My March Carnival Victory Cruise: Disembarkation Day – La Bombonera

Disembarkation day is always a sad one and this was no different, but at least Carnival made it easy for us.  We had a late disembarkation but even then we were off the ship and back into San Juan by 9:30 AM.  Our flight wasn’t to depart back home until 6 pm so needless to say we had some time to kill.

Originally we had planned to get a day room at a resort but due to the fact that we had to try and get one the morning we arrived we decided to just bum around Old San Juan.  We paid two dollars per bag to store our luggage across the street at a cafe.  I’m sorry but the name of the place escapes my memory at the moment but if you ask a porter or taxi driver they will direct you to the right place.  Our luggage was locked upstairs so security wasn’t a problem.

When we arrived pre-cruise we had wanted to eat at La Bombonera but were unable to do that due to time constraints, but it was a priority for us on this day.  I knew the general area the cafe was located but a guy who worked for the tourist bureau gave us more exact directions.  The walk wasn’t very far and it was very easy to find once we got into the right area.

In the cruise community La Bombonera has an excellent reputation and I was especially excited to try the Mallorca.  I had read about this sandwich on several different message boards and the way I understand it Rachael Ray and Anthony Bourdain both gave La Bombonera rave reviews.  Well, if it’s good enough for them it’s good enough for me.

When we walked in it was evident that this was the place for Sunday morning breakfast as the line was almost out the door.  The best part was that it was filled with about 60% locals, so I knew the food would be good.  The line moved pretty fast and in about 15 minutes we were seated.  We ordered two Mallorcas and a couple of glasses of orange juice and a cafe con leche.  Service was very fast and the food was on the table within about 10 minutes.

Who would have known that bacon, eggs and cheese shoved between two pastry pieces and sprinkled with powdered sugar could taste so good.  I’m not sure how many calories were in this sandwich but it sure felt decadent, and I didn’t care one bit.  The total for breakfast was about 10 dollars per person and it was very satisfying.  In fact after we headed back into the heart of town we camped out on the first bench we saw just to let things digest a bit.

The rest of the day would involve walking around town looking at the various crafts for sale, hitting the casino in the Old San Juan and another visit to Raices for lunch.  It was a nice way to end our March Carnival Victory cruise as it was very relaxing.  It allowed us to do things at our own pace and get our last look at Old San Juan without having to deal with any crowds.

By the time we arrived at the airport (around 3 pm.) the place had cleared out and there was no wait for USDA inspection or check-in.  We sat around eavesdropping on an interesting conversation between performers who had finished their contract.  Our plane did take off a bit late but other than that this was probably the smoothest cruise I have ever been on.

Related posts:

1. My March Carnival Victory Cruise: Orient Beach
2. March Carnival Victory Cruise: Heading Into Old San Juan
3. My March Carnival Victory Cruise: Orient Beach, The Sun Beach Clubber
4. March Carnival Victory Cruise: St. Lucia and Reduit Beach
5. March Carnival Victory Cruise: Accra Beach and Just Grillin’

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