Cruise Departure: 3/4/07

My wife and I booked this cruise as our first cruise. We loved every minute of it, and feel there is no other way to travel now on vacation. We will definitely be going on a cruise for our next vacation. We started in San Juan (10 PM departure), had a day at sea, stopped in Aruba (leaving next day at 1AM), and then stopped in Curacao (departing at 5:00PM), another day at sea, then stopped in St. Maarten (departing at 5:30PM), and last stopped in St. Thomas (departing at 5:30PM).

Travel to San Juan: We ended up flying to San Juan, PR a day in advance and had plans to see the El Yunque Rainforest which is supposed to be an incredible rainforest. Our flight on USAIR was delayed out of DC by two hours and then we lost an hour not realizing that PR is an hour ahead of EST. Because of this pointless delay we were not able to go to see the EL Yunque rainforest because it closed at 6PM and we would have just had to turn around once we got there. We rented a car from Charlie's Car Rental (a local company). I had heard really good things about them on this website. I was not really impressed with them overall though. It was a cheaper option, but it seemed like everyone had the same idea. There shuttles are as frequent at the airport as AVIS or any of the big car companies, as well. So it took a longer time than normal to get our car since there was a line for the shuttle, and then a long line at the rental facility to check out. One benefit is that you can check out at the airport and then drop off in Condado, PR where you will receive a free shuttle ride to the cruise terminal for no extra charge. It's hard to find the Condado location, and overall they are not very friendly. I love renting from AVIS because they'll just drop you off at your car if you're a preferred member and you won't have to stand in line to get your car. Another disadvantage, is that if you don't buy Charlie's insurance and want to go with your own insurance, you have to sign a waiver saying that they can charge your credit card for whatever damage, regardless of who is at fault, and then you have to deal with the insurance company. A little sketchy if you ask me. There were some spring breakers in front of us also that were not able to get a car. Apparently it is a company policy that no one under the age of 24 can drive, even with a fee. Hopefully that is posted on their website. Read more