Talk:Puerto Rico Voyage Tips and guide

This article was the Collaboration of the week between 18 April 2007 and 25 April 2007.

For future reference the Project:CIA World Factbook 2002 import can be found at Talk:Puerto Rico/CIA World Factbook 2002 import.

...we've got all the hot-button issues covered. But of course I forgot Vieques! --(WT-en) Evan 15:01, 28 Jan 2004 (EST)

Yes, this really doesn't even cover half of the story. Also, Culebra has a similar story, though the Navy left in 1975.

I moved

Until May 2003 about two-thirds of the island was controlled by the US Navy. The Navy used it as a bombing range and training facility. After four years of protest after the accidental bombing death of viequense David Sanes in 1999, the Navy left the island for good and the land was turned over to the US Department of the Interior.

to Vieques#Understand. -- (WT-en) Huttite 06:57, 20 May 2004 (EDT)

Culebra is a "Must-See" for all of those who travel to Puerto Rico. It is a tiny little island off the East coast of Puerto Rico. You can catch the ferry at Fajardo. The ride is about two hours or so, and well worth it! Definitely head to Playa Flamingo, which is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Culebra is uncommercialized, there is no McDonald's or Burger King. If you want to get away from it all, Culebra is the perfect place for you. Guaranteed...

I made a minor change to the section about needing to rent a car. If you're staying in San Juan, you don't have to get a car. My wife and I took the public buses (0.25 or 0.50) between our hotel and Old San Juan. A discussion of the bus system should probably go in the San Juan article, though, I suppose.

This article is high POV. Is this US-Wikivoyage or just plain WikiTravel? The article is written from a high POV, mostly written from a US travel perspective, there is no other perspective at all. Statements like:San Juan is not a safe area to venture out at night, nor are metropolitan area cities as well as the other big cities such as Ponce and Mayaguez. Women travellers should take extra care and always move around in a group and steer clear of Condado beach at night. A number of thefts take place on beaches, even in daytime. are strongly POV and instead of informing they are alarming, adding clichés and exagerating, they are short of saying this is the 'Island of Theft and flashy cars' which is not true at all.A mess. -- (WT-en) Vertical123travel 20:07, 13 Jan 2006 (EDT)

Plunge forward and improve it. -- (WT-en) Huttite 08:33, 18 Jan 2006 (EST)

[[]] I didn't find it at all alarming. This sounds like reasonable practice for most world cities, but it needs to be said. I found POV fair, since it's about "travel" and millions of US travelers go to PR each year. I read it top to bottom, found it useful. -- (WT-en) brian 16:55, 13 MAR 2007 (PDT)

The article is contradicting on passport usage...

Most of this I dont think is of much use, so Ive edited it out. This is the original text here (not sure where to put it) incase I get over zealous in editing it! (WT-en) Tsandell 15:25, 21 May 2006 (EDT)

Getting to Puerto Rico almost always means flying to San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU). The gleaming white terminal located just east of San Juan is ranked 34th among passenger airports in the United States and its territories. U.S. Immigration and Customs Laws and Regulations apply. U.S. citizens flying between the U.S. and Puerto Rico do not need to pass through Immigration nor Customs. It is almost exactly the same as flying from N.Y. to Atlanta or Chicago... except you can't shop duty-free in Chicago before flying back to New York.

Most U.S. and many international airlines offer direct flights to Puerto Rico, and making connecting flights is easy. SJU is one of the largest airports in the Caribbean and is a popular place for hopping over to the U.S. Virgin Islands and other Caribbean destinations.

If you have lots of luggage, beware there are no baggage carts -- not even for rental. Baggage porters may be available to help you for a tip or fee. The only exception is at U.S. Customs on International flights from outside the U.S. Eventually you'll reach a sign where it says "No carts beyond this point," but it is not enforced, and someone sitting there may tell you so as well.

Transferring from the airport to your hotel usually requires taking a taxi, although some hotels provide complimentary transportation to their properties in special buses. Puerto Rico Tourism Company representatives at the airport will assist you in finding the right transportation. Major car rental agencies are located at the airport, and others offer free transportation to their off-airport sites.

