Wonder of the Seas - Day 5: Return to the USA

Castillo San Felipe del Morro
from Wonder of the Seas
Sailing into San Juan Harbor
January 11, 2023

Well, we returned to the USA yesterday although not where we began the voyage. We set foot in Puerto Rico and enjoyed a full afternoon in San Juan. 

Chris and I headed off on our own and visited the two forts and spent time walking through Old Town San Juan as we returned to our trusty ship. It was another busy port day as well. The Wonder of the Seas was the 4th ship that entered the Port of San Juan as we arrived, but a 5th ship arrived while we were exploring the town. I do not enjoy having so many ship in port simultaneously. The lines represented were Oceania, Carnival, Disney, Royal Caribbean, and the late arrival was Norwegian.

Exploring the forts was a lot of fun and reminded me of the Spanish history of the region. We had been to San Juan before and enjoyed the forts, but we took our time yesterday and really immersed ourselves in the historical period to better understand the difficulty that faced the Spanish soldiers assigned to San Juan. 

Upon returning to the ship we enjoyed some time with Patrick and Jen sharing dinner and evening Adult Comedy entertainment. We closed out the day listening to a country music band. Yes, there was a country music band performing live outside of a southern-style specialty restaurant called the Mason Jar. 

Today Chris and I are making our first visit to the Dominican Republic when we land at Puerto Plata. Sadly, I am told it is much like the Mexican port of Costa Maya. Having been to Costa Maya, I understand the possible comparison. 

Tomorrow we head to Haiti! Isn't there unrest there?

-- Bob Doan, Wonder of the Seas nearing Dominican Republic