Cunard Transatlantic Voyages (April-May 2024): Sunday 5 May

We set an alarm for 4am 😱 so that we could get on the top deck to see our arrival in New York. We were not alone! The deck was very busy.

We passed under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (not much room between the top of us and the Bridge!) but the ship was built to just pass underneath it at high tide and then we could see the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan in the distance.

Passing under the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge

We had an excursion booked and knew immigration may take a time so had a quick breakfast and we were off. We needn't have rushed as two of our fellow excursioneers were very late, apparently held up at immigration (and we got through in no time!)

Fuel barge hooks up straightaway

We've been to New York a couple of times before so chose to do a city tour as a refresher. It wasn't the greatest of tours. There was a Five Boroughs Bike ride taking place on the day which meant many of the roads were closed. We only had one stop at the site of the former World Trade Center - always an emotional place which had changed a lot since we last visited in 2014.

One of the few fairly intact surviving items after the Twin Towers were destroyed

The Survivor Tree. A small sapling survived the attack on the Twin Towers so was replanted here

We were then taken into the Oculus - a shopping area and train station. This was also the only toilet stop which we all thought was a bit odd as we had only recently left the ship and had another 3 hours to go.

Our tour took us past Central Park, the Dakota building (where John Lennon lived and was fatally shot), Greenwich Park, Broadway, Fifth Avenue, Empire State building etc.

but being in the coach and in the rain we couldn't see that much. Worst of all our guide never stopped talking and it seemed as if every sentence had to have "OK?" in it.

We needed to do a bit of shopping so the coach dropped us at a shopping centre in Brooklyn where we surprised to see there was a Primark but didn't go in. Our shopping trip was successful. The guide said a cab back to the ship would be $12, in fact it was going to be over $30 so we decided to walk. The walk was pleasant but nearly an hour long and, unfortunately it started to rain quite heavily. Eventually a couple of drowned rats arrived at the port.

We dried out and went for a very late lunch. The buffet was packed with new arrivals who were understandably finding their way around but we managed to get a table.

Later than expected we left New York but it was very gloomy and The Statue of Liberty was shrouded in cloud. Dinner followed (quite slow as is usual on embarkation day) and then an early night after a 4am start and 21,000 steps!