First of all, the ship was absolutely beautiful and the staff was attentive. There were plenty of dining options however there may be a wait at times for the anytime dining option. You will get a buzzer if a table isn't immediately ready. The photos on this ship are all digital which is really a cool. Instead of tons of photos plastered on the wall, there are digital displays in which you can view your photos anytime. Very nice. They print them when you order them. I recommend that you download the free app which is only good for the cruise that you're on. A list of entertainment, restaurants and your photos can all be accessed from your phone. The app is free but if you want to activate the chat feature, it was only $5.00 for the whole cruise. It allows you to chat with anyone on the ship. It's a very handy feature when traveling with a large group or simply if you want to be able to communicate with your cabin partner when you're not together. Now for the bad. There were too many kids on board and many were out of control. They often left the ice cream station a mess. This is my 5th cruise and I have never seen so much debris in the halls to include crushed ice cream cones in the hallway. This is a brand new ship and it's really a shame. I even had to caution a kid against playing in the revolving door. (Yes, they have a revolving door leading out to the deck) I guess it's my fault for taking a cruise during the Christmas break. Tomorrow is the last day of the cruise and I must say, I'm ready to go. Overall, I'm having a good time but some parents need to learn how to control their kids or leave them home!
Nice port with friendly people. The shopping are is walking distance away or you can pay $3.00 a person for a cab ride.
When you get off the ship, you are downtown with the big name stores as well as street vendors. We avoided the mini-buses right outside the port that were offering tours. There were 8 of us and we were able to find a taxi van to take us around for only $90. He gave us a 2 hour tour, nothing formal. He took us to Old and New San Juan while pointing out landmarks. We went to a beach and had some food cooked at an outdoor grill. Very tasty and inexpensive.
The ship docks at a nice beach area. Food and drinks were expensive so we didn't indulge. Lots of stores there but it was all there for Carnival. It didn't feel like we got a good sense of the island.