Puerto Rico has one of the busiest cruise ship schedules in the Caribbean. If you are one of the many that will be starting a cruise in Puerto Rico, the following might be helpful.

Pre Cruise

Most Puerto Rico cruises starting from San Juan will leave port late afternoon / early evening, with boarding starting around lunch time

What do we do with our luggage before we can board the cruise ship in San Juan?

There are a few options with regards to dealing with your luggage before you can board the cruise ship.

1. If you have arrived the day before, you might want to consider checking out of your hotel as late as possible. That way you can just relax around the hotel area (pool / beach) and take a taxi to the cruise ship closer to the boarding time. If the hotel checkout is too early, ask for a later checkout or ask the hotel to store your luggage until it is time for you to head to the cruise ship.
2. If you arrive early in San Juan on the day your cruise leaves (or you want to tour Old San Juan) you can store your luggage at either Barrachina Restaurant or Audio Guia. Both are close to the cruise line piers in Old San Juan. Audio Guia charges a storage fee and storage at the Barrachina Restaurant is free (but I am sure the owners will expect that you will at least buy something at the restaurant). With your luggage in storage you are free to see the attractions of Old San Juan.

Note: Some Puerto Rico cruises depart from the Pan American pier which is on the opposite side of San Juan bay. If this is the case for your cruise, then you will need to take a taxi from the storage location to the Pan American pier. The taxi will cost you around $10 plus $0.50 per piece of luggage, excluding hand luggage, and an additional charge of $1.00 per luggage, after three pieces


3. For anyone arriving on the same day as the cruise, the cruise line will have the option to take their transfer from the airport to the cruise pier. This is a service that you will have to pay for in advance.
   Advantages: You should be able to check your luggage in when boarding the bus and should not need to re-check it when you arrive at the ship (confirm this with your cruise line)
   Disadvantages: If you are traveling with others, the cruise line transfer will probably be more expensive than taking a local taxi. Also, you will need to wait at the airport until every passenger has boarded the bus.

Will we be able to leave the ship, once we have checked in?

1. Depending at one time your ship departs, you should be able to leave the ship to see some of the attractions of Old San Juan before your cruise departs. Once again, if your Caribbean cruise departs from the Pan Am pier, you will need to take a taxi in order to get to Old San Juan. Depending on how long you have before your cruise departs will determine how much of Old San Juan you will be able to see. Attractions worth considering are:
   El Morro Fort
   San Cristobel Fort
   La Bombonera restaurant (if you are around for breakfast / brunch)
   San Juan Cathedral
   Governors Mansion and gardens
   San Juan Gate and the Paeso La Princesa
   
   Note: If you plan on boarding the cruise ship first before touring Old San Juan, plan to have a daypack (hand luggage) with a change of clothes. This way you will not need to wait for your main luggage, before heading into Old San Juan

Post Cruise

We have several hours to kill in San Juan at the end of our cruise. What can we do?

Again, the main issue that you will have is your luggage. Here are some suggestions:

1. If you plan on touring Old San Juan, then use one of the two storage facilities; Barrachina Restaurant or Audio Guia.
2. Check to see if your airline offers luggage check-in at the cruise ship piers. American Airlines offers this service for the Old San Juan piers, so it is worth checking with your airline. This option means that you can check-in your luggage before you leave the ship and forget about it until you arrive at your final destination.
3. Book one of the ‘end of cruise tours’ that the cruise line offers. These tours will usually be on a bus and will allow you to take your luggage with you. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped off at the airport.
4. If none of the cruise line tours appeal to you, consider taking a private tour. Again you will be able to take your luggage with you and at the end of the tour get dropped off at the airport.
5. If you are feeling a little bit more adventurous, arrange a rental car and do a self tour. If you have the time, a trip to El Yunque rainforest is a good option. Just make sure that the car rental company will allow you to drop the car at the airport or will take you to the airport after dropping the car off.
6. If you would just like to relax by a pool or the beach. Check the various hotels in San Juan to see if they have any day passes or day rooms available. The Marriott has offered this in the past, so make a few phone calls (use the local San Juan number rather than the general 1-800 number).
7. If you are not leaving Puerto Rico after your cruise, contact your hotel (use the local number) and arrange for an early check-in or to store your luggage at the hotel until your room is ready.

