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Cruising from San Juan, Puerto Rico - Questions


Gamecock_Cruiser
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I have been getting last minute casino offers at GREAT deals, and haven't been able to consider them due to work deadlines. Some more are now showing up, and one is a cruise from San Juan, and i have some questions.

 

I see that the ship doesn't depart until 9pm, so what time does boarding start?

 

Since the ship doesn't leave until 9, would we be crazy flying in the morning up? There are several flights that arrive early enough, unless something comes up, and we are aware of the consequences.

 

Does this cruise REQUIRE a passport since it is US territory? One person considering going does not have a passport.

 

Thanks!

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1. Boarding starts around 1:00 if I remember.

2. Yes, you can fly in same day if you want to chance it. But weather and other stuff can always happen. My friend and wife flew in same day for San Juan cruise, and there was a huge delay due to some maintenance issue. They didn't land until 7:30 pm and almost missed the ship.

3. No, you do not need a passport, although cruising with one is always preferable.

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Boarding generally starts sometime between 11 am and 12 pm.

 

Flying in the day of a cruise is always riskier. While the ship leaves late, there are fewer air options if one is delayed en route.

 

The cruise will be visiting foreign ports. If it is a closed loop cruise, i.e. returns to San Juan, one can get by with an official birth certificate and photo id. However, passports are always a good idea.

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There is always a chance that something can happen, and that is why when I fly and cruise together, I always take out "insurance". We will be leaving San Juan the end of March at 9:00PM as well. Our flight (yes it is taking a chance, but I have done it before, and never had a problem) gets in around 4:40PM, but I figured by then, most people are on the ship, so we won't have to stand in line, etc. to get on the ship.

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We just did this cruise in March and took a direct flight from the DC area; the flight was the first of the day around 8 am and we were in San Juan by 1 pm. If you chose a flight like that, there is very little chance of problems, though insurances is always recommended.

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Absolutely love leaving from San Juan. It's like a vacation before the vacation. We stayed at the hotel right across from the port and literally walked our luggage over the morning of. You can also get on, get situated, get unpacked, and then get off and explore SJ. The birthplace of the Pina Colada is less than half a mile from the cruise port (Barachina), and Manolin's serves amazing PR food

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We flew from RDU to Charlotte and then had a direct flight from Charlotte to San Juan on the same day of our cruise. We got there in plenty of time. We boarded the ship and then left and went across the street to CVS for essentials and walked the waterfront. Then we boarded and it was a long time until 9!

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San Juan is my favorite embarkation port. We love sailing past the fort all lit up after sunset. We did have a flight issue and instead of arriving at 2:00 PM we ended up arriving at midnight. It’s a great thing we flew the day before.

 

 

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We just cruised out of San Juan on September 16th. We had planned to fly in on the 15th but due to Hurricane Florence we flew in on Sept. 13 (we were suppose to fly from Knoxville to Charlotte). We had priority boarding, so we got to the cruise terminal at 11 AM. We dropped off our bags at our cabin and went back out to pick up sodas and wine. We loved the 9 PM sail away. San Juan has so much to offer that I would encourage you to book this cruise.

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Get in early as you can at least the day before. So much to do. Take the ferry to the Bacardi distillery which is near where carnival docks. The distillery is known as the Cathedral of Rum. You can also explore old town San Juan with its restaurants the old fort. San Juan is one of our favorite ports!

 

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Last thing you want to start your vacation with is sweating whether you will make it to the ship before departure because the crew of your airplane is out of hours or there is a mechanical problem or a storm causing delays. I'd rather be disappointed I missed my pre-cruise sightseeing in the departure port than stressing over what to do if I miss departure.

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