March 23 - San Juan, Puerto Rico

This morning we docked in San Juan, and since it was our first time in US territory, we all had to clear customs and border protection and the ship had to pass a Coast Guard inspection.  I was just here in late November and in November 2021, so I decided to have a day at sea in port.  I went ashore and showed my passport, sat until we were told we could reboard, and spent the rest of the day doing nothing constructive.  

We had a huge MSC cruise ship on the other side of the pier and I watched people going on and off on their  four gangways.  The  ship carries 5877 passengers and 1360 crew.  Think of that, nearly 10,000 people.  I’m glad I’m here not there.

It looks more like an apartment building than a ship

I’ve been to San Juan many times and as I sat in the shade by the pool I thought about one memorable trip Al and I made here.  We were going on our first cruise through the Panama Canal in October, 1992. It began in San Juan and we came a couple of days early.  Unbeknownst to us Puerto Rico was celebrating the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage on which he “discovered” the New World.  Tied up at the waterfront near where we were docked today were working replicas of the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.  There were flower garlands draping the streets and people partying and dancing there until early morning.  It was a magical coincidence to be here at that particular moment.  San Juan has suffered in the ensuing years from the 2008 recession, the devastating hurricane a few years ago, and the Covid shutdowns.  When I came in November that was obvious.  I hope it comes back and is revitalized.  More than any city I’ve seen in Latin America, old San Juan reminds me of a city in Spain, especially in Andalucía in the south.

We sailed around 5 PM and headed westward to make our way to Miami and the end of this grand voyage.  I was talking with friends at dinner and while we are looking forward to being home, we’re also all feeling a little sad.  The singers and dancers performed their last show for us, and I loved it. It was an homage to some of the great songwriters and musicians who came out of Detroit.  Then of course, my friends and I went down to the club to dance. It’s a good way to work off some of the food we’ve had and it’s just plain old fun.

So, it was a really laid-back day and not particularly exciting.  I’m uploading a few pictures of the fort at the point of the harbor, El Morro, old San Juan, and the north shore of the island.  Hasta mañana..