Old San Juan, Puerto Rico is a popular cruise port because of it's close proximity to the United States and ample cultural and relaxing activities to choose from.

If you're looking to explore Old San Juan and get a taste of the city without paying for a formal excursion or guide, there are a lot of great places to see that are walking distance from your cruise ship.

We visited Old San Juan on a recent cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas and had a full afternoon and evening in the city to take it all in.  What I love about Old San Juan is how easy it is to explore without fear of getting hopelessly lost.  Since Old San Juan is on a hill, it's fairly easy to get your bearings at any time.  

While there are plenty of excursions available in the surrounding San Juan area, I really like walking around the city to see the many sights (and smells) that are mere minutes from your cruise ship.  When you dock in Old San Juan, you will be let out in the heart of the city and that means you can walk to most everything available.

It is recommended to bring good walking shoes and appropriate clothing for a hot and humid environment.  With San Juan's many hills, temperatures regularly over 80 degrees and lack of natural shade, walking around will definitely burn some calories.

Let's take a look at my picks for things to do in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The forts: El Morro and San Cristobal

Perhaps the best known tourist attractions in Old San Juan are the two old Spanish forts that used to guard entrance to the city, Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Castillo de San Cristóbal.

El Morro

San Cristobal

Both of these forts are on the northern coast of the city and both are United States National Parks.  There is not much to do to prepare to see these forts, you just walk in, pay the admission and then take as much time as you like to explore.

What is amazing about these forts is they give you a very good sense of what life was like for the Spanish troops guarding these fortified positions.  If you take the time to visit the exhibits, you will see the kind of threats Spain faced and tales of when foreign powers tested the Spanish resolve to defend the city.

In addition, the views of the city and ocean are unparalleled and you absolutely need to bring your camera here to take some great shots.

Admission to one fort gets you admission to the other fort for up to 7 days, so if you have time you can visit both.  The popular theory these days is El Morro is the more interesting and distinguished of the two forts, so you have time for just one, go with El Morro.

San Juan Gate

The San Juan Gate is the only remaining city gate and was one of six original massive wooden doors that centuries ago allowed passage into San Juan.

All the gates except for this one remain, and it's a bright red with a Latin inscription at the top that says, "Benedictus qui venit in nomine domini" (blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord).

Besides being an important piece of San Juan's history, it's located along the Paseo del Morro, which is a 3/4 mile walkway that follows the city wall below El Morro.  It's impressive to see the city walls that at one time controlled complete access to the city and with its location right on the harbor, it's a beautiful spot to enjoy a walk.

The path to and from the gate are quintessentially old San Juan.  Once again, there's little shade here so bring water for the walk and some sunscreen.

Access to the San Juan Gate is free and you can walk here anytime during the day.

Paseo de la Princesa

Located near El Morro is the Paseo de la Princesa, a beautiful area between where your cruise ship docks and the San Juan Gate.

The Paseo was originally built in 1853 and has been restored quite beautifully in recent years.  It's essentially a tree-lined promenade that is great for walking, people watching or enjoying the breeze.

You will also find local street vendors and artisans selling local food and crafts as well.

There are great examples of art to be found here as well.  

If you are thirsty, try a shaved-ice topped with your choice of flavoring known as piragua. For something more filling try alcapurria, Bacalito or Empanadilla’s.

Barrachina

Old San Juan is all about history, including the spot where the Pina Colada was invented, a small restaurant known as Barrachina.

Barrachina is located right in the middle of Old San Juan and it offers a lot of Puerto Rican cuisine, including the original Pina Colada.

While you are indulging in some coconut spirits, you should also have another Puerto Rican specialty: mofongo.  Mofongo is mashed plantains that are usually topped with a meat like shrimp, steak, chicken or octopus and drizzled with a special sauce.

It's hard to describe what mofongo tastes like except that it is quite good and something I always order when I am on the island.

You can certainly try a pina colada or mofongo pretty much anywhere and everywhere in Old San Juan, but for a bit of history (and somewhere to sit down and rest after all that walking), Barrachina is a great spot.

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

I usually do not try to visit cemeteries but the colonial-era cemetary near El Morro is a pretty interesting spot.

Located outside the walls of El Morro, the cemetary is a famous landmark and is the final resting spot for many prominent residents of Old San Juan. Actors, poets, politicians, artists and more are all buried here and the layout of the graveyard is fairly impressive.

Since I do not particularly care for walking all around the cemetary, you can get a great view of it from El Morro and the area surrounding it so you can get a sense of the spectacle the cemetery is without going inside.

See it all (again) at night

If you are lucky enough to be in Old San Juan at night, the city transforms after the sun goes down.

Nearly all the sights we mentioned already in this post and others are lit up in the evening and it gives them all a very different look that has to be appreciated even if you just visited them a few hours earlier.

The city does a wonderful job of lighting up the city, so be sure to give yourself time to walk around at night and bring your camera too.

