We flew to San Juan on Thursday. We stayed at the Courtyard Miramar. We had an free e-stay. The next morning we went to Courtyard Isle Verde. This hotel is not new but is well maintained.Our room was ready and they let us check in before ten that morning. Spent a very relaxing day at the beach.We walked to Metropol that night for dinner.Ate a traditional Puerto Ric-an Christmas dinner. Good food and not expensive. Spent another nice day at the beach. Went to a MlB baseball game in Carolina that night. Taxi was 30 each way for 4. Admission was free. Interesting if you are a baseball fan.

We went to the pier about one on Sunday. Embarkation process was simple and super fast. Ate something on the ship and then walked around old San Juan. Went to Marshall's and picked up soft drinks at the CVS across from the pier. Dinner was at 6 that night. It is open seating the first night. We ate with a father/daughter pair that did not talk the whole time, which was awkward. We were happy that we had a table for just the four of us the rest of the week. Our head waiter, William was super nice.The food in the dining room provided lots of choices, and we were able to find something that we liked each night. Ship left at 10 that night. I will give details for each port in the next section.

Our room was clean. This is not a new ship but all public areas were clean. Each morning we ate breakfast early, so we could leave the ship on time. No lines for the earlybirds. The eggs are gross but there are lots of other things to choose from. We did not attend the shows. We were to busy and not really interested. We were a little disappointed in the Christmas activities. There was Christmas caroling two nights, and they showed Polar Express on on the outdoor screen on Christmas Eve. We did the self disembark . We were off the ship and at out hotel by 8 that morning. Took a cab to the Forts and toured both.It cost 5 per person to see both.We were going to use the trolley but gave up because it was so slow. Walked around Old San Juan .It is a beautiful old city. Ate lunch at La Bombanera.Their are plenty of bad reviews for this cruise but my advice is to take it with a grain of salt. There is not better way to see so many beautiful places unless you can charter your own yacht.My family was excited and expected to have a great vacation and we did. There are plenty of rude people but you find them anywhere you travel. We just ignored them and went about our business of having fun. People complain about the locals selling stuff on the beach but we found they will leave you alone if you are not interested. Be nice! They are just trying to make a living. It made me thankful that I did not have to depend on tourist for my job. Many people complain about feeling unsafe. I never felt unsafe but do use good judgement. You must have your luggage USDA inspected before returning to the states. Do this before you check your bags on the return flight. The cost of taxis really adds up. Do your homework and ask before you climb in.