After departing St. Maarten yesterday, the Disney Fantasy sailed through the night and we woke up today in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is our first time visiting San Juan, and based on reviews from other cruise enthusiasts over the years, we’ve been looking forward to it. Even though we only explored a small portion of the island, it definitely met our expectations.
Before diving into our experience, let’s start with a little history about the island. Here’s what the Disney Navigator has to say:
With its cobblestone streets, brightly colored buildings and a history that stretches back to the Conquistadors, San Juan is a popular tourist destination. The oldest city under U.S. jurisdiction, it offers a warm climate throughout the year, with temperatures sizzling in the summer. Mountains cover over half of the island terrain, but the geography of Puerto Rico also includes rain forests, deserts and caves.
Old San Juan is the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico and is the historic colonial section of San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 1508, Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement. In 1509, the settlement was abandoned and moved to a site which was then called “Puerto Rico” (meaning “rich port”). In 1521, the name “San Juan” was added, and the newer settlement was given its formal name of “San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico.”
Prior to the 19th century the area outside the city walls occupying the east side of Old San Juan was almost uninhabited. In 1865, the government of San Juan approved a resolution promoting the city expansion across the land of Puerta de Tierra. In 1897, the demolition was officially started and by 1899, the population of Puerta de Tierra had risen to 5,453 while the area comprising the old city had a population of roughly 18,000.
With its rich history and geographic importance to European settlers, Puerto Rico was under steady contestation, leading to the construction of Castillos to guard the seas.
The Port of San Juan
We were given the all-ashore right around 8:30 a.m. and had an earlier all-aboard time today of 3:45 p.m. Once we booked this cruise, we talked to friends and asked about “must-do’s,” and the consensus was to skip any excursions and explore on our own due to the proximity of the dock to popular areas.
We docked with a direct view of Castillo San Cristóbal, about a half mile away. It was a busy day, with five ships in port and a special event happening on shore.
We had been tracking the unexpected blackout that affected Puerto Rico on New Year’s but didn’t notice any disruption. As we docked, it was reported that about 80% of the outage had been restored, and it seemed to be business as usual.
The dock area was a little different than most, as it doesn’t include a shopping district the moment you step off the gangway. Instead, you walk off the dock and directly onto Highway 1, a busy road that runs along the shoreline. With plenty of crosswalks and traffic officers, it was easy to navigate across.
It’s incredibly close to the Old Town area, which is filled with shops, restaurants, and plenty of little historical buildings and monuments. A few blocks up, you’ll find the cross street of Calle de la Fortaleza. This narrow cobblestone street, lined on both sides with quaint shops and restaurants, is famous for its canopy of umbrellas that change with the seasons.
Unfortunately, there weren’t any umbrellas up while we walked it (more on that later). Here’s a picture of what you can typically hope to see:
Castillo San Christobal
The main draw for me was visiting the forts, or Castillos. I’ve always been more interested in learning the history and exploring the islands we visit than spending time at beaches or inclusive resorts, so this stop was perfect.
The walk up to Castillo San Cristóbal took approximately 15 minutes. Less than a half mile away, it was a zigzag through narrow streets and sidewalks with crawling traffic. One of the first things we noticed was a very large police presence at almost every street corner. This helped keep traffic moving and ensured everything ran smoothly.
One thing to mention: if you skip leg days, you might regret it! This walk, while short, is up a fairly steep incline to reach the Castillo. Once inside, you’re met with even more steep ramps and a few stairs to climb in order to reach the top.
We spent a fair amount of time exploring, reading about the history, and taking in the extraordinary views. The cost was $20 for adults, and children under 16 were complimentary. Since this is a National Monument, national park passport stamps are available in the gift shop.
Now it was off to explore Castillo San Felipe del Morro. A little over a mile away along the coastline, it took about 20 minutes to walk. The weather was in the mid-80s with mostly clear skies, but there was plenty of shade along the sidewalk, making for a comfortable walk.
As we approached San Felipe, we came upon a large open grassy area that was a popular spot for flying kites. We saw a dozen or so kites dancing in the breeze. Glancing down toward the shore, we had a view of Cementerio Santa María, a colonial-era seaside cemetery.
You could feel the history and culture all around—it was absolutely captivating!
This was a smaller Castillo guarding the inlet to the port, creating a sort of blockade with its proximity to Castillo San Cristóbal. The incline approaching the entrance was more gradual, but there were still steep ramps within the interior.
By this time, you could definitely feel it in your legs—but it was totally worth it for the breathtaking views and rich historical content!
By the time we finished at Castillo San Felipe del Morro, we decided to start heading back to the ship. We wound our way through the side streets of Old San Juan, stopping a few times to pet the local street cats or pop into a shop along Calle de la Fortaleza. It took around 45 minutes, including the stops, to make it back to the dock.
We were slightly surprised to find a long line to reboard through customs and waited about 20 minutes. As we waited, we noticed a number of crew members returning with supplies from Walgreens and other general stores. Apparently, this was a popular spot for them to restock on essentials.
Special Day in San Juan
As I alluded to earlier, this was a special day for Puerto Rico—the Gubernatorial Inauguration of Jenniffer González Colón. This explained the large police presence in the area, as they were monitoring the parade route along with various festivities planned throughout the day.
We suspect this event was also a factor in the umbrellas being removed from Calle de la Fortaleza, as it appeared the parade would be traveling through that area, and the umbrellas could obstruct sightlines for security.
While visiting Castillo San Cristóbal, we were lucky enough to get a bird’s-eye view of the ceremony happening nearby. We even witnessed cannon fire to welcome her into office—a truly memorable experience!
Return to Royal Court
Dining like royalty again this evening for our second rotation in Royal Court.
Another solid selection, but I’m sure by now you can see where I’m going. I started off with the Marinated Tiger Shrimp appetizer—a nice way to kick off another surf-and-turf extravaganza.
Once again, I passed on soup and salad, but others at the table enjoyed the Smoked Duck Breast Salad, Breaded Baked Eggplant, House Salad, and Aged Prosciutto.
Once again, I had to double down on the entrées. I paired the Oven-Baked Lobster Tail with a New York Strip Steak (borrowed from the Enchanted Garden menu).
Scrumptious lobster swimming in drawn butter—need I say more? The NY Strip was a thinner cut than I expected, and I was initially a little nervous about it being cooked medium-rare. How foolish that was. On the first cut, it was tender and juicy, served in a delightful peppercorn sauce. Fabulous. If it had been a standalone dish, I would have preferred a thicker cut, but paired with the lobster, it made for a perfectly filling meal.
The other popular choice at the table was Fettuccine with Parmesan-Crusted Chicken.
“It’s MOLTEN! It’s F*cking MOLTEN you a**hole!” If you get the reference – you’re my people (if not go watch the movie “Chef”).
That’s right—Molten Lava Cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert, accompanied by a Crème Brûlée chaser to enjoy as a late-night snack. To round it out, a good old-fashioned apple pie.
Kid Ace in the Walt Disney Theatre
Appearing in the Walt Disney Theater tonight was Magician Kid Ace. He’s been a regular on DCL for the past few years, and we always enjoy his show. With terrific crowd participation, he knows how to keep both kids and parents invested in the performance. He’ll be performing again tomorrow night in The Tube for an adults-only show, and I’m looking forward to seeing him again.
After a long day and lots of walking in port, it’s time to turn in for the evening. We’ll have another sea day tomorrow to rest up as we make our way to Disney’s Castaway Cay. Thanks for following along!