Tuesday, 30 November 2021

San Juan, Puerto Rico

If it’s Tuesday it must be San Juan, Riviera’s final port before disembarkation in Miami on Friday. Although there have been major changes to the itinerary, resulting in a slow nine-day (rather than planned six-day) cruise across the southern part of the North Atlantic, I have thoroughly enjoyed the passage. My main reason for sailing this route, the very last westbound transatlantic of the season, was to find a relaxing and less expensive way to get home than simply flying back to LA on Emirates Air. I was able to take advantage of a low-cost business class special fare non-stop from LA to Dubai; if you read one of the earliest blogs from this trip, you will have a sense of how wonderful that 15.5 hour flight was.

But this next statement is the truth: it was less expensive to sail as a single on Oceania’s Riviera, in a mid-ship, upper-deck Concierge-Level Veranda stateroom, with all the free perks of cruising—food, entertainment, lectures, food, music, food, wonderful artwork, food, free laundry, food, specialty coffees, food, a dedicated tech person to help with wifi issues, and did I mention food(?)—than it would have cost for a round-trip business class flight on Emirates at its regular fare!

So I return to a wonderful day in San Juan. After the torture of the weather in St Barts, the cool sea breezes and significantly lower humidity here (even with a high of 88 degrees), makes touring and walking through the old city a great pleasure. 

There have been many changes since Will and I visited on our first cruise in 2000. Because there are two very large cruise ships docked at the old port, which lets passengers debark right into the old city, our smaller ship must tie-up at a new cruiseport a little farther from the center of things. But Oceania offers free shuttles in both directions at regular intervals all day.

This morning I am on a 3.5 hour tour of old and new San Juan. Last night we were given strict instructions that we must bring our passports and vaccinations cards for inspection in the cruise terminal. Because this is our first US port, immigration does check passports, but no one at all seems interested in our vaccine status—probably because everyone on Riviera has been fully shot up. 

The tour begins with a short ride from the pier to San Cristobal Fortress on the Atlantic at the edge of the old city. This fort, run by the National Park Service, is a twin to the San Filipe del Morro Fortress on the other end of the old city, which we visited in 2000. The excellent guide-driver of our medium-sized van leads us through a series of dark and scary tunnels leading upward to the main level of the fort. We have about 45 minutes to wander around and see a series of indoor exhibits or to climb a steep ramp to a higher level. I opt to remain at this main level since we will have to transverse the same dark tunnels downward.

US National Park Service Oversees Historical Sites in San Juan

View of the Old City from Main Level of Fortress

Main Level Central Courtyard

Officer's Quarters and Barracks

Steep Staircase Leading from Barracks and
More Conventional Stairs for Officers

Entrance to Tunnel Leading Down from Main Level

There are panoramic views from the main level:

After visiting the fortress we enjoy a panoramic drive through parts of the old city with perfectly restored government and public buildings, as we make our way to New San Juan, a tourist mecca since the first major hotels were built in the 1950s, after Cuba became off-limits to American tourists.

The Old Public Casino

A Restored Private School

Our van travels first through Condado, the beach area with many high-rise hotels, fancy boutiques, and expensive restaurants. Almost all the traditional homes have been torn down or remodeled into extravagant modern abodes. This area is completely dedicated to the tourist trade. As we travel farther from the confines of the old city, the neighborhoods on the Atlantic side become tonier and more exclusive, with many side streets gated at night. Here there are many more restored homes and no high-rises.  

We make a 15-minute stop along

side a beautiful quiet beach.

We finish the tour with a quick stop at the edge of the old city to allow passengers to remain or to return to the ship. I decide to stay and wander through this part of San Juan, since the weather has turned out quite lovely.

Old town has been beautifully restored (although some work still remains to be done) and most of the city, including the major hotel and beach areas, are remarkably clean and green. The Main Street, Fortaleza, is lined with brightly painted two- and three-story traditional buildings, with ground floors devoted to shopping, about equally divided between cheap souvenir and t-shirt shops and high-end boutiques selling jewelry and expensive watches. I was hoping there might be a nice restaurant for lunch, perhaps on the side streets—but Mexican food seems to be all that is on offer. I soon find a Starbucks for an iced latte and lemon pound cake to hold me over until I get back to the ship for a (very) late lunch.

Views of Old Town San Juan