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We walked over to El Morro. I was there last year, and one of my friends had just had knee surgery a month prior to the trip. I knew she wouldn't be able to handle all the stairs in the fort, so she and I sat near the seawall and did some people watching while the other three went inside.

Did I mention that it was a windy week?

After the rest of the crew finished their tour, we caught the free trolley down into Old San Juan.

First we ordered a couple of pitchers of sangria. Our "youngster" was the only one at the table who got carded. The first running joke of the trip had been firmly established.

I ordered the combination platter, with roast pork, rice with pigeon peas, fried plantains, and a corn cake. The pork was juicy and delicious, and I absolutely fell in love with the plantains.

One of my friends had the trifongo (no picture, sorry), and it was to die for. I highly recommend that dish to anyone who visits the restaurant. After dinner, we stopped at Walgreens to pick up our carry-on wine. We sat around the pool at the hotel for a little while, but we were all exhausted from traveling and went to bed early.

The next morning was embarkation day! We slept in, ate breakfast at the hotel, and caught a cab to the port at around 10 am. We dropped our bags with the porters and then headed into Old San Juan to explore.

One of my friends is a certified crazy cat lady, so she was in absolute heaven during our walk.

Hello, everyone!

I am quite late in posting this review, but I know everyone always enjoys reading about the San Juan route, so here goes. I (30, female) traveled with four friends: three women (28, 29, and 36) and one man/husband (29 - not mine!). I apologize in advance if the embedded images are gigantic; Photobucket is not being very cooperative with my resizing efforts.

Three of the five in our group live in the Nashville area, and two of us live in Knoxville. We got a good deal on a Southwest flight out of Nashville, to two of us drove from Knoxville to Nashville the night before our flight. We had a 7 am flight out of Nashville on May 9th, with a layover in Orlando. Leaving early on a Saturday morning meant short, easy lines. We also had very cheerful TSA agents in the security line. One asked where we were going and then asked the "youngster" of our group, at 28, whether she was old enough to drink. Given the 4:30 am wakeup call, we all got a kick out of that! Soon enough, we were winging our way towards Puerto Rico.

The San Juan airport is/was apparently under construction. After some minor confusion, we finally found the correct baggage carousel and claimed our bags. Although the taxi line was a bit long, it was managed efficiently. Our taxi driver was friendly and professional. We had toyed with the idea of renting a car. I was glad, after this ride, that we did not. Driving in San Juan is not for the faint of heart!

We stayed both pre- and post-cruise at the Comfort Inn in the Condado area. The hotel is currently under renovations, but the parts that have been finished are quite attractive. The rooms were VERY small but clean and functional, which is all I really require from a short-duration hotel room. After dropping our bags, we headed out to explore the surrounding area. The beach was only a few blocks away.

The one male in our group, unable to contain his inner child any longer, dove right in (literally).

This beach is very windy, with high surf.

After a short walk on the beach, we were ready to eat. We decided to give Orozco's a chance, and it was an excellent choice! Food porn in the next post...

Has anyone here ever tried this excursion? Some friends and I are considering it for our May cruise and aren't finding a lot of feedback.

If you did it, how long was the bus ride to/from the kayak location? How much time do you get to spend at the Pigeon Island location?

Thanks!

We are planning on 7 pm, and we're on the May 10th sailing. If you get a chance, please let me know how that time works out for your group!

Thank you! That's exactly what I needed to know.

Some friends and I are sailing on the Liberty out of San Juan next month, and we'd like to dine in the Steakhouse the first night since the MDR will be open seating that night. Since the departure time is so late on this trip, we'll be eating before muster/sailaway. Has anyone ever done this before? What time do you recommend that we make our reservation so that we aren't rushed through dinner?

The next morning our daughter, Lacey & SIL, Charlie got off the Triumph

Lacey and I rode together on the TTU team in college and are still good friends. Small world!

How are the roads in Knoxville now? We are heading home and plan to stop there tonight.

I'm sorry that I didn't see this reply until now (this lovely weather has created a sinkhole right next to my house...), but, as I'm sure you've already figured out, the interstates and primary surface streets are back to normal. Secondary streets thawed out quite a bit today but may still have some slushy accumulations that will refreeze tonight when the temperatures drop again.

Did you have a connection through a southeastern airport (Nashville/Atlanta/etc.)? Because that's probably your problem. We've been dealing with significant ice and snow since Monday. Here in Knoxville, we hit above freezing (a whooping 35 degrees) at 6 pm tonight for the first time since Sunday morning. Everything has been pretty well shut down almost all week here. I really hope you were able to make your cruise!

EXACTLY!! Sorry, but I do not believe in Evolution and did not like that commercial at all!

Way to completely miss the point...

BTW, not to derail the topic, but, "believe" it or not, evolution is a scientific fact.

Those 45 and over got it and most probably liked it, regardless of political leanings. Those under 45...and let's face it, the majority would not know who President Kennedy was, much less understand his sense of adventure on and off the planet, might give it a thumbs down.

 

The spot aimed higher than the young booze n cruise, inked up crowd which is a definite plus. On the other hand, that demo is the future, so take that with a grain of salt..in your blood or on the water...or on my margarita.

Try again, my friend. At age 30, my favorite part about this commercial was the inclusion of the JFK speech.

