Port of San Juan

Amazing! Port of san juan is excellent because its right on the edge of some incredible spots in old san juan. You can walk the outside of the fort walls along the water or go a few blocks into the city and see all the colorful buildings. There is also a public restroom next to subway.

I found the Port of San Juan one of the better cruise ship ports to come into. When I departed my cruise ship, the Carnival Glory, I was immediately taken by how clean everything appeared. The main terminal is of a newer design and that the usual photographers, souvenir peddlers and others were far more orderly and less pestering than those of other Caribbean island ports.
Also, though like most ports congested during cruise ship embarkation and disembarkation, accessing local transportation to or from the port proves to be a relatively simple task.

They have this place organized. Easiest port I’ve ever sailed in and out of. Customs was a piece of cake. A million taxis are cued up waiting to take you to your hotel or the airport. Rates are posted, so no haggling. Everyone speaks English too.

This was the embarkation point for my bday cruise on the southern Caribbean. Getting here was only a 15 minute ride from our hotel in Isla Verde. The hotel has taxis that come frequently to the hitel and the ride cost $ 15. When we arrived at the port, there were gentleman in red shirts trying to persuade you to use there services to check in your luggage and it would ve a speedy delivery to your room. We decided to pass on that, as we did not need anything in our luggage before the 10 pm departure from the port. Check-​in was seamless and they have duty free shops that you can purchase items from prior to boarding the ship, but if you purchased liqour, you have to check that in before boarding and won’t be able to get it until the last day of the cruise.
I can see myself leaving from this port in the future.

OOOOH port of san juan where me and my wife got off to get onto our cruise ship. what is awesome about this port there are a handful of restaurant and bars to go to before you get on your cruise. you will see a lot of workers trying to get you to jump in a taxi cab and want to help watch your bags so you can walk around. there are free shuttle trolleys that will take you around the area of old san juan which was very beautiful!

The Port of San Juan was our home port when we arrived from a 7 day cruise last weekend. And I was so relieved that the port was in close proximity to everything Old San Juan had to offer. We were able to walk from the port to our hotel with 3 bags of luggage– ended up being about 3 blocks!
The port itself is nothing special to see, but it’s a port so I’m not sure what one would expect to see. You must venture out into the city to get a good taste of San Juan culture, which I have found to be true of any ports I’ve visited.
It was cool inside the port. The guards were prompt and did their jobs in a friendly manner. We had no issues at all!

I have been to the Port of San Juan several times and it is one of my favorite ports to visit. It is very walkable or you can hop on a city bus for free.
The old, walled city has been exquisitely preserved, and its sprawling forts, cobblestone streets, antique shops and art galleries make it an ideal first stop. Its mainstream attractions include the imposing El Morro fort, which dates back to 1539; the Cathedral of San Juan, where the island’s first governor, Ponce de Leon, is buried; La Fortaleza, the oldest governor’s mansion on U.S. soil; several colonial plazas; and Calle del Cristo, Calle San Jose and Calle Fortaleza for shopping. Calle del Cristo, in particular, is chock-​full of art galleries, artisan studios and distinctive boutiques.
As we pulled into port late in the day, though an hour earlier than scheduled, we hopped on the city bus and then walked around town a bit before stopping in for a few drinks and small bites. It is very easy to find a tour bus to the forts or a city tour but you can easily find it on your own without having to pay many pesos for an excursion.
Whenever ships enter a port, it’s going to be busy. That is to be expected. Puerto Rico has much to offer with trips to the rain forest, beaches, historical culture and of course there are the rum factories. This would be a nice place to even do a land vacation as there are enough varied activities and sights to see to please all.

The nicest thing about the Port of San Juan is the proximity it is to the city. Other ports of call, you have to walk a decent ways to get somewhere.
There are free buses which will take you all over the island within a five minute walk. You can do what I did and stay on the buses. It’s like getting a tour and it gives you a great idea of what you might want to see. You can always get out and walk about.
The port security was easy to work with too. At the time, I was on board the Disney Fantasy with my girlfriend. All we had to do was show them our ship IDs and they let us through with challenge.
I would come back as there seems like there is so much to see and experience.

