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San Juan with 8 and 3 year old

Nicolby088302

By Nicolby088302,
in First Time Cruisers

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Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

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You might Google Isla Verde Beach....but you would need a taxi. There really are no decent beaches within walking distance. Another beach option is out at Condado where I believe there is still a public area. You also need to do some research to make sure anywhere you go has recovered from the devastation of the hurricanes.

 

Hank

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Nicolby088302

Nicolby088302

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You might Google Isla Verde Beach....but you would need a taxi. There really are no decent beaches within walking distance. Another beach option is out at Condado where I believe there is still a public area. You also need to do some research to make sure anywhere you go has recovered from the devastation of the hurricanes.

 

 

 

Hank

 

 

 

Thank you Hank! We are Floridians so I totally get the hurricane damage aspect. We are considering making this a port ship-stay day so was looking for options before we call it and just enjoy the ship with relatively less crowds for the day. Will update if I find something family friendly and affordable for families.

 

 

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Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

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Thank you Hank! We are Floridians so I totally get the hurricane damage aspect. We are considering making this a port ship-stay day so was looking for options before we call it and just enjoy the ship with relatively less crowds for the day. Will update if I find something family friendly and affordable for families.

 

 

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Now you are speaking my language! A couple of years ago DW and I were on a 14 day Celebrity cruise with 9 Caribbean ports and we didn't get off the ship at the first 8 ports...and only for about 30 minutes at the last port (St Maarten) to buy a bottle of cognac at a store in the port facility.

 

But we are old as dirt (don't tell DW I said this) and have spent more than 1000 days on cruises and been to all these Caribbean ports numerous times. For us, the ship is often the best place in town...when nearly everyone is off the ship. But years ago when we took our, then, young DD, on cruises we did not keep her on the ship when at ports. We thought it was a good experience for her to see other places. Now, we wonder if keeping a family on the ship might be a great idea :). A 3 year old will go along with the parents (we hope) but an 8 year old is a different story. At that age they have there own ideas ("kids are people too") and I wonder if your 8 year old would approve of the decision to stay on the ship. By the time our DD was 8, we did seek her input into that kind of decision. 8 year olds are interesting thinkers. We took our DD to Paris when she was 8...and she made it very clear that she wanted to buy a pair of shoes in Paris! That was not part of our plans...but of course we revised our plans and stopped in a nearby shoe store :).

 

Hank

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

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Welcome to Cruise Critic and to the world of cruising.

 

I just wanted to let you know that there is a dedicated ports of call forum on Cruise Critic for San Juan and you may also want to get input there.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=131

 

Hank has given you excellent thoughts.

 

Keith

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horsegal

horsegal

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It's a very easy port to walk around, and I believe there is a shuttle to the forts. You could always get off the ship after the masses have already left so there is no line poke around for an hour or two then head back to the empty ship!

 

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trish1c

trish1c

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The fort is a great place to fly kites.

 

If you take the free walk around the stone path near the water there are lots of feral cats. Spotting them could be fun for the kids but they must not pet them. Also there are lots of spider webs with these creepy spiders that fold up their legs to form a big X. Again, they can't touch but it may be entertaining for them

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horsegal

horsegal

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The fort is a great place to fly kites.

 

If you take the free walk around the stone path near the water there are lots of feral cats. Spotting them could be fun for the kids but they must not pet them. Also there are lots of spider webs with these creepy spiders that fold up their legs to form a big X. Again, they can't touch but it may be entertaining for them

I was going to mention the kites, and the huge field up at the fort that is farther away for the kids to run around and blow off some energy!!

 

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griffy116

griffy116

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I agree that an 8 year old might really like to get off the ship, maybe even explore the fort if you've never been. My (now grown) Grandson has been cruising since he was four, so for 20 years. He got the travel bug and the cruising bug early in life and has learned to enjoy something on every country or island we've visited. He was around 8 when we cruised the Hawaiian islands. On one tour, he spotted the chickens that roam freely and this thrilled him. While we were learning a lot during our "cultural" tour, he chased chickens. He still remembers it. I'm sure flying a kite from a fort would have thrilled him. You can also get some great photos of the kids there. The trolley is up and running and will take you to the forts. Kids usually enjoy the open air trolley rides and this one is short since the forts are close to the port. The forts are also a very cheap excursion $7. We always tried to take a short excursion when he was little and went back to the ship for lunch and to let him enjoy the pool and relax. We are going to San Juan again this summer on a cruise and while we've been there several times, we want to put a little bit of money back into their economy.

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dolfan1980

dolfan1980

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Visited the forts today with our 9 year old twins and 4 year old. More walking than it looks, wear comfortable shoes. Otherwise my kids seemed to really enjoy it and asked lots of questions. There was also activity in/out of port which added to their fun watching from the fort.

 

 

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