San Juan

Puerto Rico's first inhabitants were the Taino Indians, who encountered Columbus in 1493. The Spanish quickly settled, defending their territory against the Dutch and British. This is evident by the imposing fortresses of Old San Juan, namely the El Morro Castle, dominating the old section of this capital city. In 1897, Spain declared Puerto Rico an autonomous state. Spain later ceded Puerto Rico to the U.S. and residents were granted American citizenship in 1917.

The following Shore Excursions are available for this port on this cruise, and may be reserved beginning 180 days before the cruise begins.

Bacardi Rum Connoisseur
Tour Code: SJU-3
Duration: 3 hours
Retail Value: $99.00
Price: Free

Your tour carries you out to the south side of San Juan Harbor, where you will enter the beautifully manicured grounds of the Bacardí Rum Distillery, the world's largest distiller of natural spirits. Upon arrival you will board an open-air tram with a bilingual guide who will take you to their brand new Visitor's Building. The first stop will be at an interior patio, after passing through a large room containing a fountain and three large prints with historical representations, you will enter the theater and view a short film covering the Bacardí Family history as well as that of the Bacardí Corporation. This film lasts approximately 12 minutes.

You will then enter a replica of an old distillery that houses an excellent display; here your guide will provide commentary and answer questions. The next gallery is an office with "original" documentation, family portraits, and a collection of rum bottles among other items. Your next stop will be for a short video, which describes the actual process of making rum. And you will have the opportunity to smell that final product; you will enjoy the aroma of the different types of rum that are bottled at Bacardí.

Your tour will continue to the Bacardí cocktail lounge, which resembles a 1920's bar in Cuba (the era of the prohibition). A bartender will explain and show you how to prepare the first three cocktails ever made with Bacardí: "Cuba Libre", "Daiquiri" and "Mojito Cubano", and you'll learn what inspired Bacardí in the preparation of these three cocktails as well as how they got their names.

Following the bar display Bacardí brings you back to the present and displays some of their greatest commercial ads in a disco-like room filled with lights and music. Here you will have the opportunity to send video e-mails to your friends. Then you will be invited to pass to the Bacardi University. In the classroom a Rum Seminar will be offered by a master in rum. Each setting will have 3-4 glasses with different varieties of Bacardi spirits. For the next 45 minutes the conference speaker will lead the group in tasting and understanding each of the products being tasted. Usually a light rum, dark rum, a flavored rum and an aged rum are presented. The process, aging, body, flavor, recipes and anecdotes are presented in a professional yet entertaining conference.

Finally you will proceed to the open-air pavilion, where you will be treated to complimentary rum drinks. Adjacent to the pavilion is the Rum N' Things gift shop where one can purchase Bacardí Rum as well as many other Bacardí products.

Please Note: The minimum age to participate in this tour is 21 years old.

Back to Excursion List

Enter an e-mail address to receive all the available shore excursions for this cruise:

Terms & Conditions:

Free Unlimited Shore Excursions are for full fare guests only, capacity controlled and subject to availability. Requested excursions may not be available at time of booking. Supplement will apply on Regent Choice excursions (indicated by the above) and excludes Private Arrangements and all Adventures Ashore programs. In order to ensure quality guides and sufficient transportation, we must provide the tour operator with passenger counts at least 36 hours in advance. Therefore no refunds will be given within 36 hours of tour departure for cancellations or no-shows. Please pay special attention to scheduling and tour lengths when booking your shore excursions. In many cases, it is not possible to participate in more than one tour per day in a given port. Tours operate rain or shine. Tours require minimum participation levels to operate so please sign up as early as possible. Tours may be cancelled if minimum participation levels are not met. Prices, Itineraries and General Information shore excursion prices are subject to change to meet unexpected cost increases or currency fluctuations. Please consult the Destination Services Desk onboard for information. During local or national holidays, access to certain facilities (such as museums or archaeological sites) may be limited or denied. In such instances, adjustments will be made to minimize inconvenience to guests. Some tours have limited availability. Tours are generally available for reserving 180 days prior to the beginning of a cruise. Please sign up early to avoid disappointment. Regent Seven Seas Cruises reserves the right to require guests to complete a liability waiver for select shore excursions. For more information, please visit the Destination Services Desk onboard.