N and N's New Adventure: Day 4, Leaving New York

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

New York, Brooklyn terminal, New York harbor, Ambrose channel, Atlantic Ocean

Arose to our final day in New York,went down to breakfast and enjoyed the hospitality of the hotel. Up to our room to repackage and get ready for the move to the ship and the next step in our journey. Nancy worked at a computer terminal to get directions to the terminal, just in case the hire car driver needed help with the directions. I went for a brief walk around the block down 6th Avenue and then down 27th a cluster of toy stores with many possibly interesting things---Neil remembers the no buy policy. Eventually we meet with Jan and Bonnie, and await for the time to move ever so slowly. Finally time to move down in two elevators to the lobby and outside to our already arrived SUV. Nancy worked with the desk to pay our bill, and I worked with the manager of the hotel to secure our hire car from the attack of the red-hatted lady who was positive that the car was surely the car she had ordered. Both parties were going to the same destination but one had been ordered by the hotel--ours, but one had not. Their luggage was unloaded from the SUV and ours took its place. The bill settled, the luggage stowed--I believe the rear view mirror was not operable, we piled in for a journey to Brooklyn.

The driver did not need our help with directions. He took us through traffic, road construction, a tunnel, and more traffic to the pier. Then things got easy. Luggage picked up, security check 1, security check 2, Heath affirmation, room key, credit card record, and this way to boarding, one final check of our room pass and to our cabin. The process was quick, and very efficient. Met with Jan and Bonnie for a lunch, roast beef, then some time on deck to watch the late comers and the last of the luggage. There was a computer glitch at JFK airport which delayed some passengers. There were people who missed the boat literally, including one of the lecturers who may still be trying to get out of the immigration computer problem at JFK.

We watched as we cast off and moved slowly through the harbor. We went to dinner before we passed under the Verrazano Narrows bridge, as we were already in the Britannia Room eating roast beef or chicken. All as elegant as we remembered. After dinner we went to the theater to watch the introductory show, very nice. We, all four of us, walked the length of the ship to the Queen's Ballroom where we watched people dancing to ballroom music. There are some really good dancers out there. We watched until it was time for the Vibz, a band from the Caribbean, to start playing in the nightclub, G32. Finally exhaustion struck, and so to the cabin and a restful sleep after an exciting day.

6910 steps.