Where did you stay in San Juan??

[siestakeys04]

Good afternoon, I have been considering booking the 4 day cruise from San Juan to Port Canaveral Feb 3 2019. Where did you book your hotel pre cruise and any tips for cruising Disney. I have cruised before on other lines and have one booked for this summer just wondering what's good for just dh and I.

 

[AquaDame]

We've done three Southerns so far staying only one night before the cruise. Your answer will likely change depending on if you just need somewhere to sleep before you head out (as we did) or want somewhere to stay for a longer time to relax and tour the island...

Our first cruise we stayed at the Embassy Suites by the airport. There was a casino on the bottom floor that we didn't use and for the price I don't feel like it was a good deal since it was away from Old San Juan and all the touristy stuff. The second trip we just wanted a bed and to not have to pay for parking so we took a room at the airport hotel inside SJU and rented a car, returning it to the airport when we were done that night. That worked really well and the hotel was very reasonable at just over $100 a night. It was clean but drab - we just needed a bed so it was perfect and very convenient. Last week we stayed at a boutique hotel in Old San Juan as I didn't want to rent a car this time. You cannot park overnight in OSJ without a resident permit following the hurricane but it was always a pain trying to drive around anyway. I liked being able to walk to the forts and dinner though the hotel we stayed at - Le Terrraza de San Juan - was lacking in hot water and was a bit loud as we ended up on the bottom floor. The room was slightly musty... Im not sure I'd stay there again though it was fine for a night.

 

[chamberlain]

My husband and I are booked on that cruise next year and have the same question on where to stay. I looked online and found a few boutique hotels in old St. Juan that looked nice but would be interested as well where other people have stayed and what they recommend. Thanks.

 

[siestakeys04]

I want to be close to the port. Only want to stay for a night.

 

[shoes99]

We sailed from NY to San Juan on the repositioning cruise. We stayed 2 nights at the Caribe Hilton
and 1 night at the Embassy Suites near the airport. Both were fine.

 

[tlprice]

We also stayed at La Terraza and we loved it. We really wanted to stay at Hotel El Convento, but you have to book at least 2 nights and we couldn't do an extra day. We loved the location of La Terraza. It was so easy to walk to everything we wanted to see and do. We took an Uber from the hotel to the port and it cost less than $8.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Embassy suites.

 

[Homemom]

Sheraton Old San Juan. We thought it was a great location. Loved seeing the ships from our room. We were able to walk around to sightsee easily. Even walked all the way to the Castillo.

 

[brandyleeann]

I love this question as I am interested in this also! I want somewhere with a great pool and maybe a beach that will be fun for our kids. We will have one day before and one day after our cruise and would want to stay at the same hotel.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

Stayed at the Courtyard Isla Verde Beach Resort last year after our Disney Magic cruise. What a great hotel! Beach was great, pool and swim-up pool bar were excellent, and the food at the restaurant was REALLY good too. Super close to the airport and an easy 15-minute Uber ride to Old San Juan.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sjuiv-courtyard-isla-verde-beach-resort/

 

[ludari]

I stayed at the Courtyard Isla Verde Beach Resort which was amazing and right on the beach! However as much as I enjoyed my stay at this resort my next visit to PR I plan on staying at Hotel El Convento in old San Juan.

 

[apathetic]

If you want close to the port, the Sheraton Hotel and Casino (near the convention center) is the closest. It probably is less than a 5 minute car ride and would be walking distance except for the luggage. We got off the ship last month in San Juan ad you couldn't miss the Sheraton. Anything by the convention center is really close to the embark/debark port.

 

[dcassetta]

We prefer the Condado area for beach access and the Caribe Hilton has a nice pool area, too.

 

[mmouse37]

Just got off the Wonder in San Juan on Sunday and on our pre night before the cruise we stayed at AC Marriott Condado. We loved the hotel and the roof top pool was beautiful but we didn't get a chance to go in it as it started to rain and was on the cool side just as were about to go in.

It has a nice bar area and the staff was super friendly. The rooms were very nice and they included 2 free drink vouchers when you checked in. We used them soon after we checked in at the rooftop bar. The hotel is a block or so from the beach but again, we were only there for one afternoon and overnight and it was raining so we did not go to the beach. There was a nice casual restaurant across the street where we had dinner and a bodega about a block away we where we bought wine. We wanted talk down to the CVS near the Stellaris Marriott/Casino but again the rain kept us from walking too far.

Our taxi from the airport to the hotel was about $24 plus tip. Our taxi from hotel to the port was about $21 and our taxi from the ship to the airport was about $25. We were four adults with 4 checked pieces of luggage and 2 or 3 carryons. On the way to the port we passed the Hyatt Place and the Hyatt House both very close to the port. We also saw the Sheraton and that was also very close to the port. Would probably stay at one of the Hyatts next time.

I don't know about walking to or from the port from those close hotels though. We saw people walking away from the port to I guess one of the hotels and they did not look they were having fun. There is no sidewalk so you are walking where all the taxis and buses are coming in and out. I would say it about a mile but not a safe mile to walk IMO.

Just as a side....we booked the hotel using chase credit card points and only booked for one night. I also had Marriott points but couldn't use those as Marriott required us to stay 2 nights and we couldn't. Just seemed odd Marriott wouldn't let us stay one night but Chase would. Oh well.

MJ

 

[jenny_nichole]

We love San Juan and have stayed at the following hotels:
Embassy Suites Hotel & Casino: love that it's so close to the airport. Lovely pool, free breakfast & evening manager's reception, free chairs/umbrellas on Isla Verde beach(few blocks away)
Hotel El Convento: beautiful historic hotel in the heart of Old San Juan - lovely, but small rooftop pool & terrace, free wine & cheese reception, no need for cabs to shop, eat, sightsee in Old San Juan
Hyatt Place San Juan City Center: decent pricing, close to cruise pier, free breakfast
Sheraton Convention Center: just stayed here on 1/20/18, lovely infinity pool with view of cruise ships, clean, quick cab ride to cruise pier

 

[Jkpark]

We cruised about a year ago (just DH and me). We stayed at the Stellaris Marriott with casino (my husband and I like to gamble). Location was great. We had breach views from our room and walked the next morning for local lunch and CVS stop. After the cruise we stayed at the El Convento which was wonderful. We walked to the fort and great restaurants. I know the Marriott we just booked one night - but I honestly can't remember if we used points or cash for that stay. I also thought we only stayed one night at the El Convento - they didn't have a two night minimum when we cruised.

 

[disneyfan888]

Several great options, but Sheraton Old San Juan would be the best if you are looking to be close to the port. You can see the ships from most rooms which is nice.
If you do decide on this hotel, I do recommend making a reservation asap as it fills up fast.
Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Melissa Denning]

We just stayed at Hyatt House in January prior to our cruise...we would totally go to San Juan to stay there again! Welcoming staff, beautiful property and awesome daily hot breakfast. It was so close to port that we watched the Wonder arrive in port from our room.

 

[DisneyLove2015]

I love this question as I am interested in this also! I want somewhere with a great pool and maybe a beach that will be fun for our kids. We will have one day before and one day after our cruise and would want to stay at the same hotel.

We stayed at Courtyard By Marriott Isla Verde last month. It has a nice pool and beach access. We stayed two days prior to cruising so we wanted somewhere we could spend the day relaxing. It was nice.

 

[lizabu]

We just stayed at Sheraton hotel and casino February 1-4. The pool is gorgeous and you can see the Wonder when she comes in. There’s lots of adult entertainment in the casino. We saw a live band and had $3 margaritas and my husband even won big at the casino. The cab ride to port was $15.