Caribbean Princess out of San Juan

[jcastro1202]

I just booked a Classic Southern Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess out of San Juan, March 21st - 28th, 2010 for my honeymoon. I've never sailed on Princess before and have been to San Juan only once while on the Carnival Victory. I have tons of questions....

What is there to do in San Juan if my flight arrives at 8:30am?

 

I booked B605, a balcony cabin in the Baja deck...anyone stayed in that cabin?

 

I want to do the Ultimate Balcony Dinner...is it worth the extra $$?

 

How are the spa prices? I want this trip to be romantic and I can't think of anything more romantic than a couples massage, but I'm not a millionaire.

 

My fiance loves soft-serve ice cream...is it free on the CB? I've read mixed reviews.

 

Any information you can provide on how to make my experience great would be helpful. We love to cruise and will have a great time regardless, but I want to make this cruise in particular EXTRA special.

 

Thanks!

[Tennant]

We did this cruise this past May. We had an amazing time, the ship is beautiful. One thing that I would highly recommend is the crown grill. It is an extra $25pp but you will have what would easily be a $200 dinner at home (well we are from Chicago, so it would be a $200 here!). The service was good and it is a little more low key than the dining room so it is a little more romantic.

[jcastro1202]

Did you have problems reserving the Crown Grill or any of the other specialty restaurants? Many reviews say that they get booked by the first night. Should I be prepared to run around the ship the first day making all types of reservations or can they be made throughout the week?

[tmitchell82]

I just booked a Classic Southern Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess out of San Juan, March 21st - 28th, 2010 for my honeymoon. I've never sailed on Princess before and have been to San Juan only once while on the Carnival Victory. I have tons of questions....

What is there to do in San Juan if my flight arrives at 8:30am?

 

I booked B605, a balcony cabin in the Baja deck...anyone stayed in that cabin?

 

I want to do the Ultimate Balcony Dinner...is it worth the extra $$?

 

How are the spa prices? I want this trip to be romantic and I can't think of anything more romantic than a couples massage, but I'm not a millionaire.

 

My fiance loves soft-serve ice cream...is it free on the CB? I've read mixed reviews.

 

Any information you can provide on how to make my experience great would be helpful. We love to cruise and will have a great time regardless, but I want to make this cruise in particular EXTRA special.

 

Thanks!

 

Depending on what hotel you are staying at, you might want to check and see of they will hold your bags till check in time. Can be difficult to go around San Juan with your luggage. You can always walk around Old San Juan, tour the forts, etc after you arrive. We did this post cruise since our flight was not till later and we did not stay in Old San Juan before the cruise. There is a segway tour you can take as well. Looked interesting.

 

Baja is a great deck. Covered Balcony, easy to walk up to the pool and buffet and walk down to the dinning rooms and such. We were in B504 on the Caribbean Princess a few months back (same itinerary). No problems with it.

 

As for the Spa, IMHO, it is expensive (DW still thinks $189 for a stone message was fine:rolleyes:) If you want better deals on the spa, look at going while in port. They tend to have better deals then.

 

To get reservations, I would go when you get on the ship if you are picky about the day and time you want.

 

Never done the Ultimate Balcony dining, but I have heard it is nice.

 

If you want to combine the spa and some other nice things, there are some packages you can get (grand occasion, honeymoon, etc) You can check Princess's website for them and they will likely be in your cruise info when it comes to you as well. You can always pre-order a nice bottle of champaign to be delivered to the room. Definitely put on your cruise personalizer that it is your honeymoon.

[jcastro1202]

My biggest concern is San Juan since my flight gets there at 8:35 am and I would like to tour Old San Juan but know it will be difficult with all of my bags. Maybe I should look into getting a hotel room for the day in order to drop off my bags so that I can tour the city prior to the boat leaving. It might also be a nice way to relax from a busy wedding the day before and an early morning flight.

 

$189 for a stone massage! I better increase my cruise budget and fast. I will be sure to look into spa specials when in port.

