My husband and I were planning a Belize trip this year, had a last minute change of plans, and are going to end up in PR for a day +. We will arrive in SJU area about 6am, probably have our stuff gathered and eat, be ready to depart by 8am. We will then be in PR until the following afternoon. Our plane leaves PR about 2:30pm (14:30 military) so we should be to the airport by 12:30. Trying to find something to occupy this time I came across Bio Bay. This sounds really cool, but I'm not sure if we should try to pull this off.
We will be here a couple days after full moon (Feb 20-21), and the lunar chart I saw linked to a bio site says this is "good" for tours, but I don't really understand why when the moon will still appear full, and the chart shows it is a bad time to go when the moon is waxing. Does the moon give off more light as it waxes then when wanning?
Also, I am unsure about the trip to the bay for the time we have. I understand Vieques is about 2 hours from SJU, and the ferry ride is another 1.5 hours. We could easily make this on our arrival, but what would the cost of transportation be? I understand we shouldn't rent a car because to do the tour we need to stay on the island, and we shouldn't or can't ferry a rental car? Does this leave us with just a taxi for transport? Do we need to call a service or are they easy to locate? Any idea on the cost for a 2hr -70mi taxi ride?
On top of that it seems our only option would be to be at the docks at 6am the next day because we would need to catch the 6:30 am ferry back, as the ferry won't go again until 11. Are we going to find transport that early back to SJU? We'll have to be hauling our bags around at that point so the whole day would kind of be shot as far as doing anything. Or is it possible to check our bags at the airport and then leave to check ourselves in later? I've never tried that before but if it's possible that would give us about 2 hours to explore around the city before needing to be back for the flight.

I've heard that Vieques is the place to go for bio tours, but there are other areas. Should we try another area? Should we skip it altogether due to our moon phase timing? I'm not seeing a whole lot we'd be interested in while in PR. When I try to search "PR POI" I do not get much. We don't want to do distillery/mill/industry tours.
Any other suggestions if we skip bio bay?
Thanks so much

how about a tour of el yunque rainforest: http://www.elyunque.com/

I second the Rainforest suggestion, we enjoyed it a lot and the El Morro Fort is interesting. Perhaps you would like a Sedway Tour, it goes around the Fort but not into the Fort, a good way to tour Old San Juan http://www.segwaytourspr.com/aboutus.html
http://tinyurl.com/2dcpgkn

If you'd like to see the Biobay then I recommend you fly to Vieques as you have so little time. Or take a taxi to the ferry, stay overnight on island and fly back the next morning.
Check the ferry schedule as they don't run that often
http://www.enchanted-isle.com/vieques/ferry.htm

I've been to the Biobay twice and loved it but I've always had more time and taken the ferry so can't help with flights.

There is also a catamaran that you can take which returns you to the mainland. This would also be a good option as you could then also see El Yunque before the biobay.
http://www.eastwindcats.com/

the rainforest might be a good place to go, we hiked in CR and loved it. Is there much wildlife here?

El Morro might be interesting to see as well, I'm not sure if we could figure out segway. Are they difficult? I'm a little bit of a clutz.

Sassy, since you have had experience with the bio bay, would you say it is worth the trip? I mean, would you go in our situation, if it was your one chance to see it (as we will most likely not go to PR again for quite some time, and if we make it back pollution and such might have destroyed the little guys)? Is my travel time accurate, 2 hours aprox from SJU area to the ferry? We will be flying from SJU and will not do any other flying. That is set. (my husband does not like to fly) I didn't have any luck with any other airports except flying into SJU. If you take a taxi, do you know about the cost of the transfer from SJU to the ferry? Also, did you tour any time so close to a full moon like we will be?

