San Juan airport help after cruise

[UME6869]

Will be on Victory next month. We will have priority disembarkation. I am worried that we will get to the airport and thru all security etc... and still have hours to wait until our flight leaves.(2:30 pm) I know it takes a long time to get everything at the airport done but if we have hours to wait is there anything there to do? Can we check bags and then leave and do something close by and come back?

[tha sista]

Will be on Victory next month. We will have priority disembarkation. I am worried that we will get to the airport and thru all security etc... and still have hours to wait until our flight leaves.(2:30 pm) I know it takes a long time to get everything at the airport done but if we have hours to wait is there anything there to do? Can we check bags and then leave and do something close by and come back?

 

Not really anything to do without leaving the airport. Old san juan is about a 20 cab ride from the airport. I have heard on these boards that there is a place you can store your luggage down near the pier. you could hang out there, get some lunch then head to the airport.

[Valentine's Mom]

Will be on Victory next month. We will have priority disembarkation. I am worried that we will get to the airport and thru all security etc... and still have hours to wait until our flight leaves.(2:30 pm) I know it takes a long time to get everything at the airport done but if we have hours to wait is there anything there to do? Can we check bags and then leave and do something close by and come back?

 

I haven't been there for a while but when we were there it was very confusing and large. Things were always being worked which made it very chaotic. I really don't think that your flight time would give you time to do too much. Just my opinion.

[wentworth]

When we sailed on the Victory in March we were off the ship at around

10 am, got a cab to the airport and stood in lines right up until our 1:15

flight which we almost missed!!!

 

I would highly recommend that you participate in the Luggage Express

program and let the ship handle getting your luggage to the airport. This

will free you of standing in the agriculture line and the checking in line.

The ship would check you in and get your seats.

 

You could take a tour around San Juan for the morning and be dropped

off at airport with no hassle facing you. (hopefully)

 

Enjoy your cruise!!! We loved the Victory.....not the San Juan airport.

[zqvol]

Will be on Victory next month. We will have priority disembarkation. I am worried that we will get to the airport and thru all security etc... and still have hours to wait until our flight leaves.(2:30 pm) I know it takes a long time to get everything at the airport done but if we have hours to wait is there anything there to do? Can we check bags and then leave and do something close by and come back?

 

You are not going to have that long at the airport. Stay on the ship as long as you can, and then go on over. The place is a zoo. All luggage has to be screened by agriculture before it goes to security screening. The lines are all long and then you have a long security line because everyone is a toursit and most don't fly that often. It goes slow.

 

If you can stay on the ship until 9:30 or 10:00 you will be perfect. Only an hour or so to wait by the time you get to your gate.

[tiggerman101]

I was on the Victory in March and suggest that you just head to the airport. On my cruise there was no self debarkation and everyone got zone numbers according to their flights (which I really liked). San Juan actually makes it easy to get a cab when you get off the ship. You will see a line at the end of the dock. A person there will get all your info (where your headed and how many people, etc). Then you get a receipt and head to another line by the street. The file you into waiting taxis from there. It all ran smoothly and the wait wasn't too long.

 

When you first get into the airport there were two lines for the agriculture check. Actually, some lady came down the line and just slapped stickers on our bags. Depending on your airline (we had Delta) the lines can be a mess for check in. Delta wasn't bad but I would have hated to be on some of the other lines. We ate lunch in one of the restaurants before heading through security.

 

I will give you a tip for the security. You can access ANY concourse from any security check point. Right past security their is a hallway connecting all the terminals. The security lines near Delta, etc were a mess and very long. We just went left and went all the way down to where American Airlines is. The security point there was just about empty. Once through, just take the hallway to whatever terminal you need. Past security there are some little stands and shops and also a few bars to just relax at. All in all it wasn't as bad as I feared. However, it is a zoo when you get there.

 

I know you said you have priority disembarkation, but I would just eat on the Lido and hang out a bit. Then just make your way down. You have until the night you leave St Lucia to turn in the baggege express form. It would make things easier if you want to do that.

[vacruizer]

With that flight time I don't think you'll have time to do anything. My parents sailed Princess in Feb. from San Juan - they swore they will never, ever go back if it involves their airport. They were in lines for many hours, had a late afternoon flight, and then when they reached the gate spent several more hours standing as there weren't enough chairs. My parents aren't terribly young anymore and this really took it's toll on them. They said it was the worst, most poorly organized airport they've ever been to. :(

[vkramer]

If your airline participates in the Luggage Express, I would do that and walk around Old Town for a bit before heading to the airport. As others have said, you can also stay on the ship as long as possible and then get off and head to the airport.

 

We had a 5:30pm flight. We used luggage express and had lunch at Senor Frogs and walked around Old Town for awhile. We were still early for our flight and spent a good amount of time at the airport, but it wasn't as bad as spending the whole day there.

 

The year before when we sailed on Crown Princess, we actually rented rooms at the Best Western at the airport for a day rate and at least had someplace to put our bags and had some fun in the casino and were able to shower before our flight. Our flight was really late though, so it was well worth the money.

 

Vicki