Fmaclean Posted November 2, 2017 #176 Share Posted November 2, 2017 Anyone has the option of flying to a SJU gateway city such as Miami...Atlanta etc. depending on airline and hometown. Take a nice airport hotel there and an early flight the next day to SJU...I don't see where that very good option is not available to everyone and could eliminate this Russian Roulette game so many seem to be playing with the hotels. Not when you are flying in from the East Coast of Canada on United who will not refund the first let of your ticket from Halifax to Newark. The only United flight to San Juan from Newark is 7:30 am on either Friday or Saturday morning arriving SJ at 12:20 pm. Again ticket is non-refundable. Would you be willing to take that chance - not me!!!! That flight might be just fine and land on time....and maybe there will be a three hour delay - which has happened to me many times on many airlines. I'm not going to miss the boat, I'll take my chances by leaving on Friday. Been to San Juan before. We'll make it work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercruiser Posted November 2, 2017 #177 Share Posted November 2, 2017 . . . The only United flight to San Juan from Newark is 7:30 am on either Friday or Saturday morning arriving SJ at 12:20 pm. Again ticket is non-refundable. Would you be willing to take that chance - not me!!!! That flight might be just fine and land on time....and maybe there will be a three hour delay - which has happened to me many times on many airlines. I'm not going to miss the boat, I'll take my chances by leaving on Friday. Been to San Juan before. We'll make it work! Pretty much everyone in my roll call, and unmentionable social media group, have changed our flights to day of arrival. Most are arriving in the 11 to 2pm time frame for a 830 pm sailing. They are on early, ns flights from Newark, Philly, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and Florida airports. So yes, most of us are more willing to take the flight delay chance than the sleeping in SJU airport chance. Our roll-call has a few that are optimistic about their San Juan hotel reservations and are arriving the day ahead. There is no right or wrong answer here. We will all make our best choice, based on our perceptions of risk, and then deal with the outcome, whatever it may be. Good luck and best wishes for a safe and uneventful trip to San Juan. Sent from my P027 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmacchirol Posted November 2, 2017 #178 Share Posted November 2, 2017 Pretty much everyone in my roll call, and unmentionable social media group, have changed our flights to day of arrival. Most are arriving in the 11 to 2pm time frame for a 830 pm sailing. They are on early, ns flights from Newark, Philly, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and Florida airports. So yes, most of us are more willing to take the flight delay chance than the sleeping in SJU airport chance. Our roll-call has a few that are optimistic about their San Juan hotel reservations and are arriving the day ahead. There is no right or wrong answer here. We will all make our best choice, based on our perceptions of risk, and then deal with the outcome, whatever it may be. Good luck and best wishes for a safe and uneventful trip to San Juan. Sent from my P027 using Forums mobile app Well said Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmaclean Posted November 2, 2017 #179 Share Posted November 2, 2017 Pretty much everyone in my roll call, and unmentionable social media group, have changed our flights to day of arrival. Most are arriving in the 11 to 2pm time frame for a 830 pm sailing. They are on early, ns flights from Newark, Philly, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and Florida airports. So yes, most of us are more willing to take the flight delay chance than the sleeping in SJU airport chance. Our roll-call has a few that are optimistic about their San Juan hotel reservations and are arriving the day ahead. There is no right or wrong answer here. We will all make our best choice, based on our perceptions of risk, and then deal with the outcome, whatever it may be. Good luck and best wishes for a safe and uneventful trip to San Juan. Sent from my P027 using Forums mobile app Hell I thought the boat left at 4pm!!!!! 8:30!!! We definitely could have made that work on Saturday morning. LOL! Been on this cruise before and thought it left at 4! Anyway.;...too late now. At least I'll have most of the day on the boat regardless....Its all an adventure!!! Can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyme2care Posted November 2, 2017 #180 Share Posted November 2, 2017 I believe Courtyard Marriott Miramar is now also on this list as we received cancellation for Dec 6-8. Back up hotel also cancelled and I see it's on the list already. Thanks for posting - very helpful! We've rebooked our flight to arrive morning of cruise departure. Today the governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, along with La Fortaleza de PR and FEMA, announced that temporary accommodation assistance is available to Puerto Rico residents who can't return to their homes because they were displaced as a result Of hurricanes Irma and Maria. This is one of several short-term housing options that are being offered to cover the demand for safe housing after storms. Temporary Accommodation Assistance (TSA) allows eligible applicants to stay in a hotel or motel for a limited time, such as a bridge to medium and long-term housing. FEMA pays all costs and taxes for the rooms directly to the participating hotels and motels. This link shows the approved Transitional Sheltering Hotels in the San Juan Area: http://fema.maps.arcgis.com/apps/web...59aba91dd9e307 The 14 Approved Hotels are: HOTEL EL CONVENTO SHERATON OLD SAN JUAN COQUI DEL MAR GUEST HOUSE WIND CHIMES BOUTIQUE HOTEL ACACIA BOUTIQUE HOTEL RADISSON AMBASSADOR HOTEL BEST WESTERN PLUS HYATT HOUSE SAN JUAN RAMADA HOTEL CONDADO WIND CHIMES BOUTIQUE HOTEL CASA DEL CARIBE CONDADO PLAZA HILTON CARIBE HILTON EL CANARIO INN DOUBLETREE BY HILTON SAN JUAN COMFORT INN & SUITES - CAMPOMAR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatM Posted November 2, 2017 #181 Share Posted November 2, 2017 We are from NY also and it is 50/50- the snow may get you depending upon when you are cruising! Good luck. Best to get a room by the airport The forecast for Albany on 11/18 will be 49 degrees with a bit of rain and snow. Hopefully the snow will melt before it hits the ground, lol. Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Azulann Posted November 2, 2017 #182 Share Posted November 2, 2017 Anyone has the option of flying to a SJU gateway city such as Miami...Atlanta etc. depending on airline and hometown. Take a nice airport hotel there and an early flight the next day to SJU...I don't see where that very good option is not available to everyone and could eliminate this Russian Roulette game so many seem to be playing with the hotels. Are you flying in the same day as your cruise? Do you worry about snow or ice delays? Or is it just a short hop from Florida, which would be the only option. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readytolose Posted November 2, 2017 #183 Share Posted November 2, 2017 We just changed our flights to arrive the day of departure. We will fly from WI to Orlando and spend 2 days there and then fly into PR Saturday morning with an arrival time of 10:15am. I'll be praying for no delays and can be on the ship by noon! The uncertainty of will our hotel cancel or won't they got the best of me. Now I can relax and start packing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple small flower Posted November 3, 2017 #184 Share Posted November 3, 2017 Arrived San Juan on November 2nd afternoon with beautiful sky! We got to our hotel, Casa Blanca by a taxi with no problem except there is a road block for some kind of celebration or rally ??, so we have to walk about 50 meter to our hotel. The staff put us on 5th floor. As per hotel staff the elevator is not safe when using the generator and we have to walk up to 5th floor, luckily both of us still have some leg muscles 😊😊. A young men took our luggages up to our room, he was happy to receive some tips. We have air conditioning! We met a nice couple at the hotel roof top, they too are going on the same cruise on Saturday. We walked to many of the attractions feeling quite lonely, there weren't too many tourists. All the streets look fine, except they haven't cleared a hugh tree on the street opposite the church. There were many polices prepared for the celebration or rally, something about Maria. I didn't understanding what they were saying. We went to Super Max to get water and snack, people are friendly and welcoming us. We ate at a restaurant close by, food was delicious. By the time we finished, it was getting dark, we can see a lot of the buildings have no lights. With safety in mind, we decided to go back to the hotel. We are now so looking forward to get on Celebrity Summit on Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Boys&aDad Posted November 3, 2017 #185 Share Posted November 3, 2017 So we got off Adventure today in Barbados because there were no flights home to Canada for several days after our normal disembarkation. Met several people who had stayed in hotels in SJ the night before departure. Apparently many of the hotels run the generators during the day and shut them off at night - shutting down the AC. Don't open the windows unless you are fine with being chewed on by mosquitoes. These people looked like walking pin cushions. Also hearing several airlines are extending their 'not flying into SJU' timelines.....so check on your flights as well as hotels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiiergirl Posted November 3, 2017 Author #186 Share Posted November 3, 2017 Anyone has the option of flying to a SJU gateway city