If we leave SJU at 8am, we should have plenty of time, could maybe even stop in El Yunque before chatching the 4:30pm Ferry. We would catch the 6:30am ferry back the next day. I'm just not sure if the hassel is worth the view if the moon is going to be giving too much light and I'm not sure the expense of the trip to and from SJU area

If I understand correcly, the eastwindcat tours leave from the mainland and take you for dinner (which is not included in the price)?

mrscalkins,
If you're not going to fly then I would go with eastwindcat with your time frame. It's just more convenient.
I haven't used them but have been to the Biobay with some people that did. They were taken to a Mexican style restaurant next door to Island Adventures office and rated the food so-so in quality. I think the dinner was included in the price.
One couple didn't eat there (even though they'd prepaid). Instead they got a taxi into town for dinner (5 mins away) and had a better experience.

I'd be careful about taking the ferry with no leeway (sometimes they are full and locals get priority or occasionally are late or don't run).
We've been twice and were delayed for an hour once.

Yes, I'd probably see the biobay in your situation. I've been to PR 3 times and the biobay twice. It was the highlight of the trip for my kids both times. It's very cool.

You certainly have time to visit El Morro in the morning for an hour or so, lunch in OSJ and El Yunque in the afternoon before taking an evening trip to the biobay on the catamaran.
A perfect day!

The lunar calendar provided by Island Adventures is reliable. They don't go out when the moon is full. We were fairly close to a full moon one time (maybe 3 days away or so ) and it was great... they even let you go under the catamaran, in total darkness, if you wish.
The water is warm and sparkles like liquid diamonds.
http://www.biobay.com/

We saw birds and butterflies in El Yunque but no mammals. The walk to the waterfall La Mina, is lovely and you can swim there.

Great! Thanks for the help. I will look into segway tours, I see their site mentioned luggage protection, see if we can do that tour in the morning as I am not sure what to do with the baggage in the meantime. I believe most Hotels should let us check in around noon, so I will plan on getting a room around El Yunque so that we can hike there in the afternoon and tour with eastwind cat in the evening.
Is it more cost effective for us to rent a car or pay for taxi rides all around?

Don't know if this will help (will prob. confuse you more - sorry!, but. . .

Are you getting off a ship in PR? If so, and if it docks at Pan Am Pier (NOT the one at Old Town), it's esp. easy to fly to Vieques. I would totally not recommend the ferry w/your time frame. The Isla Verde airport is just outside your ship! You can see the runways from the ship. Grab a cab. Short ride. We did this last yr. though we did stay on Vieques 3 nts. I, too, debated but you never know if you will "pass that way" again in life!

Vieques is beautiful, and different. If you get there early, I'd suggest renting a car. Stay in Esperanza because it's smaller and kind of "Margaritaville-ish". Check into your inn and go have lunch. Then you will have the to explore a while. (Be sure you can find a place to stay for just one nt!)

We had reservations for the biobay tour in advance, and dined late, after our tour. (Most restaurants there are open late. Don't know about times in Isabel Segunda, though.)

The biobay is really interesting as was the presentation by our guide, a marine biologist. If the full moon isn't rising at night, you will be o.k. Or, if it is overcast.

Back to flying -

If you can afford to fly, the views are FABULOUS as you fly to Vieques. Worth the price of the flight (and I am a budget traveler, believe me!). Again, if you can afford it, do it! (Unless you are the type of person who goes at as slow pace when you travel. We are near retirement age and got lots in.) You can check Vieques Air Link for prices & times, but I think it's around $70 ea. way. If you want fly back to SJU because you are departing for home, you can do that. Cape Air is another airline that you could use to go back to SJU, but it's a bit more $. (About 120 ea. way from SJU. I wouldn't fly TO Vieques out of SJU. Too crowded to do it quickly). You can check online for pricing.) Isla Verde is EASY. Very little time needed for security, etc. but you must keep your luggage wt. down (40 lbs., I think, or they can charge you about 60 cents per lb. or so over that wt. If the plane is full or heavy, they may not let on a heavier pc., but they weren't super strict when we flew last yr. Call them and ask.)

