Bacardi Rum Factory Tour - San Juan

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TampaMike

Guest
Hello fellow cruisers ,

When I saw that the itinerary for the Freedom Of The Seas included San Juan
we got excited at the thought of touring the Bacardi Rum factory.

I did some reading about the short ferry ride and bus to the facility
and then I saw something that made my heart sink.

Last tour is at 4:30pm.... The ship arrives in port at 3pm.
Has anyone made it for this tour in time based on that itinerary?
Can it be done??

=huh
 
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Donedeal

Guest
Sorry I don't have the answer to that question, but I need the answer as well. I've been to San Juan for what should have been a week but it got cut short due to Hurricane Hugo and I missed seeing the factory. Part of the reason I am doing this itinerary is to do this tour.
Anyone have the answer out there?
 
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suer182

Guest
IMO I think you are cutting it close to do the tour privately, unless they keep it opened for later ships. It is possible that the ship might have a tour, If the tour is that important to you, bite the bullet and pay the extra bucks. The factory might stay opened just for ship sponsered tours only. One never knows how long it will take the ship to clear.
 
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TampaMike

Guest
This is quite true suer, I'm thinking it can't be done.
I will have a look to see if the ship offers the tour but I'm sensing that it won't.

=huh
 
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fredm71

Guest
If you've never been to San Juan and haven't booked your flight yet, I recommend staying at extra night there on your own. Old San Juan was beautiful, my wife and I enjoyed walking around there for the day.
 
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TampaMike

Guest
Flight? Nonono..... this will be a stop on a cruise out of Miami.
We're looking forward to seeing Old San Juan.... any suggestions Fred??
 
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Donedeal

Guest
Tampa Mike I don't know what date you are taking this cruise. We are going in September. Due to this time problem I tried to book the excursion on line with RCCL but they said that it was too soon to book any excursions for this cruise yet. I am going to keep checking and IMHO I would do the same if you really want to go there.=huh
 
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TampaMike

Guest
I saw that... I tried that also but it was too far in advance. We are sailing November 16th.
Touring Bacardi is not the be all and end all.... Old San Juan has plenty to enjoy while we are there.
Thanks for the heads up, I'll look into it again when the trip is a bit closer.
 
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fredm71

Guest
Sorry, Mike, I was assuming it was the departure port on your cruise...as it was for us when we were on the South Caribbean cruise. I wasn't thinking.

I'm not sure if I'm the best source of information, we didn't do any real excursions, but we did visit the fort, which was interesting. Just walking around the streets and soaking in the local flavor was fun for us. Frommers has a nice walking itinery, here:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/sanjuan/0323010008.html
 
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Donedeal

Guest
Hi Tampa Mike,

I agree the tour isn't everything in San Juan. When I went before for 1 week it was the last on my list of must See's. Because of the storm we had to cut our trip short and so I missed it. So now it is on the top of my list. Since I am sailing in September I have kept checking to see if I can book that excursion. I was finally able to do so last night. So just keep checking and you'll probably be able to book it.
 
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