 

Thanks for the info!

[trey420]

maby you can hook up with a cabby or tour guide for the day and they will keep your bags in their car sounds like a plan.

[JerseyGuys]

Did you have problems reserving the Crown Grill or any of the other specialty restaurants? Many reviews say that they get booked by the first night. Should I be prepared to run around the ship the first day making all types of reservations or can they be made throughout the week?

 

Plan to board by noon or 1pm and then immediately make the dinner reservations for the nights you want. They do book up quick. I'm 99.9% sure you cannot make them in advance.

 

I think there are some downtown hotels that might hold your luggage for you. One other option for you would be to proceed directly to the pier ( i know you'd be super early) board as early possible, and then get off the ship and tour in the afternoon. I assume u have an 11pm departure so you could walk around San Juan until 8 easily. Just a thought

 

I think the baja deck cabins are a great location and good value.

[jcastro1202]

Jersey Guy:

 

That's great advise! I didn't know that we would be able to board the ship and then get off, but if we can then that is probably my best option.

 

Thanks!

[harrodsfan]

When we arrived on a early red eye from LA Princess took our bags at airport and we were free to do what we wanted. We went to the Bicardi Rum factory and then took a ferry back to dock. Walked around main downtown which is realtively close to where we docked. Then walked to ship. Bags were in our room when we arrived.

[bhopal21]

Jersey Guy:

 

That's great advise! I didn't know that we would be able to board the ship and then get off, but if we can then that is probably my best option.

 

Thanks!

 

No problem with disembarking in SJ and then reboarding before sailaway. We have done it on two different occasions.

 

Also there are generally porters outside the terminal as early as 1030 and you could leave your bags with them and then go touring aroung OSJ without worrying about having to retrieve your bags.

 

Mike:)

[Bwanna]

I'm new at this thread and can't figure out how to use so pls forgive me.... we fly into SJ 10/31 late night for a a cruise 11/1 on the CP and asking for advise on taxi/hotel that doesn't break the budget. Any ideas? Just two of us on a 20th anniversary and 3 yr survivor of cancer ..... w/o kids!

[tmitchell82]

If you do get the Princess Transfer to the ship, once you put the luggage on the bus, you generally do not have to worry about getting it off and to the ship. One word of advice if you fly in that morning of the cruise, don't put you cruise luggage tags on till after you land and get your luggage from the airline. Less change the airline gets confused or tags get ripped off. I would look at some of the tours that may take you around OSJ and contact them about luggage storage while on the tour. I had also read on one of these threads about a resturuant that will hold luggage too, but the name escapes me.

 

Also, you can pre-book spa activities via the cruise personalizer.

[houch]

If you book Princess transfers a Princess rep meets you at the airport, you pick up your luggage and they take you to the bus, put your luggage on it and next time you see it is in your cabin. You can easilly walk around Old San Juan until time to board the ship.

 

Another poster said not to put your Princess tags on your luggage until after you land. On all of my Princess cruises they advised to put them on before you leave home. I have always done it that way and have had no problems. In fact one of the gals with us on our Baltic had her luggage lost on our arrival in Copenhagen and they said the PRincess tag made it easier to locate. It made it to the ship the next day before sailaway!

[JMG]

There have been cases where the Cruise Line tags are torn off due to baggage handling. The bags circle the baggage claim area, they are not claimed and they can sit there. This happened to a friend of mine and he did not get his luggage until the end of the cruise. That is why some people do not tag their bags until their arrival. They pull the bag off the belt, tag it and replace it on the belt. Princess will see the tag and pull the bag. You can wait and make sure that the bag does not stay on the baggage claim belts. You then leave the airport confident that your bags arrived in San Juan and that Princess claimed the bags for you.

[Colo Cruiser]

We never put on Princess tags until our baggage is in hand at the airport and prior to arrival at the pier.

