Doctor in Old San Juan by Video, for Visitors and Cruise Passengers

The San Juan Cruise Port's contact page lists 911 for police, ambulance and fire, and Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital (787-721-2160) as its hospital. It also gives phone numbers for San Jorge Hospital (787-727-1000) and Pavía (787-641-1616), but we could not confirm San Jorge's ER. We found no hospital ER inside the old city.

Ashford is at 1451 Ashford Ave, Condado, PR 00907, east of the islet. The hospital says its ER is open 24 hours, 7 days, with a 24-hour pediatric ER (extensions 1095–1098), and that it is the designated emergency hospital for the cruise docks. More on the Condado page. If someone falls on the cobblestones and hits their head, or collapses in the sun, call 911.

In the old city the pharmacy counter closes mid-afternoon and stays shut on Sundays, and we could not verify any walk-in clinic or CDT on the islet. Work through it in this order:

The cruise port is made up of piers 1, 3, 4 and 11 to 14, plus Pan American piers I and II, around the San Antonio Channel. From the piers, many passengers start out along the Paseo de la Princesa, a half-mile 19th-century promenade beside the city wall and the bay that ends at the San Juan Gate near La Fortaleza, the governor's official residence. Calle Fortaleza is one of the old city's two main commercial streets (Wikipedia, a secondary source).

Old San Juan's streets are blue cobblestone, and many are steep: with sandals, heat and a long day on foot, sprains and falls come easily. The doctor assesses a mild sprain without deformity by video; if you can't put weight on the foot, the ankle looks misshapen, or there was a head injury, for your safety, get seen in person.

The CDC says respiratory illness accounts for 30–40% of ship clinic visits, and norovirus causes more than 90% of cruise-ship GI outbreaks. If vomiting or diarrhea starts while you are ashore, wash your hands with soap and water, keep up your fluids, and tell the ship's medical staff before you re-board.

A video visit is a good fit when you are ashore in San Juan (before embarking, after disembarking, or on a longer stay) with a sore throat, UTI symptoms or allergies. The doctor sees you while you are in Puerto Rico, so book your visit before the ship sails. See doctor options for cruise passengers.

For anything that is not an emergency, we offer video urgent care in Puerto Rico at your hotel or anywhere ashore: a sore throat, UTI symptoms, allergies, diarrhea, a mild sprain or a sunburn. Dr. Diana Nieves Castro is a general practice physician with several years of emergency-department experience, and she sees adults and children of all ages, in English or Spanish.

We evaluate, diagnose and treat; if needed, we give you a lab order for a lab near you. If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. We do not prescribe controlled substances. Patients under 21 have a parent or legal guardian on the video, showing ID.

We send you a secure video link that works on your phone, tablet or computer. Visiting? See care for visitors.

You pay by card through secure checkout; you are charged when you request the visit, with a full refund if the visit can't happen. The same price for every age:

If it is a non-controlled medication, such as one for blood pressure or thyroid, the doctor assesses whether it is appropriate to prescribe enough to finish your trip; if it is, we send your prescription to your pharmacy. We do not prescribe controlled substances. Have the bottle or a photo of the label handy; the CDC advises cruise travelers to carry their medical history and medication documentation. The CDC also says medication for motion sickness, including seasickness, works best taken before exposure. Book early enough to reach an open pharmacy counter. See lost or forgotten prescriptions.

Walking El Morro and the city walls at midday is harder work than it looks. The CDC lists muscle cramps, heavy sweating, shortness of breath, dizziness, headache, weakness and nausea as possible signs of heat illness; drink water and find shade. Confusion or fainting is an emergency: call 911. Dengue circulates in the city too: the Puerto Rico Department of Health weekly report (week 37, published September 23, 2026) counts 41 cases in San Juan municipality in weeks 1–37 of 2026. See dengue in Puerto Rico.

Addresses, phone numbers and hours on this page were last verified on 2026-09-30.