Are you looking to go on a cruise departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico? Wondering where the cruise terminal is? Are you wondering where cruises out of Puerto Rico cruise to? Well, we have you covered with this cruise guide on departing on a cruise from the San Juan Cruise Terminal in Puerto Rico.
Departing on a cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a great choice for exploring Southern Caribbean islands. Cruise itineraries leaving from Puerto Rico typically have more stops than cruises leaving from Miami, Port Canaveral, or Port Tampa Bay. In addition to visiting several beautiful islands, cruise passengers can experience Puerto Rican Culture. Keep reading to help you prepare for your cruise departing from the San Juan Cruise Port Terminal.
San Juan Cruise Port vs. San Juan Cruise Terminal
Is there a difference between the San Juan Cruise Port and the San Juan Cruise Terminal? Well, yes, there is. The Port of San Juan is one of the busiest cruise ports on various Eastern and Southern Caribbean itineraries. The San Juan Cruise Port is where cruise ships stopping for the day will port. When you go on a cruise with a cruise stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the cruise ship will stop at the Old San Juan Piers in Puerto Rico. The Old San Juan Piers are what make up the San Juan Cruise Port in Old San Juan.
The San Juan Cruise Terminal is where most cruises beginning and ending in San Juan, Puerto Rico, will depart. Typically, if you book a cruise leaving from San Juan, your documentation will have the San Juan Cruise Terminal referred to by its formal name, the Pan American Pier. An exception to departing from the Pan American Pier is Virgin Voyages. Virgin Voyages will typically depart from the Pier 4 terminal building in Old San Juan. As with any cruise, you should verify your departure pier by checking your cruise documents so that you go to the correct terminal to catch your cruise.
Benefits of Departing from San Juan Cruise Terminal
Departing on a cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is great because you can have two vacations in one. If you cruise from San Juan, arrive a few days or so before or stay several days after to enjoy Puerto Rico. Extending your vacation to explore San Juan, Puerto Rico, will allow you more time to experience the amazing culture of Puerto Rico.
Another benefit to cruises leaving from San Juan is that they typically have four to six stops. The number of cruise stops depends on the length of the cruise and cruise line. You are more likely to visit islands that cruisers do not get to visit when they take a cruise that departs from Miami or Fort Lauderdale. Puerto Rico’s proximity to islands like St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, and the USVI makes it a fantastic cruise departure port.
Leaving on a Cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Departing on a cruise from Puerto Rico is easy. The process is similar to departing from other mainland U.S. cruise terminals. For the purposes of this blog, we will be focusing on departing on a cruise from the San Juan Cruise Terminal, the Pan American Pier. Keep reading for some helpful tips and information to help you prepare to go on a cruise.
Location of the San Juan, Puerto Rico Cruise Terminal
As previously mentioned, there is the San Juan Cruise Port and the San Juan Cruise Terminal. If you are departing on a Caribbean cruise from San Juan, you will likely board your cruise ship at the San Juan Cruise Terminal. When you get your cruise documents, you may notice that the location to board your cruise is listed as the Pan American Pier. The Pan American Pier is the official name for the San Juan Cruise Terminal in Puerto Rico.
The address of the Pan American Pier is:
- Pan American Pier 1 East & West, C. Muelle, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
The cruise documents you receive from the cruise line will include address information for the cruise terminal. Location-wise, the cruise terminal is not in Old San Juan but rather in the Isla Grande area of San Juan, which looks out to Old San Juan. The San Juan Cruise Terminal is located in San Juan, not far from the T-Mobile District. The majority of taxi and Uber drivers are familiar with the cruise port, so they will know where to drop you off for your cruise.
Getting to the Pan American Pier Cruise Terminal
Unlike many cruise terminals on the mainland U.S., the San Juan Cruise Terminal does not have a parking lot for cruise passengers. Therefore, cruise passengers will have to take a taxi or Uber to the cruise terminal. Taxi services in Puerto Rico’s tourist zones are at a fixed rate and should be posted. We stayed in the Isla Verde area of Carolina near the airport before and after our cruise. We took an Uber to the cruise terminal before our cruise and a taxi to our hotel after our cruise, and the prices were comparable.
If you arrive in Puerto Rico the same day your cruise departs, the cruise line may offer a shuttle service from the airport. You will need to double-check with the cruise line to see if they offer this service. If they do, the shuttle service will likely be offered at an additional cost. If you do not want to book a shuttle through the cruise line, you can still take a taxi or Uber from the airport to the cruise terminal.
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San Juan Cruise Terminal Embarkation Information
When you get to the San Juan Cruise Terminal or the Pan American Terminal, there will be employees there to guide you. One of the first things you will do is drop off your full-sized luggage with the porters. The x-ray machine to check baggage does not fit standard full-sized luggage. Because of this you will be required to leave your suitcase with the porters to transport onto the cruise ship. However, you are able to take carry-on-sized luggage on board as long as it fits through the X-ray machine.
After dropping off your luggage, you will make your way to the entrance of the cruise terminal. Make sure to have your boarding pass and travel documents ready as you make your way to the entrance. As you approach the entrance to the terminal, there will be lines based on boarding time. After getting in line, you will show your documents and then go through security.
Once you get through security, you will check in with a cruise line representative. The representative will scan your boarding pass, verify your travel documents, and may take your picture. Once this is done, you will be able to board your cruise ship. Once on board, one of the first things you may do is complete your safety briefing. We sailed on Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas and had to complete our safety briefing before we could explore the ship.
Cruise Lines and Itineraries Cruising from San Juan
Several cruise lines depart from San Juan. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Virgin Voyages, and Princess Cruise Lines offer various itineraries. The majority of the cruise itineraries leaving from San Juan are 7-day cruises. However, you can find cruise itineraries that are 10 to 14 days. The majority of the cruise itineraries have similar Caribbean Island stops.