Your thoughts...

Where are your favorite places and things to do in Old San Juan?  Which of these would you most like to see for yourself?  Any questions? Share these and any thoughts you have in the comments!

Royal Caribbean offers cruises that begin in San Juan, Puerto Rico that offer some great Southern Caribbean itineraries to try.  If you're considering going on one of these cruises, here's what you need to know about embarkation day in San Juan.

It's not where you think it is

If you've ever taken a cruise that stops in San Juan for the day, you've likely been to the San Juan Cruise Port, but that's just for cruise ships that are in the city for the day.

Royal Caribbean cruises that originate in San Juan will dock at the Pan American Pier, which is across the channel from the San Juan Cruise Port.  It's adjacent to the Isla Grande Airport and is about a 5 minute taxi drive from Old San Juan.

As you're driving in, you should be able to see the ship docked since there isn't much around there.  As of the writing of this blog post, Jewel of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas are offering cruises out of San Juan.

Getting checked in

Once you arrive at the pier, the check-in process is similar to other ports but we've also noticed a few differences too.

There will be porters at the pier to help take your luggage and load it onto the ship.  In addition, there is a special line to enter the building for Platinum and above Crown and Anchor Society members.  Everyone else will wait in a separate line.

Waiting to check in for our Jewel of the Seas cruise #cruise #JewelOfTheSeas #cruiseship #travel

A photo posted by Royal Caribbean Blog.com (@royalcaribbeanblog) on Sep 21, 2013 at 7:48am PDT

We've gotten to the pier as early as 10:30am and we've generally heard passengers are let into the embarkation building around 11am.  One potential issue is the check-in building is not very large and the staff will only allow batches of passengers in at a time, so you may get stuck outside waiting to get in.  Given this is Puerto Rico, the temperature and humidity outside can be quite high.

Since most Royal Caribbean ships do not leave port until later in the evening (usually around 8pm), so getting to the port early in the morning is not as critical but lines outside the building are possible.  The good news is, often the lines outside are infrequent.

Embarkation

Once inside the building, you will find lines for Crown and Anchor Society members and lines for everyone else.  

You will be subjected to a security check that consists of an x-ray machine and metal detector.  Once through there, you will enter your line and get checked in.

We should also note there is a duty-free liquor store inside the check-in area, which is a great place to pick up a few bottles of wine to bring onboard your cruise. Remember, Royal Caribbean allows up to two bottles of wine per stateroom to bring onboard.

After check-in, it's just a short walk onto your Royal Caribbean cruise!

Boarding #jeweloftheseas!

A photo posted by Royal Caribbean Blog.com (@royalcaribbeanblog) on Sep 21, 2013 at 8:11am PDT

Have you embarked in San Juan?

Did you have a chance to take a Royal Caribbean cruise out of San Juan?  Share your tips and suggestions for embarkation day in San Juan in our comments below!

Puerto Rico's Governor announced plans to expand the cruise pier in Old San Juan to be able to handle cruise ships carrying 6,000 passengers.

The plan according to Alejandro Garcia Padilla will be able to accomodate Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas, which will visit San Juan in December 2014, with nine more visits scheduled for 2015.

The new pier expansion will cost $8.7 million and will extend the pier by 182 feet as well as build a new baggage inspection office.

Quantum of the Seas will be 167,000 tons and carry at least 4,180 passengers when she begins sailings in November 2014.

The Puerto Rico Tourism Co. (PRTC) has signed a deal with Royal Caribbean that will bring Oasis class cruise ships to the island of Puerto Rico in 2014, according to Caribbean Business.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis class cruise ships are the largest in the world and bring 5,400 passengers.   PRTC Executive Director Luis Gerardo Rivera Marín did not indicate weather Oasis of the Seas or Allure of the Seas would visit the island, but Marín did say the ship would dock at Pier 3 in Old San Juan.  Furthermore, naval architects have been at the pier to verify pier compliance.

You've likely heard about the incident in Puerto Rico last week where Royal Caribbean stranded 140 passengers when Hurricane Irene forced the Serenade of the Seas to leave port earlier than expected.  There was a lot of outrage targeted at Royal Caribbean for not doing more to notify the passengers and/or compensate them for missing their cruise.  Yesterday Royal Caribbean announced it was offering those who missed the ship compensation.

So today's soundoff topic is: Did Royal Caribbean rectify the situation in your eyes?

Did Royal Caribbean do enough to make the situation better?  Or do you think that since the cruise contract every passengers enters into stipulating Royal Caribbean owes them nothing means the compensation is more than adequate?  

Share your thoughts in our comments for this post!

After an avalanche of negative comments concerning Royal Caribbean's decision last week to strand over 100 of its passengers in San Juan without any compensation, Royal Caribbean has decided to offer those who didn't make the ship a compensation package.

The incident occurred when Hurricane Irene threatened San Juan, Puerto Rico where Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas was docked.  Port officials needed to have the ship leave early, so Serenade was forced to leave a few hours early and subsequently left 145 passengers and refused to offer them any compensation.

