Our Cruise, part2

Our first port of call was San Juan, P.R Which due to it taking about two and a half days to arrive there from NYC, we didn’t get in until after 2:00pm on Tuesday. To be honest, Carnival was conducting a survey of passengers to decide just what they would do with San Juan. If the port should be the second port, allowing passengers longer in the port, or to skip it make it the last port, where they would be there in the mornings.

The way things work now many of the museums and landmarks are getting ready to close by the time some tours arrive. If you want to do shopping, have dinner or visit some of the night spots which open early then the current 2:00pm -11:30pm stay works out fine.

As you’ll see when I finally get around to posting our pics, we took a tour of the Bacardi Distillery, skipping some of the other tourist spots. You certainly get in the right mood, since the folks from Casa Bacardi have open bar or frozen & iced rum drinks as you leave the SJ terminal. I think some folks didn’t make it past there!

With drinks in hand to boarded a mini-bus, which we soon discovered did not have a working air conditioner. Opening windows didn’t provide much relief, but the trip to the distillery was only about twenty minutes and out driver/guide Manual (“Call me Manny!”) was knowledgeable and amusing. I had no idea that Ricky Martin is about the only celebrity in P.R. At least it seemed from the way that Manny pointed out where Ricky stayed, worked out, eat and jogged when he was back on the island.

Naturally, the tour of Casa Bacardi began and ended with the bus pulling in front of the gift shop, which also included an outdoor refreshment stand. While you had to pay for such items as water, soda, chips, etc. you were able to have two more “free” rum drinks using the tickets you received upon boarding the bus. The tour itself was fairly interesting, beginning with a twenty minute film on the history of the Bacardi family (Did you know the bat was chosen as the symbol of the company because a coloney of fruit bats was discovered in the original warehouse the family purchased when they began their business? They were considered a sign of good luck.) and how they came to become one of the largest rum manufacturing companies in the world, and certainly the most famous. Following this you were able to see a replica of the original stills, smell casks filled with rum at various stages of manufacture plus others containing every type and brand the Bacardi’s sold.

The tour ended with all of us getting back on an open-air trolley to be returned to the gift shop. At this point the guys behind the bar had given up even asking for tickets and some folks (I admit to being guilty) helped themselves to several more freebies after hitting the gift shop. I now have two t-shirts, a ball cap and more than enough rum to keep me very happy after work or while at the grill on summer weekends.

Unfortunately, the trip back took a bit longer, going by way of Old San Juan and the A/C hadn’t been repaired. We were also a bit jarred when an automobile pulled ahead of us, causing Manny to brake sharply. Poor Donna hit her knee on the seat in front of her, which caused her some discomfort later. We eventually made it back to the ship, overheated and looking forward to a quick shower before dinner.

It was kind of cool watching us pull out of SJ at a bit after midnight, as you could see the city really lighting up and hear music coming from a number of clubs along the shore. I’d spent some time in P.R. previously, while in the Navy and had a chance to see some of the beautiful countryside. I’d recommend it for folks, but you might want to pick a cooler time of the year, since it was pretty hot & humid in late May.

I’ll get around to St. Thomas & probably Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands either later tonight or tomorrow.