Cruise itineraries departing from San Juan tend to stop at St. Thomas, USVI, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, and Barbados. You will also find itineraries with stops in St. Croix, Tortola, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Dominica, Martinique, Antigua, and St. Vincent. Additionally, you can find itineraries with a couple of the islands above with stops at all or a couple of the ABC Islands, which are Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire.
Hotels Near the San Juan Cruise Terminal
There are several hotels near the Pan American Pier cruise terminal. The closest hotels are Hyatt House San Juan, Hyatt Place San Juan, Aloft San Juan, and the Sheraton Puerto Rico Resort & Casino. You can find several more hotels in the vicinity of the ones closest to the cruise terminal.
If you want to stay in a hotel in Old San Juan before your cruise, there are several options. A popular hotel in Old San Juan is the Sheraton Old San Juan. Taking an Uber or taxi from Old San Juan to the Pan American Pier takes about 10 minutes, depending on traffic.
You can also choose to stay at a hotel near the airport. We stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites San Juan near the airport the night before our cruise. The Uber ride from the Hampton Inn & Suites San Juan to the cruise terminal was about 15 minutes.
When we returned from our cruise, we stayed at the Embassy Suites San Juan Hotel and Casino. The Uber ride from the cruise terminal was about 15 minutes. We enjoyed our stay at both hotels and recommend both. Both hotels are close to the beach but not right on the beach.
As you search for a hotel to stay at in San Juan, you will find that there are many options to choose from.
Things to Do in San Juan Before or After Your Cruise
There are many things to do in San Juan, Puerto Rico, before or after your cruise. Old San Juan is the historic district of San Juan, Puerto Rico. One of the most popular things to do in Old San Juan is to visit the San Juan National Historic Site, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, and Castillo de San Cristóbal.
Another popular thing to do is a walking tour or self-guided tour through the heart of Old San Juan to experience the rich history, visit historic sites, and try the local cuisine of the home of the Piña Colada. You can also find numerous restaurants in Old San Juan serving authentic Puerto Rican food.
Additionally, you will find many areas in Old San Juan for Instagrammable photo ops. You can also find many things to do in San Juan outside of Old San Juan. A fun thing to do in San Juan is to kayak, jet ski, or paddleboard in the Condado Lagoon. You can also book a run-tasting tour at Casa Bacardi, where you can learn about the rum-making process.
Exploring Puerto Rico Outside of San Juan
If you decide to extend your vacation, you can explore more than the Old San Juan area of Puerto Rico. You can go on an excursion to El Yunque National Forest, the only rainforest in the U.S. National Park Service. You can go ziplining in one of the lush rainforests or go on an excursion to visit several beautiful beaches in Puerto Rico, like Playa Mar Chiquita.
You can even visit the Luquillo Beach Kioskos and do a bioluminescent kayak excursion in Fajardo. There are many tour operators offering various tours of Puerto Rico, and if you speak with locals, you can find local tour guides.
We recommend spending time exploring Old San Juan and other areas in Puerto Rico. If you cannot take an extended vacation, we recommend arriving in San Juan a day or two before your cruise. This way, you can have some time to explore Old San Juan or enjoy a relaxing beach day before your cruise. Arriving at least the day before your cruise is also recommended in case you have any flight delays, especially if you need to take more than one flight to get to Puerto Rico.
Frequently Asked Questions About Puerto Rico’s San Juan Cruise Terminal
Here are the answers to several frequently asked questions about going on a cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico. We hope the answers will help you as you plan your Caribbean cruise vacation from Puerto Rico.
The best time to go on a cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is during the dry season, which is from December through April. During the dry season, you can expect to have great weather and calm seas. Overall, you can cruise out of Puerto Rico any time of the year. However, June through November is hurricane season in the Caribbean, so there can be more rain and itinerary changes if there is a hurricane.
If you are a U.S. citizen, you will need a government-issued ID and birth certificate or a U.S. passport to cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, the document requirements for U.S. citizens are the same as when cruising from any mainland U.S. port.
If you are not a U.S. citizen, you will need a passport and any other visas or travel documentation you need to enter the United States and the U.S. territories.
The San Juan Cruise Terminal is about 11.5 km from the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU), the main airport for flights from the mainland United States and other destinations to Puerto Rico. The drive to the Pan American Pier takes about 15 minutes. If there is traffic, the drive may be a little more than 15 minutes.
No, there is no parking available at San Juan’s Pan American Pier.
The best way to get to the San Juan Cruise Terminal is to take a taxi or Uber. Taxi fare is regulated in San Juan, and there is a fixed rate in the tourist zone. We’ve done both and found the cost between a taxi and Uber to be comparable.
Old San Juan is about 5.6 km from the San Juan Cruise Terminal. The drive to the Pan American Pier takes about 10 minutes.
Yes, shore excursions are available for Puerto Rico when cruising from San Juan. However, they are available at the end of the cruise and typically include transport to the airport. You will need to read the description of the tours as they are geared toward people flying out at later times, such as flights after 3:30 pm.
Yes, going on a cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is worth it. Cruise itineraries leaving from San Juan visit Caribbean islands that are not usually visited when departing from ports like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Port Tampa Bay.
Final Thoughts on Cruising from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Cruising from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is an excellent option if you want to visit several islands in one trip. A cruise from San Juan gives you the option to cruise to cruise ports that you do not find on cruise itineraries leaving from the mainland U.S. cruise terminal. You also have the benefit of being able to plan an extended vacation. Extending your vacation lets you explore the wonderful culture and natural beauty of Puerto Rico. We hope you plan a cruise departing from San Juan so you can experience more incredible destinations and the Puerto Rican culture. Happy cruising!
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