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez confirmed that a compensation package was indeed being offered but declined to provide specifics.

The aftermath of the incident spilled over when people heard of what happened and were upset over Royal Caribbean's indifference to the plight of those left behind.  Despite earlier saying the cruise giant would not offer anything (they claimed they were within their rights to do what they did), Royal Caribbean is hoping to reverse the negative perception that has taken hold in the court of public opinion.

UPDATE: Here is a statement from Royal Caribbean:

 “As a gesture of goodwill, and in recognition of the time they missed on board Serenade of the Seas, Royal Caribbean provided each guest who was not able to arrive to the ship before it departed San Juan but met the ship later, with a future cruise certificate for 30% of the cruise fare paid for their sailing.

“We are in the process of contacting those guests who were not able to sail with us at all to inform them of their compensation, and would prefer that the impacted guests learn of the amount directly from the line before it is disclosed publicly.

“We are compensating these passengers because we understand that this was an unusual situation, and we want to provide our guests with another opportunity to sail with Royal Caribbean International in the near future.” 

We first told you about passengers who missed their Royal Caribbean cruise earlier this week when Royal Caribbean was forced to depart San Juan, Puerto Rico earlier than scheduled due to the impending threat of Hurricane Irene.  

Today, Royal Caribbean has denied any responsibility for leaving 145 passengers at port to get Serenade of the Seas of the way of the storm three hours early.  Royal Caribbean contends that port officials began to limit harbor traffic at 12:30 pm on Sunday, forcing the ship to depart early.

Of the passengers left behind, 15 had purchased their airfare through Royal Caribbean and were subsequently given a hotel stay for two nights and flown to Aruba to join the cruise on the rest of its voyage.  The other 130 passengers, however, were on their own.  The reasoning, according to Royal Caribbean is, "Independent guests were advised of hotel availability in the area, but the expense was on them given that it was a weather-related event."

Furthermore, Royal Caribbean says there was simply no way of contacting the passengers in time to alert them to the change, “There was no way to notify our guests of this change in departure time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our guests, but this decision was made by the Port of San Juan to ensure the safe transit of all guests and crew through the port.”

It turns out Royal Caribbean isn't alone in this.  Another 300 passengers missed their Carnival Cruise when Hurricane Irene prompted the Carnival Victory to leave port four hours early.

Due to fear of Hurricane Irene impacting Serenade of the Seas, Royal Caribbean decided to leave San Juan, Puerto Rico earlier than the scheduled 8:30pm time.  The earlier departure time may have gotten the ship out of the path of the storm, but it stranded some Royal Caribbean passengers in San Juan after they claim they weren't made aware of the schedule change.

Passenger Nicole Washington of Baltimore, MD arrived at the docks Sunday shortly after 5, she found the gates locked and the ship gone.

“There was nobody there,” she said. “Everybody was gone and there was nobody there to tell me where the ship was.”

In a statement, Royal Caribbean spokesperson Cynthia Martinez explained the change, "On Sunday, due to the projected path of Hurricane Irene, and the weather forecast to reach San Juan, Puerto Rico that evening, authorities at the Port of San Juan limited traffic in and out of the port.  As a result, Serenade of the Seas was required to depart earlier than our originally scheduled time of 8:30 p.m.”

Washington did admit that she never checked into the cruise so according to Royal Caribbean, the line had no idea she was even in San Juan.

Martinez went on to say, “There was no way to notify our guests of this change in departure time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our guests, but this decision was made by the Port of San Juan to ensure the safe transit of all guests and crew through the port.”

Royal Caribbean had decided to move its Serenade and Adventure of the Seas ships out from San Juan, Puerto Rico in favor of Europe as part of a business decision to chase higher revenue and that move has some in Puerto Rico worried about the relevance of the cruise industry to the island.

The executive director of the Tourism Company, Mario Gonzalez Lafuente, said that Puerto Rico remains a major cruise port and denied that the relocation of two ships represents a crisis for the industry in the country.

He said that the information circulated earlier this week and Tourism had advance. "It's a business decision that has taken the company Royal Caribbean to do this next year."

He said that both ships will return to Puerto Rico for the high tourist season in the winter of that year, which covers the months of November to May.

He added that other Royal Caribbean ships, which he identified as the Freedom of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas will continue their regular visits to San Juan and are not affected by the above decision.

According to Gonzalez, returning or coming for the first time to Puerto Rico the following cruise ships: · Carnival Dream, · Celebrity Silhoette, MSC Poesia, Norweigan Sun, P & O Artemis, Grand Princess, Azamara Journey, Freedom of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas the Disney Fantasy, which is scheduled to start their visits in late 2012.

According to statistics from the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association, last year 2010, nearly 15 million passengers took cruises in the Caribbean, an activity that generated over $ 2.200 billion in revenue for the region.