Thoughts on the 4 night San Juan to Port Canaveral?

[CaLuCa]

I am seriously contemplating this cruise. FL resident, live nearby PC. Flights don't look too expensive, but hotels in SJ were pricier than I thought they would be. DH and I loved PR when we were there 18ish years and 4 kids ago. We hiked El Yunque, toured Arecibo, tried to go to Vieques but didn't catch the ferry. but now I look at things with a different eye with having 4 kids.

We've done 2 cruises on the dream. Youngest was in my belly for the first and barely turned 2 for the second. Now kids are 15, 8, 8, and 6. We have a family history (I have been sick on every cruise I have ever been on, and I fear at least one kid might be too...not just nauseous but vomitting if awake, sea sick!) of sea sickness, which makes me nervous to venture on a 7 night without testing the waters first.

Please give me your thoughts! Positive and Negative! Things I need to think of.

 

[DietCokeMommy]

We did this same cruise this year and loved it. We have two kids, they were 1.5 and 4. We stayed in PR for a few nights before the cruise and really enjoyed it. We did a snorkeling excursion and walked around OSJ. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Isla Verde which I though was pretty reasonable, though their restaurant was pretty pricey.

The four day cruise was a ton of fun, we were going to book it again for 2020 and do a B2B with the southern before it, but they changed the repositioning to NOLA and we’re not interested in that so we’re just doing the southern.

 

[Sunshine2U]

This is just me but if I lived near Port Canaveral I wouldn't spend money for a family of 6 to fly to PR. If you want a ship other than the Dream for a short cruise, the Wonder sometimes does short cruises out of PC. Or you can rent a car to Miami.

 

[CaLuCa]

This is just me but if I lived near Port Canaveral I wouldn't spend money for a family of 6 to fly to PR. If you want a ship other than the Dream for a short cruise, the Wonder sometimes does short cruises out of PC. Or you can rent a car to Miami.

What's strange is when I ran the numbers, this cruise was more economical than the ones leaving out of Miami or PC, even with airfare for 6! I hadn't looked at it because of the logistics of flying and it's so easy to be so close to the ports. The other positive is that this cruise goes to much warmer places than the ones out of Miami and PC this time of year. When we did a cruise in February, we froze.

Still contemplating.

 

[Quellman]

Sounds like a great weeks worth of vacation to me.

 

[Sunshine2U]

What's strange is when I ran the numbers, this cruise was more economical than the ones leaving out of Miami or PC, even with airfare for 6! I hadn't looked at it because of the logistics of flying and it's so easy to be so close to the ports. The other positive is that this cruise goes to much warmer places than the ones out of Miami and PC this time of year. When we did a cruise in February, we froze.

Still contemplating.

Then it sounds like good option. The waters will start out calmer when you sail from PR. At least I think they will. There always seems to be some rough waters as you cross over the Gulf Stream when leaving from PC.

 

[lorimay]

You definitely need some kins of seasick meds. I like Bonine for myself. Check with your doctor to see whats best for you.
My grandkids have taken Dramamine, but don't need it regularly.

This is a great cruise, we did the 6 night version in 2017 and loved it.
We are Florida residents too, Ft Lauderdale area, I found a $94 flight to San Juan on Jet Blue, not too terrible.

 

[girafkiraf]

It sounds like a good plan to me. We did the NYC-San Juan route and stayed in San Juan for three nights at the end. We did an AirBnB in Old San Juan which wasn't super cheap but was way cheaper than the hotels I was looking at. We did a sailboat/snorkeling daytrip, a day of walking around Old San Juan and seeing the forts, and a beach day.

For seasickness definitely look into Dramamine for the kids and Bonine for yourself. It makes a world of difference.

