As part of our re-reconstructed itinerary we would be spending all day Tuesday in San Juan. The ship would arrive at noon and depart at midnight, which I loved. Of all the ports in the Caribbean, San Juan is the one where I feel most at home. I love everything about the city, especially at night. But, first things first which of course means breakfast. There is no better way to prepare your body for a long day in the Caribbean heat than having a good breakfast. So, we did our customary breakfast in the lido. After that we headed out to the deck for a little time in the pool before it was time to watch the ship pull into the dock.
It was pretty cool arriving at noon since everyone was out on the deck to watch us arrive. You could tell the whole ship was eager to see what Puerto Rico had to offer. Personally, I only wanted two things; authentic Puerto Rican food and a fedora.
Shortly after noon there was a mass exodus from the ship. Since we already knew the city fairly well, our day was already mapped out. First we would head into town for some shopping, checking out sights along the way. Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike shopping? I’m okay when I am alone but being with two females was a complete nightmare. We had to go to every store and they tried on countless outfits, it was torture. By the time we got to the Coach and Dooney and Bourke stores I was at my wits end. I left them to browse for items they no intention of buying while I went on a search for could bottles of water. Upon my return I found out they actually did buy a couple of items, so all of my tears weren’t a complete waste.
After the shopping we decided to pick up lunch. One of the places I like to visit while in Puerto Rico is a little place called El Jibarito. I found out about it a few years ago by asking a porter at a hotel where is the best place to find authentic food. I always find its best to ask the opinion of “real people” any time I’m looking for a good meal. It is a little off the beaten path but in my opinion its worth the trip (another place is La Casita Blanca). So, we sat down and had a pitcher of Sangria as an appetizer. Lunch there is pretty good (if you like authentic Puerto Rican food) and really reasonable. I got more food than I could eat (and I can eat alot) for about ten dollars. After scarfing down lunch and loosening my belt, it was time to walk off some of those calories.
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- Fort San Cristobal
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- Senor Frogs Old San Juan
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- San Juan Horse and Carriage
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- Carnival Freedom In Old San Juan
We walked over to one of the forts to take some pictures and to see a bit more of the city. After winding our way back down towards the docks, I was allowed (lol) to shop for my fedora. I already knew what I wanted and where I wanted to get it prior to coming so it was a fast trip. On our way back to the ship to drop off our items we decided that on the way back out we’d take a horse and carriage ride through the city.
Quickly, we dropped off our items and freshened up a bit before heading back out. It was starting to get a little late so we immediately went to where the horse and carriage rides were. There were through different tours, one took you through the city and the other took you around the perimeter. There was also a combo tour that combined the two, thats the one we got.
The sun had already set so we knew there weren’t going to be many photo-ops but truthfully I can close my eyes right now and imagine so much of it that lack of pictures wasn’t a concern. I just thought it would be a cool new way to experience Old San Juan. Our drivers name was Jose and our horse Bristol. Jose was extremely funny and Bristol, perfectly obedient. Anyone who has ever been to San Juan can probably imagine how frightening going through that traffic in a carriage can be, obedience is a huge plus. Jose narrated along the way and also stopped for some picture taking opportunities, it was one of the high points of our trip.
After the carriage we wanted decided to stop into Senor Frogs for some snacks and a couple of drinks. It had been a while since I had been there but soon after being seated I realized why I had stayed away for so long. Over-priced food and poor service brought back all sorts of nightmares. I’ll admit when I was younger or cruising by myself I probably would have been one of those people standing on tables dancing but nowadays I just find it annoying. Even still I made the best of the situation by taking pleasure in Catie’s reaction to everything, she was mortified. Since she is only 18 years old she hadn’t been exposed to people acting this way. Her mother and I, thought it was hilarious. If you have never been to a Senor Frogs you probably owe it to yourself to visit one, but eat before you arrive.
After we decided we had seen enough of the Senor Frog’s freak show it was time to head back to the ship. There was going to be dancing and music on the Lido deck that night and we always get nervous about missing the ship when we’ve been drinking. Once we were safely back on board we spent the rest of the night dancing before the traditional pre-sleepytime slice of pizza.
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