Background Information This was my fifth cruise - third on Carnival. We have taken cruises to Hawaii, Western Caribbean (2), and Eastern Mexico on the Pacific. This is our third cruise with a balcony cabin. We travel to visit new destinations, buy crafts from locals, and spend time swimming and snorkeling. After spending the holidays in Puerto Rico, we decided to take a cruise out of San Juan. This trip was about spending time together on a beach rather than taking excursions.

Four of us, my partner and I and his daughter and husband, flew to San Juan on Saturday, May 29, the day prior to the departure of our cruise. All of us took a taxi from the San Juan airport in the heavy rain to ESJ Towers in Isla Verde. We stayed there over Christmas, thought this place was in a nice location, and located on a good beach. Check-in at the hotel was fast. The rain let up once we checked in giving us the opportunity to go swimming.

Sunday, May 30 I woke up around 6:00 a.m., took a walk on the beach, and then went for a swim. It was refreshing going swimming early in the morning. We then met in the restaurant and ate breakfast. The buffet breakfast is free for guests of EJS Towers. After breakfast, we headed out to the beach until noon. Our hotel gave us a late checkout. Read more