If you have any other suggestions for pre & post luggage options, please add them in the comments.

Puerto Rico cruise resources:
Taxi prices around San Juan
Barrachina Restaurant for luggage storage (9am – 5pm) click on ‘free services’
Audio Guia for luggage storage – across from pier 4 (website unavailable at this time)
Puerto Rico travel map (zoom into Old San Juan for pier locations and attractions)

Photo sources: djonemore and fotodawg

Related posts:

1. Pre or Post Cruise in Puerto Rico
2. Airline Luggage Surcharges
3. Top 5 Reasons to Start a Caribbean Cruise in San Juan Puerto Rico

1. San Juan, Puerto Rico is already located in the Caribbean. By starting your cruise here, you have already saved the two day trip to the Caribbean that cruises from Miami or any of the other Florida ports take.

2. You do not need to take a full 7 day cruise to see several Caribbean islands. By starting in San Juan, Puerto Rico you can take a 3 or 5 day cruise that will allow you to see 2-3 islands, as well as Puerto Rico. A longer cruise will allow you to visit even more Caribbean islands

3. Many low cost airlines are now flying directly to San Juan, Puerto Rico, making it easier and cheaper to start your cruise here. Check out Spirit Airways and Jetblue. All of the major cruise lines offer Caribbean cruises departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico; Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess and Royal Caribbean

4. By arriving a day earlier or staying an extra day, you can make the time to see some of the great spots here in Puerto Rico:
Old San Juan – You can easily spend several hours walking around Old San Juan.
El Yunque – if you are feeling adventurous, rent a car and head to the tropical rainforest. El Yunque is about 45mins drive from San Juan and you can hike one of the easier trails or just chill out at one of the look out towers and enjoy the sights and sounds of the lush rainforest.

5. Finally, by starting your Caribbean cruise here in Puerto Rico, you get to experience the wonderful sights, sounds and culture that make this island so wonderful.

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also check out this Carnival of Cites

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Most of the time, your cruise ship will be docked at Old San Juan close to the ‘Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino’ (14 on the map). If your cruise docks elsewhere in San Juan, you can just take a taxi into Old San Juan.

From your cruise ship make you way to the fort El Morro (1 on map) either by foot, taxi or local free trolley service. The fort is an excellent historic site and will help you appreciate the history of this old city.

From El Morro tale ‘Calle del Morro’ to ‘Plaza San José’ (4 on map) and maybe relax with a drink from one of the local café’s. From here walk down ‘Del Cristo’ until you reach the ‘Catedral de San Juan’ (9 on map). Spend some time to enjoy this beautiful cathedral. Across the road from the cathedral is the hotel ‘El Convento’ (8 on map) where you can enjoy tapas or a cool drink.

Continue down ‘Del Cristo’ and make your way to the ‘La Fortazela’ (11 on map). This is the governor’s mansion and tours are available if you have time. From ‘La Fortazela’ head to the ‘Old San Juan Gate’ (10 on map). Taking a stroll through the gate brings you to ‘Paseo La Princesa’; a very beautiful and scenic promenade by the old city walls,. This promenade will take you back towards the cruise ships.

If during your time in Old San Juan, you are looking for some place to eat, take a stroll along ‘Calle Fortazela’ and you will pass several good restaurants; including; The Parrot Club, Tantra, Aquaviva, and Dragonfly to name a few.

Enjoy your visit to Old San Juan.

Source for map: Frommers Maps

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Here is a thought for any one who is planning a longer trip to Puerto Rico.  As one of the cruise ship capitals of the Caribbean, have you considered adding a short 3 night cruise to your trip. I’m not trying to sell a cruise, just thought it could be a neat addition to a stay here in Puerto Rico.  It’s certainly a way to get to see a little bit more of the Caribbean (plus food and accommodation is included in the price).

 These short cruises take in places such as:

• Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. Martin – Sint Maarten (island)
• Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Martin – Sint Maarten (island) 

Any way, just another thought for additional things to do, while you are here.

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3. Pre or Post Cruise in Puerto Rico