NEW YORK - NEW YORK Thur. July 25

            We passed The Statue of Liberty on our approach up the Hudson River at 4.45 am. Needless to say I was not one of the intrepid who were on deck at that hour to see her. Nor was I one of the first to see Manhattan when we docked at Pier 90 at 6am. But when I surfaced there it was right outside our balcony. The skyscrapers of The Big Apple.

            We knew everyone had to go face to face with USA Border Security in the Cruise Terminal before we actually set foot on USA soil, so we were up early enough to be available at 9.15am when it was indicated those going ashore independently would commence interviews after all the Princess Tour Groups had set out.

            Before that it was announced that there was a back-up of passengers waiting in the lounge, so we should leave it a bit later to go down and pick up our numbered ‘Going Ashore’ tickets. We presented ourselves at the Lounge and picked up tickets 345 and 346. They had barely started at Number 1 yet!

            We took ourselves to The Lounge Area in the Deck 5 Atrium and had hot chocolate sitting there while we waited. And waited. Eventually Bruce went off to check at the gangway to see what number they were up to. We still had 100 more numbers to go. Because I was riding the electric scooter – which is described as a “wheelchair”- the security at the exit eventually called us up a bit earlier than our numbered tickets.

            So we proceeded to the Cruise Centre where interviews were happening. There were about 25 Border Security Officers interviewing passengers, and the holding area was full of people in one of those airport zig-zag queues inside tapes. As it’s a bit hard to drive the scooter round and round the zig-zags an officer took us up to the front where the queues finished and we waited there until someone called us to go to an officer who was available at our end of the row of interview desks. That was a piece of luck for us.

            We presented passports and the required documentation. He called me up, took my photo –without glasses – to compare with the photo on the passport. I must say if he thought I looked like the passport photo I’d be offended. The passport photo looks like one of the three witches from Macbeth. Then came the finger printing. Right hand four fingers, then thumb. Left hand four fingers and thumb. They weren’t clear enough, so we did it all again with him leaning over to press my fingers harder onto the glass one by one.

            Then it was Bruce’s turn. No photo and no finger printing. Why? No idea. In the middle of the documentation being checked, a single voice from the pack of bored passengers called out “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!” and most of the bored pack responded with the obligatory “Oi! Oi! Oi!” The Security Officer (covered in his medals and Id stuff) jerked his head up, half stood, and reached for his gun. Pause. Nothing further happened in the bored pack. Was he expecting the revolution to start on the signal?

            Anyway, he was not amused. He took his hand away from his gun, sat down, glared at Bruce and demanded to know “What was that about?”

            He was hardly mollified by the explanation that it was a harmless cry of national identity that began in 2000 Olympic Games.

            On our way through the cruise terminal to the street we were greeted by two far more relaxed Security people, who told us the cool 16°C was a very welcome relief from the 100°F they have had for a week. We turned right onto 12^th Avenue – where there was a wide ‘Cycle Path’ with both directions marked – and set out along the waterfront for Pier 83.

            Next along from our Pier 90 we met crowds lining up to visit Pier 88 where the Aircraft Carrier USS ‘Intrepid’ was now moored as a museum showcasing its own past, restored aircraft, a submarine, a British Concorde Jet, and a Space Shuttle Pavilion. No wonder there were keen crowds lined up.

            Pier 83 boasted its address as West 42^nd Street. A prestigious address: 12^th Avenue and 42^nd Street. This was the Pier of the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises. We bought tickets on the 3 hour Full Island Cruise in New York Harbour.

It was quite a big ferry. Several hundred passengers crowded both decks. Lots of young people in groups from some Universities having  a good day out on their ‘New York Excursion’ Trips.  (‘Old Teacher’ comment.)

            The windows were large and clear, and the views good. The commentary pointed out the significant Manhattan tall buildings as we passed: The Empire State Building, The new National September 11 Memorial Tower at the World Trade Centre site, Brooklyn Bridge.  We came to Ellis Island where so many Immigrants came ashore until 1954. Then the magnificent views of the Statue of Liberty herself. It was an unreal feeling to see her out there, up close enough to pick out the people in the queues lined up to go to the top. Something so familiar from magazines and movies – and now just over there across the water.

            We went under umpteen bridges – great and small – and were very carefully slow under some of the older bridges as there wasn’t much clearance for our ferry. We passed skyscrapers, apartment buildings everywhere and less densely populated areas with impressive looking houses on the banks.    

            By 3.30pm we were back at Pier 83 where there seemed to be lots of people lined up for the next Ferry trip. One very large ferry which advertised itself as ‘Dinner Cruises’ had tied up in front of our ferry, so we guessed the multitudes in a long, long line were waiting to embark.  Again there were lots of young people in the queues. Well dressed young people this time. Older Uni students on a cruise and dinner? By then the wind was whistling along the wharf and the temperature was still very unpleasant for cocktail dresses. But they were young and excited.

            From there it did not take us long to go back along 12^th Avenue up to the Sea Princess at Pier 90.

That evening from 5.30 there was a ‘Sail-Away’ commentary on Deck and TV by Hutch – the Future Ports Lecturer – except this time it was Hutch’s own city he was describing. When we were out in the Atlantic Ocean and Hutch had finished, we went up to Level 14 for some dinner. So did most of the other passengers who had all been listening to Hutch. Up there we met the Dining Room waiters  who had been re-allocated to help as the Dining Rooms were almost empty.

There were long queues and the quest for a table when you finally had some food was long and frustrating.

Now and in the lifts we heard the stories of how long people had to wait for their  Security Clearance. We were lucky enough to go off at 11.30, so we were in time for the Circle Line Cruise at 12.30. One couple said they walked off just after 7.30am before the big rush of Princess Tours people came. They were lucky. Others told of waiting hours till their number came up. One very cross grouchy man in a lift said he didn’t get off till 1 o’clock after he’d had lunch.

One thing all agreed on was we hoped there wasn’t the same performance when we get to Los Angeles and Hawaii later on in the trip.