Duty Free One of the interesting facts about Puerto Rico that might not be emphasized enough in travel guidebooks is that since Puerto Rico is self governing due to it's Commonwealth status, there are no federal taxes or import duties paid on on commodities like gasoline (about $0.50/liter for 87 octane in San Juan, as of 4/27/05) or rum. This might be an important consideration when planning how much empty luggage to bring, as a 750 ml bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label costs only $120 in the duty-free airport shop vs. $200+ on the mainland. Bacardi liquor brands are very inexpensive as well -- paying $8.00 for a 750 ml bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin can be something of a shock, after paying $9.00 for a single 4 oz martini of the same booze at La Guardia only 4 hours earlier. A 750 ml bottle of DonQ Crystal (the local favorite) is only $10.00 -- bring one home with you.

From North America

2 ½ hours from Miami

3 ¼ hours from Atlanta

3 ¼ hours from New York City

3 ½ hours from Washington (D.C.)

4 ¼ hours from Toronto

4 ½ hours from Chicago and Dallas

7 ½ hours from Los Angeles

From Latin America

1 ½ hours from Caracas

5 ¾ hours from Mexico City

11 hours from Sao Paolo

From Europe

7 ¾ hours from Madrid

10 hours from Paris

10 ¼ hours from Brussels

12 hours from London

OK, this is such a big deletion that I think we need a third opinion. Does the deleted description sound like "any other big city", and/or which parts of it are "highly incorrect"? Please remember that being "POV" doesn't matter, what's important is being fair, and I thought the deleted bits were fairly informative-sounding. (WT-en) Jpatokal 23:47, 9 August 2006 (EDT)

Agreed, this is a confusion of Wikivoyage and Wikipedia policies. I find it informative and potential life saving. -- (WT-en) Sapphire 23:49, 9 August 2006 (EDT)

I was thinking that perhaps the article's "Regions" section should be placed about in the order of the form of electoral districts? Below are the following municipalities grouped within their designated electoral district. (WT-en) UniReb 02:15, 14 January 2007 (EDT)

Electoral District of San Juan

• San Juan (capital)

Electoral District of Bayamón

• Bayamón
• Cataño
• Guaynabo
• Toa Baja

Electoral District of Arecibo

• Arecibo
• Barceloneta
• Camuy
• Ciales
• Dorado
• Florida
• Hatillo
• Manatí
• Quebradillas
• Toa Alta
• Vega Alta
• Vega Baja

Electoral District of Mayagüez

• Aguada
• Aguadilla
• Añasco
• Cabo Rojo
• Hormigueros
• Isabela
• Las Marías
• Mayagüez
• Moca
• Rincón
• San Germán
• San Sebastián

Electoral District of Ponce

• Adjuntas
• Guánica
• Guayanilla
• Jayuya
• Lajas
• Lares
• Maricao
• Peñuelas
• Ponce
• Sabana Grande
• Utuado
• Yauco

Electoral District of Guayama

• Aibonito
• Barranquitas
• Cayey
• Cidra
• Coamo
• Comerío
• Corozal
• Guayama
• Juana Díaz
• Morovis
• Naranjito
• Orocovis
• Salinas
• Santa Isabel
• Villalba

Electoral District of Humacao

• Aguas Buenas
• Arroyo
• Caguas
• Gurabo
• Humacao
• Juncos
• Las Piedras
• Maunabo
• Nagüabo
• Patillas
• San Lorenzo
• Yabucoa

Electoral District of Carolina

• Canóvanas
• Carolina
• Ceiba
• Culebra
• Fajardo
• Loíza
• Luquillo
• Río Grande
• Trujillo Alto
• Vieques

I'm not sure that this would be the best way to create regions - at least from the travelers perspective. Having 8 regions might be too much for this island. This map shows the breakdown by districts, and I think we could find something better. How about this map? North, South, East, West and Central sounds good to me. -- (WT-en) Fastestdogever 14:26, 18 March 2007 (EDT)

OK! As the city list has reached 10 cities and since we already have the territory broken down by Island, now is the time to create regions for the island of Puerto Rico itself. The breakdown by electoral district seems obscure to me. And while the breakdown by compass point would seem a good start, these regions may be better.

• Porta del Sol (The western coast.)
• Porta Caribe (The southern or Caribbean coast
• Northern Coast
  • Including Metro San Juan
• Eastern Coast
• The Mountain (also called La Montaňa or La Cordillera Central) which seems to be an alernative name for the Central Region.

