCross the street and keep walking towards the water. When you reach the water or are close to, turn right to walk along the water's edge until you reach the sea glass beach. Or you may see a narrow drive behind some buildings, walk on the drive until you see a path or walkway to the beach.

 

SBtS