such as Miami...Atlanta etc. depending on airline and hometown. Take a nice airport hotel there and an early flight the next day to SJU...I don't see where that very good option is not available to everyone and could eliminate this Russian Roulette game so many seem to be playing with the hotels. Arrived San Juan on November 2nd afternoon with beautiful sky! We got to our hotel, Casa Blanca by a taxi with no problem except there is a road block for some kind of celebration or rally ??, so we have to walk about 50 meter to our hotel. The staff put us on 5th floor. As per hotel staff the elevator is not safe when using the generator and we have to walk up to 5th floor, luckily both of us still have some leg muscles 😊😊. A young men took our luggages up to our room, he was happy to receive some tips. We have air conditioning! We met a nice couple at the hotel roof top, they too are going on the same cruise on Saturday. We walked to many of the attractions feeling quite lonely, there weren't too many tourists. All the streets look fine, except they haven't cleared a hugh tree on the street opposite the church. There were many polices prepared for the celebration or rally, something about Maria. I didn't understanding what they were saying. We went to Super Max to get water and snack, people are friendly and welcoming us. We ate at a restaurant close by, food was delicious. By the time we finished, it was getting dark, we can see a lot of the buildings have no lights. With safety in mind, we decided to go back to the hotel. We are now so looking forward to get on Celebrity Summit on Saturday. Thank you for sharing your experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darcy03231 Posted November 3, 2017 #187 Share Posted November 3, 2017 Has anyone been turned away at the door of the hotel when u have a paid confirmation receipt in your hand. Sent from my iPad using Forums We ran into an older couple in San Juan last Friday dragging their luggage behind them that this happened to. They were going from hotel to hotel trying to find a room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otters92 Posted November 3, 2017 #188 Share Posted November 3, 2017 Anyone has the option of flying to a SJU gateway city such as Miami...Atlanta etc. depending on airline and hometown. Take a nice airport hotel there and an early flight the next day to SJU...I don't see where that very good option is not available to everyone and could eliminate this Russian Roulette game so many seem to be playing with the hotels. We tried to do this. We are flying American from LAX through MIA to San Juan on 11/16. I tried to convince AA to let us have a 24 hour layover in MIA. They said this would require canceling our reservation and reticketing it. Cost: $1650.00 per person. But, they were willing to waive the $200 change fee. That’s so kind of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckrobyn Posted November 3, 2017 #189 Share Posted November 3, 2017 So we got off Adventure today in Barbados because there were no flights home to Canada for several days after our normal disembarkation. Met several people who had stayed in hotels in SJ the night before departure. Apparently many of the hotels run the generators during the day and shut them off at night - shutting down the AC. Don't open the windows unless you are fine with being chewed on by mosquitoes. These people looked like walking pin cushions. Also hearing several airlines are extending their 'not flying into SJU' timelines.....so check on your flights as well as hotels. So sorry you had to cut your vacation short - that really sucks. We were lucky and managed to figure out our return flight to Toronto after Air Canada pulled their planes out of SJU. I just received confirmation from our hotel for next Friday night, and they have full power connected to the SJ power authority and not a generator, so there are hotels with AC and we won't be walking pin cushions. I hope you enjoyed as much of your cruise as you could? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kruiser68 Posted November 3, 2017 #190 Share Posted November 3, 2017 I just received confirmation from our hotel for next Friday night, and they have full power connected to the SJ power authority and not a generator... Which hotel are you booked with? Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmaclean Posted November 3, 2017 #191 Share Posted November 3, 2017 Holiday Inn Express at Condado just cancelled our December 8 reservation. I have booked an Airbnb in Old San Juan close to the Cruise Port. They say they are going to close in December due to water and electricity problems. I think its because they have FEMA, relief workers, displaced residents staying there. Website says more guests than rooms available. No problem. I get it. I believe there are more rooms available at this particular Airbnb if anyone is not having any luck with the Hotels. Let me know and I"ll pass along the name. You have to climb stairs though but had to at hotel anyway. I, for one, am not taking any more chances with Hotels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kruiser68 Posted November 3, 2017 #192 Share Posted November 3, 2017 I believe there are more rooms available at this particular Airbnb if anyone is not having any luck with the Hotels. Let me know and I"ll pass along the name. I'm interested for our pre cruise stay. We are flying in the night before (12/2) since we are flying in from the northeast. Thanks! Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmaclean Posted November 3, 2017 #193 Share Posted November 3, 2017 I'm interested for our pre cruise stay. We are flying in the night before (12/2) since we are flying in from the northeast. Thanks! ................. OK google Airbnb Old San Juan...it is the one called Amazing View with Cozy Room. Not five star. Two flights of stairs to climb. There are others there you might want to check out but the location on this one is fantastic. We stayed around there before and its perfect. Its "old" but so is that part of San Juan...lol! If you do stay please let me know how your stay was. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vakamalua Posted November 3, 2017 #194 Share Posted November 3, 2017 We just changed our flights to arrive the day of departure. We will fly from WI to Orlando and spend 2 days there and then fly into PR Saturday morning with an arrival time of 10:15am. I'll be praying for no delays and can be on the ship by noon!The uncertainty of will our hotel cancel or won't they got the best of me. Now I can relax and start packing! We had reserved the Renaissance La Concha for three pre-cruise nights for our cruise in January but hadn't booked air before the hurricane hit. We've been pretty worried about all the continued hotel cancellations even into December. So we cancelled the reservation at La Concha. Now we too are flying into Orlando for four days with the last night at the Airport Hyatt and taking an early flight directly into SJ the day of the cruise. Unfortunately the situation just isn't stable enough for us to keep our plans (and add to the PR economy) without worrying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Voyagers Posted November 3, 2017 #195 Share Posted November 3, 2017 We arrived in San Juan yesterday from the UK and are staying at the Vanderbilt on the Condado. A lot more expensive than we usually pay but just happy to have a room after being cancelled from the Sheraton at the Convention Centre and the Condado Hilton. The hotel is beautiful and everything is operating normally. We used a porter at the airport who found us a taxi straight away. The taxi driver had lost his house in the hurricane but was more than happy to be able to work again. Walked into Old San Juan and back this morning. The most noticeable thing was the lack of people around, we only saw a few local folks out jogging etc. No touristy people at all. Crossing the roads is a gamble as all of the traffic lights are out. They’re working on both the Condado Hilton and the Caribe Hilton - both hotels look as though it will be a while before they are up and running again. The taxi driver said that the problem was mainly water damage. We called in at the Sheraton near the Convention Centre to see if we could check on our January reservations. The hotel is running normally but accommodating the relief workers at the moment. The girl at the desk said they should be leaving by 8th January, however, she was reluctant to guarantee this would happen. However, if reservations did have to be cancelled, people would be give 4 weeks’ notice. Walgreens and CVS, both on the Condado and in Old San Juan were open and fully stocked. Restaurants, Starbucks etc., were open and were all accepting credit cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marine Machine Posted November 3, 2017 #196 Share Posted November 3, 2017 We arrived in San Juan yesterday from the UK and are staying at the Vanderbilt on the Condado. A lot more expensive than we usually pay but just happy to have a room after being cancelled from the Sheraton at the Convention Centre and the Condado Hilton. The hotel is beautiful and everything is operating normally. We used a porter at the airport who found us a taxi straight away. The taxi driver had lost his house in the hurricane but was more than happy to be able to work again. Walked into Old San Juan and back this morning. The most noticeable thing was the lack of people around, we only saw a few local folks out jogging etc. No touristy people at all. Crossing the roads is a gamble as all of the traffic lights are out. They’re working on both the Condado Hilton and the Caribe Hilton - both hotels look as though it will be a while before they are up and running again. The taxi driver said that the problem was mainly water damage. We called in at the Sheraton near the Convention Centre to see if we could check on our January