In
this thread I explored options for a New Year's break in Puerto Rico and opted for the ferry. I promised to come back and report on the experience.
We set off on Thursday night, 27th December, in the pouring rain. The scheduled departure time was 8pm and we were told to turn up 2 hours in advance, although our first class tickets (US$280 round trip inc breakfast per adult; US$164 per child) said we would not have to stand in line. Other options exist for foot passengers and cabins with and without bathrooms - adult round trip prices starting from US$183 or so. Considering that the plane costs over US$500 this is really worth it if you have the time to spare - it's a 12-hour overnight trip. Taking your own vehicle adds about US$100 to the fare price.
We were taken straight to check-in and all the other formalities - security, customs, immigration, which was fairly chaotic, but swift. The ferry itself was fine - especially our 'suite' which was spacious, clean and comfortable. The boat appears to have started life as a Baltic ferry judging by the signs in Nordic languages. It has a nightclub, bars, disco, one á-la-carte restaurant, one buffet, snack bars, children's play area, casino, bingo, cinema, beauty salon and spa.
We ate at the á-la-carte restaurant and it was quite good and not overpriced. Had a really good night's sleep and a buffet breakfast and the only unpleasant part of the trip was the endless wait to disembark, and we were among the first to get off. The ferry docked at Mayaguez at 9am (one hour after the scheduled arrival time) and we didn't emerge from the immigration and customs hall until about 11.
Our friends had set off from Vega Baja near San Juan before dawn to collect us, arriving at 8:30 and then waiting over two hours for us to get off. There is a shuttle bus to San Juan but they insisted on coming to pick us up. I think the location of the ferry port in Puerto Rico is a major drawback because it's a good two-hour drive from San Juan.
Our week in Puerto Rico was wonderful - we spent most of it on the island of Culebra off the east coast, just north of Vieques. The beaches are as beautiful as most in the Dominican Republic - Flamingo beach where we stayed was perhaps not quite as spectacular as Samaná's Playa Rincón but certainly on a par with La Ensenada in the northwest - minus the litter. We saw in the new year in a huge street party in the main town - great live music and wonderful atmosphere. Culebra is only 14 miles from the mainland ("la isla grande") is reached by plane or ferry. We took the one-hour ferry - very busy at this time of year, and government-subsidised to the point where it is practically free - only a couple of dollars per person. We didn't get onto the passenger ferry and had to take the vehicle/cargo ferry on the way out. Chirimoyito made the mistake of staying in the inside seating area and was very seasick. We were OK, although slightly queasy, on the deck. The return trip on the regular ferry was much better.
We enjoyed comparing and contrasting
PR with the DR in terms of gastronomy - very similar but with some interesting differences - national character, architecture, popular culture, etc. Old San Juan is certainly a model for historic urban preservation that the Santo Domingo colonial zone could aspire to, but with better traffic management!
We ended up shopping at the massive Plaza de las Américas mall and I made the most of this rare foray into consumer culture, feeling like an anthropologist on Mars in search of a bargain.
I was struck by the sheer number of American fast food establishments along the roads - that together with the relative order and good infrastructure reminds you that you're not in the DR. Mr C commented on the lack of informal housing and makeshift roadside businesses.
The trip back was better than the outward journey in many ways - the sea was much calmer, and the embarkation and disembarkation processes were much smoother and swifter.
For more information about the ferry - fares, sailing times, contact info - go to
www.ferriesdelcaribe.com
Their office in Santo Domingo is not the most helpful or efficient, but all in all I think it's definitely worth it. I would go back to Puerto Rico at the next opportunity because there is a lot more of the island that we would like to see.
Photos to follow.
Ferry to Puerto Rico
