San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Amaris Scipione
- Nov 19, 2025
- 4 min read
We’re docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico today! We start the morning with breakfast in the main dining room. We barely make it before closing which is apparently at 9am. This is my favorite breakfast option because it’s so peaceful and I much prefer getting served breakfast versus dealing with the buffet. Unfortunately, I’m the only one in my family with this opinion. My husband prefers the buffet, and my son prefers room service.
We are exploring on our own and skipped any guided shore excursions. We walk off the ship, and it was pretty crazy. People everywhere and lots of people asking us if we needed taxis. We move through the crowd and luckily it was confined to a pretty small area. A few steps away and the crowd dissipates. We meander through streets with colorful buildings and a rich history. We see tour guides occasionally stopping to discuss the various buildings. I like doing things on my own, but we did miss out on really learning the story behind Old Town. Each building looks like it has a story to tell.
We are on our way to Castillo San Felipe de Morro which is an old fortress built when Spain colonized the area. It took about fifteen minutes to walk there from the ship, and we were rewarded with beautiful views. The walkway to the fortress is beautiful with a large grassy area and views of the ocean. The road leading up to the fortress had construction barrels lining it, but not construction appeared to be happening. The open field and hot sun made it was really hot and I’m glad we packed water. Many of the tour groups were making their way here too.
This fortress is part of the United States National Park system and is classified as a National Historic Site. There was a nominal fee to enter the fortress, and we explored the nooks and crannies of it. There was one room with a TV and a video talking about the history of the place. I'm normally all about watching these videos in national parks, but the TV was small, the chairs looked uncomfortable, and it was very hot. Exploring this fortress meant climbing up and down stairs and navigating ramps. It was exercise and we were all sweating a lot. Make sure you bring water!
We built up an appetite so it’s time for lunch. We make a quick stop for a slushy for my son and then we’re off to Restaurant Raices. This restaurant was recommended by our friend who is from Puerto Rico and it was amazing. The restaurant is located fairly close to the port. We saw the hostess outside the restaurant who quickly seated us. The place is much bigger than it appears from the outside. We went through a few rooms to the place we ended up at. The walls were filled with color, and it had a very authentic feeling to it. It also appeared that many locals were eating here which is always a good sign for good food! We both had Mofongo which is made primarily with plantains. Mine was topped with steak and my husband’s was topped with seafood. This was one of the most delicious things I’ve even eaten. It was flavorful and I will dream about eating this again. I also had a sangria with my meal which was a refreshing drink to have with my meal. The restaurant was much cooler than outside, and it was a nice break from the heat.
We walk back to the ship and take a nap. Then, my son and I head to our favorite pool. It’s the best place to catch the sunset! It’s very empty this evening so we even grab one of the poolside beds.
Tonight is 80’s night and several cruisers are dressed for the theme. We are not those people. We walk through the piazza and there is a silent dance party. It’s not silent as they have music playing, but you can grab headphones and tune into one of the three channels. This is my son’s first silent disco, and he loved it except he thought he could keep the headphones. He was pretty disappointed when we had to turn them back in. There was a couple dressed up and carrying an inflatable giant phone and inflatable giant boom box. My son loved this, and they let him play with them for a little bit.
Dinner takes the normal 90 minutes which in my opinion is too long. It makes catching a show hard, but we make it work by arriving late to the show "Fiera." We find three seats in the last row and we’ve entered from the top. We slip into the best seats for us. They are at the end and the row ends at a wall. I imagine it’s much quieter here than the rows closer to the production. Shows are really hard for my son because of all the lights and sounds. He curls into a spot under our seats with his headphones and iPad and is able to stay there and not be distracting to others. It’s probably the only spot in the theater that had this little nook that he could curl into. The show was really good and was themed to a carnival. My favorite part was when they went on a roller coaster. I think it’s our first night past 9pm. The ship really comes alive in the evening!
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