SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — It’s possible for 10 cruise ships to be docked in Old San Juan at the same time which means, among other things, that even if you’re staying right by the main cruise ship terminals (as we were, at the charming Sheraton San Juan), the cab ride can be as much as $20.
Critics claim cabs are the biggest rip-off in Puerto Rico but taking one to our ship, the Celebrity Millennium, only supports the theory that things are not always as close as they look. 
As the crow flies, we were less than a mile from the ship and the flat-rate fare was $15, plus $1 a bag, plus tip.
The first of San Juan’s six piers was the steamship pier, built in 1901, before the Wright brothers discovered another way for visitors to reach Puerto Rico. The waterfront was upgraded to accommodate cruise ships 18 years ago but now needs more work (dredging) to handle the big ships, like Oasis of the Seas and the Queen Mary.
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Dining in an unknown city is always a challenge, especially if you’d like a taste of the local cuisine. Here by the cruise-ship terminals, there are many choices. We had two restaurants recommended to us, three if you count one from the street guy who hustled us for a dollar with a 10-minute diatribe of where and where not to go.
The street guy may have been right.
We tossed the coin and went to Raices, apparently known for its authentic Puerto Rican dishes. We both ordered the same thing — that happens when you’ve been married as long as we have: mofongo, or mashed plantain stuffed with shrimp and garlic (when one is eating garlic, the other better!).
Here is what we liked about Raice’s: the shrimp.
Here is what we didn’t like: at $18.95 per dish seven shrimp seemed chintzy, the atmosphere was almost as non-existent as the privacy, two glasses of wine came in different-size glasses, the service was mediocre at best, water came in plastic glasses, and the authentic Puerto Rican dish is like poi in Hawaii and bad rice in the rest of the world.
Disappointing is the word.
That’s it…we’re done.