[lvs2trvl]

I'm new at this thread and can't figure out how to use so pls forgive me.... we fly into SJ 10/31 late night for a a cruise 11/1 on the CP and asking for advise on taxi/hotel that doesn't break the budget. Any ideas? Just two of us on a 20th anniversary and 3 yr survivor of cancer ..... w/o kids!

 

The best thing to do is go into San Juan message boards here on Cruise critics and they will give you great info on San Juan,you can also go in Priceline and pick an area that you want to be in, then pick how many stars you would like, a 3 star is a medium priced hotel, 1 star is bottom , 5 star is top then give a price you are willing to pay, they will search in the area you select and see if a hotel will be willing to accept your price. The unfortunate thing with this is you do not get to select a specific hotel, but they do keep it to the stars you pick...We did this last December and got a 3 star near Old San Juan for $90 plus tax. You can read reviews on the hotels. Also, get an idea on pricing...Also, in Old San Juan they run free trolleys to points of interest..

As far as Taxi's they are all priced the same by the government.It will be about $20 It is a standard fee, plus they charge about $1 per bag.

 

Best wishes for continued GOOD HEALTH and enjoy your cruise, it is a great cruise...will be on The CB for the 2nd time, this time out of NY for a 7 day New England/Canada cruise in Sept.

[Chelley00]

absolutely do the UBD. We did it for our anniversary and it was wonderful....well worth the money. There is a review and pictures in my trip report linked below.

[BratDet]

We did it the night we left Bermuda.

 

We booked it via phone when we arrived in our stateroom- 1st day on the ship. They did not take those reservations where you could do the in person for Crown Grill and Sabatini's. You had to call.

 

 

Once you book it, they consult with you the day before in person regarding the menu- since I do not eat seafood and am allergic to nuts and peanuts- they adjusted the menu for me.

(The only bad part was the photographer

Our photographer was booked for 8pm to take our pic to catch the sunset at the beginning of the meal- he never arrived till almost an hour later....He also told us the pics would be available after 11AM & when we went to get them and stood in line- only to be told that photographer (they had to figure out who) never dropped off the pics from the night before for developing/printing.!@#$#$ When we went back again- we had to wait on line again and we hated the pics he took. We picked out the best for our free 8x10. )

 

BUT..

 

for the extra 100$- you get...two stewards setting up a table for two on your balcony...

two cocktails of your choice to start....service just like the dining room...including constant refilling of water glasses. rolls and butter...

 

We had appetizers, and a second selection..then a huge salad each....

my main course was filet mignon, his was a huge lobster and also filet mignon.

 

The waiter Ruel and his assistant Pradeep were amazing and gave us an amazing night to remember. Ruel was even smart enough to offer to take a photo for us when the sunset was still there since the photographer still had not come. He took the pic the photographer should have taken. I am going to have more copies of that printed. He took some other great pics also.

 

Desserts were also special and they also gave us a tray of petit fours...we never felt rushed at all....

and were left with coffee and tea and full pots of each for refills

 

They also serve you a 1/2 split of champagne...we had asked for orange juices and they made sure to bring them also....

 

The dining experience was PERFECT!!

The photographer stunk on all levels...but our waiter was the hero for the picture he took!!!

 

oops I almost forgot- the last item that was part of the 100$ was the flowers on the table- three roses in a vase...beautiful...but since we left the ship Saturday- I did not get to enjoy the flowers till they wilted as you cannot take them off the ship...so if you book it....book it earlier in the cruise...I made sure to take a lot of digital pic memories of them as they were beautiful...

I left the flowers for an evening dining room server we had- Alina from Romania.....

 

I felt it was worth every penny!!!!

 

Bernadette

[jcastro1202]

Thanks for the information on the UBD. I have tried to get more information and pictures from it online, but have not been able to find much. It sounds like a great experience and I cannot wait to do it. Now I just have to decide which day of my intensive 5 port cruise evening I want to do it on.

[Tralynn]

I see you may be considering checking in on the ship and then touring around SJ. Just so you know, Princess does not dock in Old San Juan like Carnival does. It docks at the Pam Am Pier which would require a taxi and a little bit more time. I just wanted you to be aware of this since you stated you last cruised Carnival out of SJ.