A nice walk & place to view the ships.

Visited this port back in October to embark on a cruise. We stayed one night at the port before cruising the following day. The port was a fun place to visit eat and drink. I would definitely come back and stay again.

If you thought the airport was an eyesore, just wait until you get to the Port of San Juan. What an ugly warehouse type building.
I can’t really complain about my experience. The taxi dropped us off right where we needed to be to get on the Celebrity Summit and were able to follow the path to get on the ship. It was a quick process since everyone was arriving at staggered times.
A few things were a little odd.
— The guy checking our passports kept asking questions about my last name. Like the origins, etc. I just wanted to board the ship and not chit chat.
–My bracelets set off the metal detector and they asked me to take them all off. Umm, no! They were able to take me to the side to screen me there.
The return to the port was a mess. With 2000+ people disembarking, the lines were long. The luggage was split on both sides of the line. It was a little confusing finding our luggage since it was on the far side of the line.
Basically the port is what it is. I wouldn’t avoid it or make it my time port of call.

Sitting here with a nice view of FIVE huge cruise ships! I’ve been to San Juan for 3 different cruises, two of which departed from San Juan. It is a good place to stop, since there are so many things to see within walking distance. You get off the boat and within a few feet are restaurants and tons of shops in Old San Juan. It’s hilly, so tennis shoes are a good idea! And very hot. Don’t forget the sun screen!!!

My favorite port! I love that you can go freely without a «sales person» trying to get you to buy or to go tour. You are right in the main area of Old San Juan. We were able to walk everywhere! I love mi island bonita!

This port is very busy and quite confusing. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Ok, so we were going on a honeymoon the day after our wedding and I forgot our boarding passes and I forgot our passports in the luggage after we had the porter take them to the ship AND I forgot something else, but I forgot. I’m glad we weren’t the only ones though — there were only 6 of us that had to wait in the «I forgot» line. The Carnival Victory crew member was very helpful. We were escorted to the check-​in point where we were given options on how to board the ship. Since we already had our bags delivered to the room, they had to send a note to the guys to bring the bag that I THOUGHT our passports were in back to us. We were told that it could take hours. Thank goodness we had someone at our house to find our birth certs and email them to the helpful crew member. Phew! That still took some time so we just hung out, walked to Walgreens to get water and snacks for the cruise. Hustlers are gonna be hustlers — they stopped us to sell chains to hold your card in, sunglasses, water and we even ran into a panhandler. It was just too much going on at that port.
This port was confusing as hell upon arrival but easy as ever on our departure. There were taxi’s and tour buses waiting to take people to their final destinations.
Other than the chaos, the port has a nice view of the ship and the island. Loved our visit to PR. We’ll be back soon.

Entering the port you get an amazing first view of the island.
Once you arrive at the port their is nothing special about it. Of course once you exit there are an abundance of people providing tours but beware of the usually cheap tours! Met one group that said they literally were taken around the corner and back! So make sure to get a clear understanding on what sites are included. However, there is lots to do immediately in teh vicinity of the port.

Nice place to catch a Cruise ship, real clean, nice views. Nothing fancy or special here, just a port for the cruise liners to dock at.

Much better option for starting your cruise vs Ft. Lauderdale. The airfare to San Juan was almost the same. Much easier to get around and you feel like you are on vacation from the moment you land. The Port staff were all pleasant and helpful. I’ll choose this point of departure every time I can.

I remember flying out to Puerto Rico so I could catch the Carnival Victory, and this was the place where I boarded. There were also some cruises that I took before, which stopped at this port as well.
The port itself is just okay, but this spot is perfect since most, if not all of the tourist areas are within walking distance. Señor Frog’s is across from here too. :D
Bön voyage! :)

Clean port for the ferry across to Catano for the Bacardi tour! 50¢ for a 1-​Way ticket across! Nice food/​snack shops right there as well…

As far as ports go for cruises, the Port of San Juan in Old San Juan is one of the better ones. You are right in the main area of Old San Juan and can walk everywhere to get to restaurants and attractions.