A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of staying aboard the grand old Queen Mary in Long Beach. It only made sense with our cruise on the Carnival Firenze leaving right next door at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal. I was particularly excited as it’d be my first time back aboard the Queen Mary since August 2019…almost exactly five years to the date. In addition, my wife Teresa hadn’t been aboard since our wedding in January 2019. Both of us were really looking forward to our stay!
Revesting an Old Friend
We took a direct flight from Albuquerque to Long Beach (it’s sooooooo convenient!). After a last-minute Target run and lunch at Rubio’s Coastal Grill, we caught a Lyft to the ship. As we drove through Long Beach, all sorts of memories came flooding back to me. In addition to working at the Mary, I’d also gone to school at California State University, Long Beach. Before long, we’d arrived at the Queen Mary.
As we got our luggage out of the car, I could only gaze up at the sight before me. The ship was as beautiful as always. And even more so than usual.
The City of Long Beach regained full control of the Queen Mary back in 2021 and have been spending a lot of time and money in restoring and refurbishing since then. Her three iconic funnels have now been repainted, as has her hull. Regrettably, however, all but two of the ship’s original lifeboats had to be removed due to concerns about structural stability. I understand that the plan is to replace them in the future with fiberglass replicas. I hope this happens soon…the ship looks somewhat naked without them.
As we took the tower elevator up to the A Deck entrance, Teresa and I were both bouncing with excitement. We stepped out and took the scene in for a few moments. As we made our way across the gangway, I had to stop and touch the hull before we boarded. Teresa got a photo of that moment.
Even just touching the steel brought back so many happy memories. It felt like I’d come home.
The hotel front desk is the old First Class Purser’s Office. I noticed that the illuminated letters over the desk had been reinstalled…a testament to how seriously the city has been taking the Queen Mary’s restoration. Our check-in time wasn’t until 4 pm, but our room was ready early. We’d booked a Deluxe Stateroom facing across the bay and weren’t disappointed in the slightest!
Stateroom B435
Most of the Queen Mary’s hotel rooms were the original First Class Cabins. At least, the ones with the original wood and Art Deco built-in furniture are. Some Cabin (Second) and Tourist (Third) Class cabins were also turned into hotel rooms and enlarged, but these tend to resemble something from a Motel 6 than anything else. Ah, the 1970s!
Our stateroom was B435. As we walked down the winding corridor (B Deck has a few twists and turns as opposed to M and A Decks), I couldn’t help but run my hand over the glossy wood paneling. I frequently did the same thing when I worked aboard. I guess I’m a very tactile person. It was a bit of a walk as B435 is closer to the stern of the ship, but we finally made it.
The stateroom was even better than I could’ve imagined!
Famously, no two First Class staterooms on the Queen Mary (or Queen Elizabeth for that matter) were alike. Every single one was its own unique work of art. This particular room was incredibly spacious. By contrast, the room we’d had for our wedding was significantly narrower. Teresa and I stood in the doorway and gaped over how splendid the stateroom was.
The first thing I did was pull out every single drawer and look at the underside. Why? Because every so often you’ll find signatures (or graffiti depending on how you look at it) from soldiers who sailed aboard the ship in World War II. Years ago, some friends of mine staying aboard and found that a number of ANZACs had written their names underneath the drawers in their room. However, I had no such luck this time. Ah well…guess I’ll just need to stay over more.
We put our things away and immediately went about exploring the ship.
Exploring the Queen Mary
Close to our stateroom was the old Cabin Class foyer. This section is notable as it still has the original Korkoid flooring intact. This linoleum-type material was once found throughout the ship when it was sailing. There are other examples still around too, but I personally think this is the most striking. Most of the Korkoid flooring was replaced with carpeting in Long Beach as it muffles footsteps better.
We made our way up the Cabin Class stairway to Promenade Deck. We walked down the deck to Main Hall, trying to peer into the First Class Smoking Lounge and Main Lounge as we did so. Then we got to Main Hall.
In 1936, a souvenir booklet said that the “Shopping Center of the Queen Mary” was where “one may buy most everything that would be sold by the exclusive shops on Bond Street, London or Fifth Avenue, New York.” It went on to talk about the “smart haberdashery and clothing shop, a cigar store, a book shop and ship-to-shore telephone booths” that were available for passenger use. Main Hall also provided access to the library, drawing room, lounge and bar.
Little has changed today. Most of the Queen Mary’s shops are found in Main Hall. The floors and lighting have been recently redone, and I think everything looks fantastic! The LED lights add a very nice touch. I think that this is the best I’ve ever seen the space look…and I’ve been visiting since 1997!
The white marble medallion plaque of Her Majesty Queen Mary gazes out over Main Hall, just as it has since 1936. The case below used to house Her Majesty’s royal standard when the ship was sailing. I later learned that a replica of this flag is going to be unveiled on September 26: the 90th anniversary of the ship’s launching. I’m pleased to say that I’ve gotten the time off work, so I’ll be there for both the unveiling ceremony and the Alex Mendham concert to follow.
From here, we went up to Sun Deck. I previously mentioned that the lifeboats have been removed…it was very weird to see the deck without them.