Otherwise, El Junque is nice if you don't get much of a chance to see a lot of tropical foilage or small waterfalls. I always like to go about anyplace not only for the place, but just to get an overview of what is there. Actually, we sometimes use our last day and just drive around to different areas outside of San Juan. The views from the central mts. and along the coasts where there are lots of beautiful, rolling hills in the distance (karsts, actually). Most of the interstate is good.

Sorry that this is such a mish-mash, but I am hurrying!



The catamaran ride would be nice as well as long as you get very nice weather.

Whatever you do, enjoy your trip!

I'd rent a car. It's just more convenient and will probably cost less too.

Most hotels will store your bags even if they don't offer early check in so explore that option too.

One more thing to consider. If you enjoy snorkeling you could take a trip with Erin go Bragh from the mainland and get them to drop you in Vieques. Then visit the Biobay, stay overnight and take the ferry back next day. Probably more expensive than the cat trip and on a par with flying cost wise but no planes ....
http://www.egbc.net/

The Biobay and Vieques are amazing. But if you won't fly to/from the island, and if this is a day at the end of your main trip, it sounds like a whole lot of extra travel for something you aren't even sure you'll like all that much. It sounds like it is a day at the end of your main trip. I'm assuming though.

If I was in your situation, I think I would book some spa appointments, wander around Old San Juan (which is lovely), and save the additional travel headaches for another time. Even getting to and from El Yunque seems like a strange use of your limited time. But you know what sounds most interesting to you

Rent a car, the trip from San Juan to the coast in a taxi or other transport will be way more than renting a car.

You could also probably book a rainforest/beach day tour that leaves from San Juan, that way everything is taken care of, and you'll be back in San Juan and be able to sleep in the next day.

We were so very glad we took a tour to the rainforest instead of driving like we origionally planned. Driving in Old San Juan/San Juan is not for the faint of heart! It's really congested and not good road signs.

Yes, we are coming from a cruise, at the Pan Am port. Actually, by the time I booked the flight, my options changed. I will be in San Juan at 6 Am Saturday, and the ship doesn't start boarding until 2pm Sunday. My plans for this time is to check into a hotel in San Juan Saturday. I'm going to hope for early check in, but knowing that maybe a place will store our luggage is helpful, thanks for that Sassy. We'll explore around San Juan those days.
Our ship comes in at 6 Am the following Sunday. I would like to rent a car at this point, store the luggage in the trunk, and drive to the rainforest. I'd like to book a tour with Eastwind that evening. The only thing I am unsure about is-- what are driving conditions after dark? If we did the bio tour we would need to drive back to San Juan that night for an early AM departure Monday morning. This night is our only option for the bio bay, as the following weekend is not during the correct moon cycle.
My husband is great with directions, if we drive out in the day we will most likely get back in the dark no problem, as long as we follow the same route. What do we need to be careful of with night driving?

Honest, driving Old San Juan is a real test, the traffic is terrible.

We had no problem driving in Puerto Rico, day or night.
Best advice is stick to the speed limit on the highway as we noticed cops pick off hire cars to fine and heard stories of the same.

We skirted OSJ once. It's busy and crowded with too many cars. Drive slowly, you can't do much else!
If you can drop the car at the airport on the way back from your biobay trip and take a taxi to your hotel it would be very easy.

Driving depends upon your experience. If you are used to driving in other places, incl. other countries and heavy traffic in metropolitan areas, you will be fine. It helps if you have a GPS, which you can probably rent through your car rental agency. I will admit Old Town can be a trial during the day, though. Like someone above said, "not for the faint of heart" (but my husband does it - w/me navigating from a little map, usually! It's not quite as bad at night in our experience. One idea is to just take a bus from your hotel into Old San Juan instead of using the car for that.

Thanks for the driving help! We have driven in Costa Rica and Chicago, so hearing your responses helps me feel more confident with renting a car, driving to bio bay, and being able to make it to the air port in time. We actually have a 2 am flight, So I would like to be to SJU by midnight. This gives us about an hour and a half to make it back after the bio bay tour. I haven't rented a car yet, but I will ask about late night/early morning return at the airport before renting.