The good ship Queen Mary, despite the depression, was constructed in Scotland n the 1930’s. Her maiden voyage departed from Southampton England on May 27th, 1936, sailing the transatlantic seas complete with her five dining areas, two cocktail bars, ballroom, swimming pools, and squash court. Glamour a go go.
Thirty years later, in 1967 the Queen Mary retired from travel and was docked in Southern California where her second life began as a tourist attraction and hotel.
The Queen Mary is an enormous and unique living and functioning artifact, and you really feel like you are a movie star in the 30’s when you are aboard (or is that just me?) All of her glorious art deco details and curves are still in tact, and you are free to explore most of the ship, including it’s operational restaurant and glorious bar when you stay there.
Many areas from the gym to the travel office are furnished and styled as if they are in daily use circa 1936.There are several free exhibits and information boards dotted throughout, or you can take one of their many tours. These are plentiful and tailored to different interests, from the ships art deco style, to it’s Hollywood History, to its haunted folklore. If you’re taking a tour, we suggest making sure it gives you access to some of the areas not generally open to the public, including the glorious art deco first class swimming pool (the second class swimming pool was removed to make way for a museum when the Queen Mary became a hotel)
Staying the night aboard The Queen Mary is highly recommended. The staterooms retain most of their original details, from built in desks and closets, to the Bakelite bathroom fixtures and tiled floors. And of course, your own porthole! The rooms have a high level of glamour, and you get to feel like you are on an elegant and glittering time warped cruise, but without the sea sickness!
Many preservation and historical groups regularly hold events aboard the Queen Mary, so you might want to time your visit around one of these for even more shipboard fun.
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Southern California - No. 162 -last visited October 2024
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