San Juan Embarkation

[ted1717]

We leave from San Juan on the Adventure of the Seas. Last time we left from San Juan there was a duty free shop at the pier selling liquior, wine, soda and beer. Is that store still there? and with the "new" RCCL alcohol policy can you bring anything you buy there on board and to your cabin?

[Madkitty]

yep it was there and alive in november but anything alcoholic you buy gets taken off you until the last day - we managed to take sodas on fine

[robtulipe]

Just booked the Serenade yesterday for Feb.3 and am wondering if RC has tighten their BYOB policy? Use to be if liquor wasn't obvious, in your luggage or carry on, it wasn't difficult to bring on board for consumption in your cabin.

What is their policy for wine now?

[Sheffie]

Just booked the Serenade yesterday for Feb.3 and am wondering if RC has tighten their BYOB policy? Use to be if liquor wasn't obvious, in your luggage or carry on, it wasn't difficult to bring on board for consumption in your cabin.

What is their policy for wine now?

 

One CCer recently reported that he/she had no trouble taking on liquor in their checked luggage.

[chazg]

The Adventure is docked at Pan American Pier and I didn't see any Duty Free Shops near it. It is not the same port as in Old San Juan area and nothing in walking distance.

 

Sorry for the bad news. If you need to go anywhere from the Pan American pier it will be by Taxi.

[cyscopup]

We did b2b Empress cruises in December out of SJ and we stopped at the store at the pier and bought a couple of bottles. We had no problem getting them onboard, of course we were one of the first people on the ship and they really had not setup yet to confiscate the booze. Later on though they were taking bottles away from passengers according to several of our cruise critic friends who arrived later in the day.

[catnt2]

We leave in 11 days (Serenade) and are flying in the day we cruise. Sail time is 10pm and not sure what port we sail from. I wonder if anyone knows if there is any place to get water by the jug or gallon near the port.

[robtulipe]

The Adventure is docked at Pan American Pier and I didn't see any Duty Free Shops near it. It is not the same port as in Old San Juan area and nothing in walking distance.

 

Sorry for the bad news. If you need to go anywhere from the Pan American pier it will be by Taxi.

When were you last at the Pan Am terminal?

We were there in late Oct. last and there was a duty free store.

After completing embarkation and dropping off our carry on bags in cabin, I when back to the duty free store with a beach bag with towels, dive mask and snorkel and other odds and ends in it and bought two one liter bottles of rum, wrapped them in the towels and returned to the Regal with no problems or questions asked. This is what one employee in the duty free store was suggesting to people to do when asked about this. He said that ship's security only takes for storage and return at the end of the cruise, obvious liquor in duty free bags/boxes or store bags but not when in personal bags.

[robtulipe]

We leave in 11 days (Serenade) and are flying in the day we cruise. Sail time is 10pm and not sure what port we sail from. I wonder if anyone knows if there is any place to get water by the jug or gallon near the port.

 

This is what I posted previously on where to get supplies in San Juan. We, yesterday, booked the same ship for the week after your cruise. I believe the Serenade sails from the Pan Am pier but have not confirmed this other than looking at a port cruise ship calander. We don't have any cruise documents yet, so what does your docs say?

If you embark in OSJ, then on Plaza de Armas at Calles San Francisco and Cruz, there is a Walgreens, a duty free liquor store and a Pueblo supermarket where you can pick up sodas, bottle water, wine, beer and other supplies.

If embarkation is at the Pan Am cruise terminal on Isla Grande, in nearby Miramar on Calle Ponce de Leon there is a Walgreens and a Pueblo supermarket ( at 670 Ponce ) where you can shop. If taking a taxi to the ship there, Ponce de Leon runs parallel to expressway ( # 26 ) that goes to Isla Grande from the Luis Munoz Marin airport ( SJU int. ). It is the main drag in Miramar, so the taxi driver will know where to find these stores there and it is not out of the way. You could easily stop and have the taxi wait while you stocked up at either. They are about two blocks apart and the Publos has the better selection of the above.

For liquor, there is duty free shops at all cruise terminals but use your carry on bags to transport onto ship. We had no problems doing so. This is what one employee in the duty free store at the Pan Am terminal was suggesting to people to do when asked about this. He said that ship's security only takes for storage and return at the end of the cruise, obvious liquor in duty free bags/boxes or store bags but not when in personal bags. I don't recall seeing beer at these duty free shops so would go to supermarket for this and Puerto Rico wines which are very inexpensive as they have excise tax advantages over the imports and mainland US products. We found the PR wines to be quite good although we are not wine connoisseurs

[Sheffie]

Serenade does dock at the Pan Am pier.