I'm glad to see this got bumped up because this was a great review! As a solo cruiser, I love reading other solo reviews. That excursion in St. Maarten looks like a lot of fun. If I ever make it back there I'll have to be on the lookout for it. Also I checked out John's You Tube videos and saw the one with you in it. He seems like quite an animated character. lol Did I hear him say that this was a singles cruise, or did he mean this is the singles table at dinner? I bet we'd have fun if we ever ended up as solos on a cruise together! :)

 

ETA I forgot about that scooter thingy in St. Thomas. I wanna try that too now. haha

I missed this reply until now; I'm very sorry about the delayed response. This was not a singles cruise, but we were certainly a table of singles. John and Spencer, one of our table mates, had previously met on an organized singles cruise, though. They just happened to run into one another on the first day, which is how Spencer ended up at our table. Small world!

I have no doubt that we would have a blast on a cruise together! Some friends and I have booked the Liberty out of San Juan in May...

Since our Canadian summers are normally in the 70's and 80's F, flip flops and shorts would be the norm. :)

Haha. Maybe in Canada. Down here, the 70s are just barely t-shirt weather. I don't break out the shorts until the temperatures hit 90+!

This excursion drops you back off at the yacht club right on the boardwalk in Phillipsburg, near the water taxi. I didn't go over to Maho after my race, but I think you would have plenty of time. It was a fantastic excursion - I highly recommend it!

Last August, a friend of mine had to put her Girl Scouts leader skills to the test and rescue a fellow cruise passenger during our kayak and snorkel excursion in Grand Cayman. He nearly drowned in FOUR FEET of water because he freaked out when a wave temporarily lifted him too high to feel the sandy bottom. The guide was too far away to get to him in time, so my 5'2" friend towed this 5'10" 300+ lb man to safety, with him flailing and screaming the whole time. If you can't swim, stay out of the water - you risk endangering not just your life but the lives of everyone who will feel compelled to help you if something goes wrong.

I am in the same boat (ship) as you but for a different date. Was going to book this week and now hoping no price increase with the change to Liberty. So much for my hours of research on the Valor reading reviews and trip reports! At least the itinerary seems to be staying the same so some of my research is still usable. Off to check out info on the Liberty!

Good news! I was able to get booked tonight! (Only 255 days until we sail...) The prices did not appear to have changed much, if at all, with the ship change, at least as of 6 pm Eastern time. I snagged a port side Lido Deck balcony for three for just under $700/person. :D

I just got off the phone with my PVP. I was attempting to book the May 10 Valor cruise after pricing it last night. She told me that my sailing was "locked" until 5 pm today due to a ship change. Supposedly, I will be able to book the sailing on the new ship this evening. So, for those who have questions about ships and itineraries, the answers should theoretically be available soon. I just hope the prices don't go up due to this change - I don't care what ship I'm on, but I would have booked last night to "lock in" that rate had I known this was going to happen. Lesson learned.

Great review! Did you get any pics of the new things on the ship like the Red Frog Pub?

I didn't really take any pictures in the Pub. I'm sorry.

Great review...thanks..i know what it means every time one kind of reinforces solo is as good as with...it is so good to know...not to wait on the world and when a solo table clicks.

it is fabulous.

 

Getting to Paradise point? I have only been there once a million years ago and shopped and snorkel excursioned. I love how you used the ship midway..is it a cheap taxi up there or is there a tourist lift. Can't remember...and did you feel safe doing this cab alone there or this part alone...would you feel safe shopping, lunching, and doing that alone for a day? sorry for wording too lazy to redo..LOL..thanks for review again...you looked so happy!!!

The sky lift to Paradise Point is literally right across the street from the port shopping area. No taxi required. The ticket to ride up is $19.99 if purchased on board; I think it might be slightly more if you purchase it on the island. I felt absolutely safe being alone to walk over there, eat, shop around the port, etc. The only "danger" element is the ridiculous traffic, but there were police officers there to keep things under control at the major cross-over points. I did not stray any further away from the port than Paradise Point, so I can't say how safe I would have felt alone outside that area.

Great review, glad you had a MAGICAL cruise. Do you know if the sports court was open on your cruise? Thanks, Gary:rolleyes:

I believe that the sports court was closed for the majority of the cruise. I'm not sure if that was a construction issue or a wind problem (there were several times that the upper decks were closed due to high winds).

Great Review. We are thinking of a cruise on the Freedom in Oct. or Nov.

 

Thank you for taking the time to do it and post it. Do you have the Fun Times? Will you post them?

 

thanks again. Looks like you had a lovely cruise but that you would have a good time no matter where you sailed!!! Cheers to You!

Thank you!

I'm sorry, but I didn't keep or take pictures of the FunTimes.

Hi, Thanks so much for the review. Was the Tandoor grill still there on the lido deck aft? I've heard it is not, I love the Indian food served there. Sailing on the Freedom on the 22nd of June.

I don't believe there was a Tandoor grill. If there was, I never saw it, and it was never listed in the FunTimes with the other dining options.

Do you know if they offered luggage express?

Yes, I believe that Luggage Express was offered on this cruise, although I didn't take advantage of it.

Wonderful review!!! I cannot wait to visit the Red Frog Pub. Did you go to the Blue Iguana? I'll be on the Freedom in June and am anxious to see all the upgrades.

 

Loved seeing your pictures - looks like you had a fabulous cruise. Thanks for sharing!!

Thank you! Yes, I did have lunch from the Blue Iguana one day. I thought the food was very tasty, and I liked that the burrito wasn't gigantic (like a typical Qdoba/Moe's/etc. serving). I wished that there was a greater variety of toppings offered, but overall I give it a thumbs up.