 

[rcchello]

You Will need passports, so if you don't have them you will have to add the cost and time needed to obtain them

 

[CaLuCa]

You Will need passports, so if you don't have them you will have to add the cost and time needed to obtain them

Based on my research, it does not look like we need passports to go to the US Virgin islands. A birth certificate is all that is necessary. If I am missing something, please let me know. Currently, on DH has one and mine is expired. 3 of the kids have never got one.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

You Will need passports, so if you don't have them you will have to add the cost and time needed to obtain them

I'm not sure that's true. Puerto Rico is a US territory. You don't need a passport to get from there to any US city by flying.

 

[CaLuCa]

Thank you all for your thoughts. DH was very much on board with this. He was very excited about the possibility of taking the kids hiking in El Yunque. Also thanks for the advice on the meds. I will look into it. If we are asleep, we're good, but awake and moving tends to roll the stomach.

 

[hrhdhd]

I'm not sure that's true. Puerto Rico is a US territory. You don't need a passport to get from there to any US city by flying.

But the cruise is not closed-loop, so a passport is needed.

 

[CaLuCa]

But the cruise is not closed-loop, so a passport is needed.

Even if the cruise ends in the US?

 

[lanejudy]

Based on my research, it does not look like we need passports to go to the US Virgin islands. A birth certificate is all that is necessary. If I am missing something, please let me know. Currently, on DH has one and mine is expired. 3 of the kids have never got one.

Please double-check that — it is not a “closed loop” cruise, therefore I believe a Passport is required.

From DCL’s website: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/passport-travel-documentation/
Caribbean – One-Way Cruises

Sailing from: Galveston to San Juan, San Juan to Miami, San Juan to Port Canaveral, New York to San Juan or Miami to San Juan
The following guidelines are based on government regulations, which are subject to change at any time. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have all the proper documentation to board the ship and enter each of the countries on the ship's itinerary.

Travelers can visit the U.S. State Department's website for more information. All documents must be valid for the entire length of the voyage, unless otherwise noted. Guests without proper documentation will be denied boarding.

Required Documents for U.S. Citizens

• Original valid U.S. Passport
• Original valid U.S. Passport Card
• Original valid Trusted Traveler Card (NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)

 

[hrhdhd]

Even if the cruise ends in the US?

Correct. Closed-loop cruises begin and end at the same U.S. port. The one described by the OP does not.

 

[CaLuCa]

What I am finding is that since Peurto Rico is a US territory, a birth certificate is all that is necessary. I'm still doing some digging.

This does complicate things. Our intent is to get passports for everyone, but given the time frame, that would make this cruise not an option.

 

[Dug720]

What I am finding is that since Peurto Rico is a US territory, a birth certificate is all that is necessary. I'm still doing some digging.

This does complicate things. Our intent is to get passports for everyone, but given the time frame, that would make this cruise not an option.

As @lanejudy posted, since it is NOT a closed-loop cruise (beginning and ending in the same port), a passport IS required.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What I am finding is that since Peurto Rico is a US territory, a birth certificate is all that is necessary. I'm still doing some digging.

This does complicate things. Our intent is to get passports for everyone, but given the time frame, that would make this cruise not an option.

I did some searching on the US passport site, and couldn't find a definitive statement as to this.

The "US citizens only need a birth certificate" thing pertains to flying between San Juan and other US cities.

I'll also point out, even if no passport is legally required for a San Juan to Port Canaveral cruise, a cruise line can require passports anyway. Since DCL has stated in their information that cruises from/to San Juan require a passport, that's what's going to be required.

It's also possible to get a passport within a day or two, if necessary.

 

[CaLuCa]

I did some searching on the US passport site, and couldn't find a definitive statement as to this.

The "US citizens only need a birth certificate" thing pertains to flying between San Juan and other US cities.

I'll also point out, even if no passport is legally required for a San Juan to Port Canaveral cruise, a cruise line can require passports anyway. Since DCL has stated in their information that cruises from/to San Juan require a passport, that's what's going to be required.

It's also possible to get a passport within a day or two, if necessary.

this is what I am finding too. I am going to try to figure it out. I KNOW the best thing is to have them, but given the time frame, I just don't think they would come back without expiditing.

I am really grateful for you all bringing this up. I would have never thought about the potential.