Mar 1 San Juan Puerto Rico

After several cancelled attempts to visit Puerto Rico on prior cruises we get here, only because the scheduled port was cancelled for today.  Sometimes you just can't plan these things.

Sail in to San Juan is pretty spectacular, with Fort Morro guarding the harbor.

 Preceding us into San Juan harbor is the aircraft carrier sized Oasis of the Seas.  Capacity of over 6000 passengers, all of them streaming into the town as we approached the dock.  We figured that it would be crowded in the old town. Quoting from  Google Search: "The 225,282-ton Oasis of the Seas became the first cruise ship to break the 6,000-passenger threshold."

 Next to OotS, our ship, Oceania Riviera at 66,000 tons, looked like a midget.  Our around the world ship, Insignia, would look like one of OotS's lifeboats.

 Typical ship's excursion for the OotS.  When we returned to the ship in the afternoon the OotS was playing hip-hop music at ear bleed levels on their pool deck.  Graciously they departed in the early afternoon.

 San Juan street food

 We walked from the pier to Fort Morro about a mile, uphill.  Not many OotS passengers were found above the shopping street next to the pier.  Senor Frogs was about the range of many.

 The locals welcomed us with open arms.

 

 A portion of the city walls

 Puerto Rico has a long history, with lots of statues commemorating important events.

 Fort Morro.  I didn't carry my wallet with me, just a handful of cash.  The Fort is run by the National Park Service and my Senior Pass would have gained me entry.  Just not thinking.

 More monuments in the city; below celebrates 500th anniversary of San Juan

 Cobblestone streets with significant ruts

 St John the Baptist Cathedral

 Important (especially for OotS passengers) historical marker

 We're glad we got a chance to visit San Juan.  We would have liked to spend more money to help out with hurricane relief, but the power was out (it apparently failed again just recently due to poor post-hurricane repair) and eating in a restaurant without power just didn't seem like the right thing to do.