Taking a cruise and port's at san juan, puerto rico?

Question

i'm going on a cruise tomorrow and flying into san juan, puerto rico. i was wondering if anyone knows if i can drop off our luggage on the ship (they allow you on at 2pm) and leave the ship to go around town (old san juan) for a few hours(ship sails at 830pm).

Answer 1

I saw enough of San Juan on the bus ride from the Airport to the dock to know I didn't want to tour it any further.  There is a reason all those folks want to leave the "Island Paradise" of Puerto Rico and go to New York.  I thought I was in poverty-stricken Mexico.....   Save your money for the cruise and  explore your destinations.  Not worth the risk of being late to the cruise.....

Answer 2

When we sailed out of PR this past May we took a taxi to the pier ($25) and the first thing we did was drop our luggage with the porter at the ship and then get in line to check in.  If we had wanted we could have gotten back in the cab and gone for a tour.  The people who check you in do not see your checked luggage. But then that would be another $25 to get back downtown and then ANOTHER to get back to the ship.  SO you can do it at your own risk as long as you get to the ship on time.  And if the ship sails at 8:30 you need to be on a minimum of 30 minutes before departure, an hour at best.  SO if you do that I suggest that you get back to the ship at about 6:00 PM

Answer 3

You should try Old San Juan(shops and historic places), Condado(higher end shops, casinos, beaches) or Isla Verde (beaches).

You could also try Plaza Las Americas (biggest mall in PR & the Caribbean) or the Bacardi Rum Factory tour.

All these are withing 10 mins of the Port Area. Allow more time for the Bacardi tour since its the farthest from the cruise ships.

Also, depending where your ship has berthed, it might me docked in Old San Juan.