This would give 5 regions for the main island plus room for 2 more for the other islands and still have a list of just 7 top level regions. While further breakdowns could be at the electorate or municipal level, I am not sure that fine a breakdown is necessary yet, (or would ever be needed). - (WT-en) Huttite 06:52, 13 January 2010 (EST)

Excellent regions. --(WT-en) globe-trotter 13:56, 3 July 2010 (EDT)

And 2.5 years later, it is done! --Peter ^Talk 22:29, 28 January 2013 (UTC)Reply

I've toned down and introduced qualifiers in the paragraph about homosexuality in Puerto Rico. I find PR is far more open than other Carribean locations like Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, or Cuba. Conversely, is it not as open as more liberal areas of the USA, like New York or San Francisco. Somewhere in between.(WT-en) THD3 14:36, 10 June 2009 (EDT)

This article reads too much like an advertisment "Puerto Rico is a drive-through buffet. All you need is a car, an appetite (the bigger the better), time, and the realization that your swimsuit won't fit as well when you get to your destination. The island has the most diverse culinary offerings in the entire Caribbean. There's something for everyone. You can enjoy the finest Puerto Rican food at most traditional town squares and also (for those of you who get homesick) have a steak at a place like Morton's." etc.

2/3 of the article looks like it could have been copied out of Lonely Planet, and not an encyclopedia.

—The preceding comment was added by 216.186.224.74 (talk • contribs)

This isn't an encyclopedia. We're trying to write like a travel guide, because we are a travel guide. A whole bunch of travel guides, in fact. (WT-en) LtPowers 19:49, 28 January 2010 (EST)

I updated this section with my experiences and with the foreign traveler in mind. —The preceding comment was added by (WT-en) GPSRider (talk • contribs)

And it was updated again, but I'm confused. The reader needs to know which cellular networks exist, not which company bought which. If any of these names are no longer used, please delete them. Ikan Kekek (talk) 00:55, 28 December 2020 (UTC)Reply

I added the info about Claro (owned by América Móvil) and AT&T/Liberty Latin America. It is not clear from what I have read if the services have been rebranded yet. I agree that there is no need to keep the old names in the article if visitors are not going to see them when they get there. Ground Zero (talk) 01:26, 28 December 2020 (UTC)Reply

OK, cool. Maybe it should be mentioned that it's not yet clear as of December, 2020 whether or when these services will be rebranded. Ikan Kekek (talk) 01:38, 28 December 2020 (UTC)Reply

I know there's Claro and Liberty and Neptune [1]. That's all I know about staying 'connected'. GPS works very well, though that's probably a different topic. --The Eloquent Peasant (talk) 02:17, 8 April 2022 (UTC)Reply

I pared the cities list down to nine items. But I'm no expert on Puerto Rico—if I picked a poor sample of cities, please change it/replace it with a better one. --Peter ^Talk 22:30, 28 January 2013 (UTC)Reply

Below is a proposed infobox to let readers know which formatting conventions to use in Wikivoyage articles. Do you agree with these proposals? If you have direct knowledge of what is most commonly used in the country, please let us know. Ground Zero (talk) 13:55, 6 December 2019 (UTC)Reply

Moved to the top of this page. Ground Zero (talk) 13:32, 28 December 2019 (UTC)Reply

Why do you think the 24-hour clock is used more than the 12-hour clock that's used on the U.S. Mainland? I'd be surprised. The Eloquent Peasant, what's your experience? I'm blanking on the name of the other Boricua who sometimes edits here; if either of you remember, I'd like their input, too. Ikan Kekek (talk) 01:47, 8 April 2022 (UTC)Reply

I'd be surprised too. In my several trips to the US, there were only two times where I saw the 24-hour clock used. One was on my Qantas ticket back home (which doesn't really count because Qantas is Australian) and the other was near the Mexican border in San Diego. Otherwise, it's all exclusively in 12. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 01:54, 8 April 2022 (UTC)Reply

@Ikan Kekek: Yeah, no. I doubt P.R. uses the 24 hour clock. Not in my experience anyway. Maybe someone thought that because Spain uses the 24 hour clock and PR was colonized by Spain first.. I don't know. I think it should be the AM and PM.. that's the way I've always seen it. Thank you. —The preceding comment was added by The Eloquent Peasant (talk • contribs)

I defer to The Eloquent Peasant's local knowledge on this. Ground Zero (talk) 02:06, 8 April 2022 (UTC)Reply

Ditto. I'll change it to 12. SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta.wikimedia) 02:09, 8 April 2022 (UTC)Reply

Done. --SHB 02:09, 8 April 2022 (UTC)Reply

Thank you! --The Eloquent Peasant (talk) 02:10, 8 April 2022 (UTC)Reply