This was our second cruise with Royal Caribbean and we thought it was about as good as it can get. Both the ship and the itinerary were top notch and we are already going through withdrawal!

Flight & Car Rental: We flew in on a red eye Thursday night from LAX. The flight was a nonstop, which was so much nicer than our previous experience of connecting at Miami at 5am and wandering half asleep until our connection! Our luggage came in on the carousel fairly quickly and we were out of the airport and at Hertz by about 10:00. Renting the car was quick and the drive from the airport to the Caribe Hilton was easy.

Our Hotel: We stayed at the Caribe Hilton, which is about 20 minutes from the airport, 5 minutes from the Pan Am Pier and about 10 minutes to Old San Juan. This was our 4th time staying at the Caribe and we really enjoy this hotel. The grounds are beautiful and the property was built around a historical landmark, Fort San Geronimo. There is a private beach and a little pond area with free roaming swans, ducks, geese, peacocks and coy fish. There are also a cockatoo and macaw near the lobby area—they are interesting to watch. In addition to the nice grounds, there are several options for dining. Finally, the Caribe has a delicious piña colada in the Caribe Terrace Bar. Ask Victor or Rafael for a piña colada with Don Q rum—YUM! We have stayed in every section of the hotel and this time we were put in the Lagoon Villas. I have to say we were not that impressed with these rooms because of the location; they were pretty far from the rest of the grounds and getting to/from the villas can get confusing. We really like the executive tower rooms, but it seems they are no longer available. A nice alternative is an ocean view room in the garden wing. Be sure to ask for a renovated room!! Read more