St. Maarten/San Juan Recs please!

[Harters2WDW]

We will be traveling on the Wonder in March to St. Maarten and San Juan. It is myself, DH, DD12 and DD8.

We are not planning on excursions in either port, but want to explore on foot and take in the areas a bit.
We would like to visit Maho Beach (although I understand it is still recovering from the hurricane) in St. Maarten and we would love to really take in Old San Juan (and visit one of the forts). AND, we want to try some food!

I would love to hear what you have done.

Trying to stay on budget a bit as this was not a planned cruise until a CM friend got a great GTY rate that we couldn't resist!

TIA!!

 

[Prose]

This does have a little bit of a cost, but the guides are awesome and all of the food is included.... They do St. Maarten, as well. http://sanjuanfoodtours.com/tours/

 

[tlprice]

We did both forts in Old San Juan as they are in pretty easy walking distance from each other. If I could only do one, I would do Castillo de San Cristobal. We were kind of disappointed with San Felipe del Morro. The entrance fee that you pay (it's not much) does cover both forts, just show your receipt.

 

[bumbershoot]

Maho Beach isn’t a place you can get to on foot. Cab or rental car will be the option.


The forts in San Juan are. Pay for both and keep the receipt to get into the second.

 

[starvenger]

As pp said, you can get off and walk around Old San Juan pretty easily. The forts have some wonderful views. We saw a Carnival ship pull in, which was pretty cool to watch.

There is a Walgreens and CVS right off of the pier so if you need something, they have it (and a somewhat reasonable price).

I found that the main beach in Sint Maarten was perfectly fine for us, but my kids are younger, my dad has bad knees, and my nephew was only 1 at the time, so slightly different scenario for me.

 

[Quellman]

There is a public trolly/tram that is free to ride in Old San Juan. You may have to wait a few minutes before it shows up, which means all the guys in the Taxi/Van line will want to take you somewhere. But we found the tram to be a good way to see a little bit of old town we wouldn't have seen while walking. Plus, it beats not having to walk everywhere.

At the second Fort. Do not get off at the entrance by the road unless you want pictures, the tram will drive right up the path and to the second pick up point near the entrance.

 

[disneyfan888]

There is a public trolly/tram that is free to ride in Old San Juan.

This was what I was going to emphasize. Definitely take advantage of the trolly. Remember to wear comfy shoes as many streets are in cobblestones and can feel bumpy.
As for food in San Juan there are several delicious options. You cannot go wrong with food in Puerto Rico, it is some of the most flavorful food you will ever have.
Raíces is really good, serves a lot of the traditional food from Puerto Rico including the islands famous mofongo (smashed plantains with garlic, pork cracklings and herbs) delicious! These are usually served with a side of protein.
Vaca Brava is also a favorite and was featured on the Food Network so it is usually packed.

 

[Bsmitty]

Not free or super cheap, but our very best day ever was in St Maarten & was made so great by the activity we booked (not through DCL). Look up captain bob’s bot tour on trip advisor & book with him. It was amazing. And in addition to many other cool things that day, we got to see a plane go right over us at maho beach, while lounging on the boat in the water right off the beach. So worth every penny.

 

[teacher31]

Our ship stopped in San Juan unexpectedly and I had done no research. We got off the ship and walked to the information bureau. We had the most wonderful guide sit with us and he explained everything to do there. He gave us a great map, made suggestions and it was wonderful speaking with a native. I’d suggest hitting the information bureau for tips!

 

[PJ]

I had a chance to ask a CM from San Juan for suggestions for our upcoming march cruise on the Wonder. She suggested 1) walking El Paseo de la Princessa (which i looked up on line for more info) and 2) trying passion fruit/coconut sorbet like ice cream. (She said in spanish it would be listed as coco y parcha.

Has anyone done SJ and St Maarten recently? How much will hurricane damage affect our experiences?

This will be our 1st Disney Cruise - has been on our bucket list and DH surprised me for our 65th birthdays