 

Definitely do the UBD. It will be a very romantic memory for the both of you. And check the port of call boards for some info. You may be able to find a good beach location that has inexpensive couples massages.

 

And CONGRATULATIONS!

[jcastro1202]

Thanks for the info. I actually just learned that Princess does not dock in Old SJ the other day. Thank goodness for these boards. Have you been to any of the Southern Caribbean ports? We're scheduled to go to St. Thomas, Tortola, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados. I've been to St. Thomas before and have my day planned out there, but I'm still trying to figure out what we should do in the other ports. We were thinking of taking the ferry in Tortola over to The Baths. In Antigua...I have no idea. Maybe Antigua is a good port for one of these couples massages on the beach? St. Lucia - catamaran cruise to the Pitons? Barbados - my fiance wants to do the swim with the turtles. Do you have any recommendations? We are water lovers and love anything that has to do with getting in the ocean and mingling with sea life.

[O2B@Cagain]

castro: Check the section on ports of call here. I have found some good hints there. I love St Lucia- I would heartily recommend that you get to the southern part- where the Pitons are. It is a LONG and winding car trip, so if you can go by sea, that would be nice. The southern part of the island is totally different from the north, lots of hiking opportunities, waterfalls, etc. There are a couple of ship excursions with tours of chocolate plantations like Fond Doux, which is a wonderful small inn between the Pitons.

[Born4Travlin]

Jersey Guy:

 

That's great advise! I didn't know that we would be able to board the ship and then get off, but if we can then that is probably my best option.

 

Thanks!

We were on the Crown princess last year and we boarded and then got off to see the Old San Juan since the ship did not leave until 10 pm. They let us off no problem. Have a great time. It is a fantastic line

[LeeW]

I see you may be considering checking in on the ship and then touring around SJ. Just so you know, Princess does not dock in Old San Juan like Carnival does. It docks at the Pam Am Pier which would require a taxi and a little bit more time. I just wanted you to be aware of this since you stated you last cruised Carnival out of SJ.

 

 

And CONGRATULATIONS!

 

We've taken the Southern itineraries three times and have a fourth booked - our favorite route. The only catch is that this is a very port-intensive itinerary (one sea day). In three cruises we only docked at the Pan American terminal once. The other five times were at Pier 4 adjacent to the bus terminal in town. Our next cruise also shows possibility of either pier.

 

If you downtown, just check in, get some lunch and head up hill. Forts are on top straight ahead and slightly right or left a few blocks. Lots of shopping, food, bars. What you won't find are good beaches in town.

 

Would highly recommend that you fly in the day before and stay out in the Isla Verde area near the airport. Much better beaches than Condado area. Sheraton is also good, and Condado Plaza has a small very protected beach in the inlet. Try langland.org for good local info on San Juan and lots of links. Search for "San Juan Piers" will also get you there. One reason the ship leaves so late is that there can be a lot of weather delays getting to San Juan. You shouldn't have a problem unless your plane is coming from somewhere else.

 

You will probably need to stand in line again to get in the building, but once in you can bypass the checkin lines and go directly to the metal detector to get on the ship.

 

Make sure you check out the various island boards for excursions. The Barbados 4x4 tour with cat and snorkeling is a pretty decent mix of activities and the turtles were fun to snorkel with.

 

PS - there are a couple of places in town that will store your luggage if you get downtown before boarding opens (check the Puerto Rico board for info). We usually get there around 11:00 AM and pretty much get right onboard. Can be as late as 1:00 depending on when they get the outgoing passengers off.

[cruise-aholicRN]

To make your trip a little more special, I also suggest the Balcony Breakfast, it wasn't very costly but gives you another private special meal. The food was good...and tons of it. I haven't checked lately, but when we did it last year I think the cost was $28 for two. It was really nice and I highly recommend it!

 

T.J.