We walked around for a bit and eventually found ourselves up at the bridge. There was a crewmember stationed inside, so we said hello to her. When I worked at the ship, we left the bridge unstaffed so it’s very nice to see that they have people up there now to keep an eye on things.
We walked back down to the stateroom after that. Teresa took a nap, but I decided to keep exploring. I made my way down to R Deck, where the passengers’ dining rooms were once located. The windows in the First Class swimming pool doorway had always been covered up and blacked out when I worked there (due to the Ghosts & Legends special effects show that ran at the time). But nowadays you can peak inside and catch a glimpse of the magnificent room.
After going back up to Main Hall and doing a little bit of shopping, I went back to the room. Teresa and I changed clothes and made our way back out.
Dinner & Drinks
We went to the Observation Bar for drinks before dinner. While doing so, I commented on the fact that it was odd I hadn’t seen anyone I worked with yet. Not even five minutes later, we stepped into Main Hall and ran into two of my former crewmates! We chatted and caught up for a bit, which was really nice. One of them was off duty and joined us at the Observation Lounge (and picked up the tab too…thanks “dear sister!”).
Our dinner reservations were at the Chelsea Chowder House. Can you believe that, despite working aboard and visiting the ship for more than 20 years, I’d never eaten there? I can’t even describe how good everything was! We split a shrimp cocktail, which was one of the best I’ve ever had. Teresa got salmon, and I got the scallop, pea, and asparagus risotto. Everything was absolutely incredible.
Interestingly, the Chelsea had a few different cocktails that weren’t found at the Observation Bar. It was a nice, exclusive touch that made the whole dining experience unique.
After dinner, we headed back to the Observation Bar for a nightcap.
I’ve always loved the Observation Bar. It’s got to be one of the most unique bars in the entire world. It’s also interesting to note the similarities between it and the Spinnaker Lounge you find on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Jewel-class ships. Those older cruise ships really did a great job of invoking the Golden Age of ocean travel!
Once our drinks were finished (I had a glass of Laphroaig 10 Scotch whisky), it was time for us to go to bed. We didn’t have a particularly early check-in time for the Carnival Firenze…we were just plain exhausted.
I got up early the next morning (an odd thing I do on cruises…usually you can’t get me out of bed for anything) and walked around the Queen Mary some more. I got us coffee and pastries for breakfast, which I brought back to the stateroom.
Then it was time to check out and embark on our cruise!
Royal Sunday Brunch
And if that wasn’t enough, the Carnival Firenze arrived back in Long Beach the following Sunday. So, of course, we had to pay a visit to the Royal Sunday Brunch. My mom, dad, and sister met us at the ship.
The Royal Sunday Brunch takes place in the former First Class restaurant. The room really comes alive! I’m always transported back to the ship’s sailing days when we eat here, and it’s very easy to imagine passengers enjoying luxurious meals prepared by Cunard’s famous chefs. The food was fresh and delicious.
Also, the brunch serves the best coffee I’ve ever had. I’m told it’s just Folger’s liquid coffee concentrate…but I’m not so sure. There has to be something more to it than that. Incidentally, they serve the same kind of coffee in the crew cafeteria. It’s no wonder that I’m a coffee addict these days.
What About the Ghosts?
Yes, yes…I’m sure most of you are eager to know if we experienced any ghostly activity aboard the Queen Mary. The internet is full of creepy stories about horrible deaths on the ship, as well as weird stuff happening in the hotel rooms late at night. There was even a horror movie made about the ship recently.
But no, we didn’t experience anything. Though Teresa did manage to creep herself out in the middle of the night. We joke that it’s her own fault because she was going on and on about the Normandie throughout the evening. I don’t think Mary liked that too much.
That said, however, there was one weird thing. Teresa took a photo of me in the Observation Bar after dinner and posted it on her Instagram page. I’d just said how the Queen Mary was my first love and that she was “a very close second.” Neither of us thought anything more about it until a friend messaged me the next morning and asked, “What is that coming from the window?”
I pulled up the photo and, sure enough, there was something that looked like smokey white tendrils coming out of the window. The photo has been cropped but is otherwise untouched and unedited.
For what it’s worth, I don’t believe this is paranormal. I think it’s a just a weird lighting effect of some sort. But it’s certainly interesting, isn’t it?
I’m eager to know what you think…do you think that’s just weird lighting or something else? Pease leave a comment and let me know!
Final Thoughts
In many ways, our stay on the Queen Mary felt a lot like a cruise. We explored the ship, we had a fantastic dinner and some really good drinks, and we generally nerded out. The City of Long Beach has put a lot of work and care into the ship. It really shows too. For the first time in a long while, the Queen Mary is getting her due. I can only hope that this continues for a long while. She’s definitely earned it!
References
- Munguia, Hayley. “Long Beach regains full control of Queen Mary for first time in 40 years.” Long Beach Press-Telegram. June 8, 2021. https://www.presstelegram.com/2021/06/04/long-beach-regains-full-control-of-queen-mary-for-first-time-in-40-years/.
- The “Queen Mary”: A Pictorial Souvenir Of the “World’s Largest Floating Palace” – QUEEN MARY. New York: Pier & Ocean Liner News Co., Inc., 1936.