Day 24: Goodbye New York!

Day 24 started quite early, particularly for Dad who got up to take a taxi down to the Manhattan pier to check for the ship! With no ship there, we were at least reassured that it would be in Brooklyn instead and that we would be heading for the right place when our transport arrived! I have to say, this was the fourth day that we had to move all our luggage from one place to the next, and it really doesn't get any easier or less stressful. Not only do we have to keep track of more luggage than any one or even two people can possibly carry, some of which I literally wouldn't be able to survive without for more than 24 hours, we've also had to worry about which of my carers are coming and going, and making sure that we end up in the right place. As much as I was sad to leave New York, by the beginning of day 24 I just wanted to get safely on the ship as quickly as possible, so we could relax again.

As has been true of all of the “transfer days”, this went off largely without a hitch, the only really tricky part for me being the journey in the van which collected us (once again due to the appalling condition of New York roads as well as inadequate passenger restraints which seems to be par for the course in any form of public transport or taxi). But we arrived at the terminal all intact and were processed quite quickly through security and boarding, despite the fact that we were two hours earlier than our scheduled boarding time. We managed to get everything onto the ship just in time to go and enjoy lunch at one of the ships buffet restaurants.

As we travelled out on the Queen Mary 2 in a Queen’s Grill suite, we ended up being pretty spoilt , and it is inevitable that we will find many things on board not quite as nice as they were first time around. For example, the cabin, or “stateroom” (called that because back in the day of paddle steamers, more luxurious cabins were named after states in the US) this time around is about half the size of what we had before. I did actually ask to upgrade, but were told that the ship is “more or less full”. We nevertheless asked if they could take our details in case something came up (I later thought that I should have asked if we could have one of the ”less full” cabins, but probably fortunately I missed that opportunity to be a smart-arse). Although there was a brief moment of hope when they called us to say a cabin might be available, when we went to look at it we found it was inaccessible. Obviously the person I had asked did not write this rather essential requirement down - which basically meant wasted time for everyone and shows that not all the staff on the ship are quite as on the ball as they should be! Ah well, I am sure we will manage okay in this room, as nice as it would be to have a bit more space and a balcony. As I said, we were spoilt and as such have now become cruise ship snobs!

The main highlight of the day was watching the departure from New York up on deck. We have had a number of opportunities so far to look at the New York skyline (from our midtown dock on the way in, the view from the Liberty Island Ferry, and the view from the top of the Rock), but I would say that this was probably the best view yet. As we slowly pulled away from the city, we were rewarded with a panoramic view of Manhattan and surrounding boroughs. It certainly beats the view when leaving Southampton! For the most part we ran alongside the Staten Island Ferry, so anyone that has done this will have seen the same view. We were even given our own NYPD police helicopter escort out of the port. As we relaxed up on deck, it made me quite sad again to think that my time in the States is now an end. But also very pleased to have had this experience and thankful to everybody who have made this trip possible, and I shouldn’t lie, also just a little bit proud that I have managed to achieve this trip at all!

While we were on deck admiring New York, I ended up standing next to a couple who turned out to be from Worthing, which truly was an amazing coincidence. Of all the many nationalities on board, the chances that there would be someone from your home town, and beyond that, the chances that you will be standing next to them, given that there are about 2500 passengers aboard, are very slim indeed. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if we never end up seeing them again, the ship is so big! They seemed pretty friendly and up for a laugh, so with any luck we will!

Other than this, and Dad’s impressive feat of unpacking all our luggage into what seemed like a very small space, the evening was not particularly eventful, simply giving us an opportunity to meet our dining companions for the week. These consisted of Sophie, an American from Maine who used to run her own business but also spent time studying psychology and made friends in the UK back in the 1960s; Joanne, a teacher of applied psychology who lives in Canada; John, a retired guy who used to work in the oil industry and now lives in Spain; and Ted, who comes from New Jersey, but was slightly out of my earshot so I have no more details! When we first sat down I actually thought we were joining two couples, but it soon became clear that all four of them are solo travellers. Although none of them seem particularly fun, this could simply be because we only just met, and I nevertheless found them all quite interesting people. Hopefully we will be able to get some lively discussions going!