reservations. The hotel is running normally but accommodating the relief workers at the moment. The girl at the desk said they should be leaving by 8th January, however, she was reluctant to guarantee this would happen. However, if reservations did have to be cancelled, people would be give 4 weeks’ notice. Walgreens and CVS, both on the Condado and in Old San Juan were open and fully stocked. Restaurants, Starbucks etc., were open and were all accepting credit cards. ============================================================================= I also have upcoming reservations at the Condado Vanderbilt. Sounds like a good report from you. Are they running on generators? Elevators working? Hot Water? Air Conditioning? Thanks in advance for your updated reply! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coopster Posted November 3, 2017 #197 Share Posted November 3, 2017 just got a call from the hotel fairy ( manager) at the vanderbilt who said they had a room for us on the 17th of nov. its more than i would normally spend but beggars cant be choosers. we are now booked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jswdlw Posted November 3, 2017 #198 Share Posted November 3, 2017 We tried to do this. We are flying American from LAX through MIA to San Juan on 11/16. I tried to convince AA to let us have a 24 hour layover in MIA. They said this would require canceling our reservation and reticketing it. Cost: $1650.00 per person. But, they were willing to waive the $200 change fee. That’s so kind of them. Another reason I do not travel AA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiiergirl Posted November 4, 2017 Author #199 Share Posted November 4, 2017 We arrived in San Juan yesterday from the UK and are staying at the Vanderbilt on the Condado. A lot more expensive than we usually pay but just happy to have a room after being cancelled from the Sheraton at the Convention Centre and the Condado Hilton. The hotel is beautiful and everything is operating normally. We used a porter at the airport who found us a taxi straight away. The taxi driver had lost his house in the hurricane but was more than happy to be able to work again. Walked into Old San Juan and back this morning. The most noticeable thing was the lack of people around, we only saw a few local folks out jogging etc. No touristy people at all. Crossing the roads is a gamble as all of the traffic lights are out. They’re working on both the Condado Hilton and the Caribe Hilton - both hotels look as though it will be a while before they are up and running again. The taxi driver said that the problem was mainly water damage. We called in at the Sheraton near the Convention Centre to see if we could check on our January reservations. The hotel is running normally but accommodating the relief workers at the moment. The girl at the desk said they should be leaving by 8th January, however, she was reluctant to guarantee this would happen. However, if reservations did have to be cancelled, people would be give 4 weeks’ notice. Walgreens and CVS, both on the Condado and in Old San Juan were open and fully stocked. Restaurants, Starbucks etc., were open and were all accepting credit cards. Thanks so much for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiiergirl Posted November 4, 2017 Author #200 Share Posted November 4, 2017 Found these on a roll call thread.... All checked into our hotel at The San Juan Airport. All is good. Hotel is clean, hotel rooms have been updated. Very nice washrooms. Not the best view but that will change tomorrow!! See you all then! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Just checked in to the Marriott AC. Plentiful taxis at the airport. Beautiful hotel. Lots of activity in the neighborhood. Far better than I anticipated. Now can look forward to tomorrow's sailing.:D We arrived on Nov 2nd early in the afternoon and we walked around Old Town for about 2 hours. We felt quite lonely since there weren't too many tourists. Old Town is cleaned up and there are many polices around. There is a hugh tree trunk near the harbour and there is also a big tree on a house opposit the church have not been taken away. We have our dinner at Greengos which is near Casa Blanca hotel, the food was decious. Once we finished, it was getting dark outside and most of the buildings have no lights. We quickly walked a couple of steps back to the hotel. Nov 3rd....We walked around the city again today, people here are wonderful and greeted us where ever we went. We had breakfast at Cafe Mandolin, a local favourite place. We had lunch at Vaca Brava, they have delicious meat and good Puerto Rico food. There are lots of little places for dessert and drinks. My other half is complaining of eating too much food already. Finally for dinner we ate at Rustico Pizza, the place was jam pack. We ordered a large pizza .....Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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