Has anyone toured or stayed on the Queen Mary?

[Planogirl]

I would love to make a side-trip to the Queen Mary maybe when we move from our hotel in Anaheim to wherever we'll be staying in San Diego. I understand that the Queen Mary is also a hotel now. Has anyone toured it? What did you think?

 

[jadedee]

20 years ago. MY mom and I started to wonder, you toured by yourself. so we got lost. It is a big boat. you can only tour the top, not any of the rooms, had some nice views. Well back to the story of my mom and i getting lost we found this little stand and it was called diving for pearls. you pick an oyster out of a 20 gallon tank and the lady opens it and there is a pearl and I remember mine was a big black pearl. Just then my grandparents, dad and sister. came around the corner. My mom and I decided to give the pearl to my grandma. she still has it today.

 

[daannzzz]

Quite a long time ago I was with a friend at Disneyland. he had been to the Queen Mary and wanted me to go. I was not interested at all but he kept pestering me until I said yes if he paid for it. Needless to say I loved it and have been back many times. It is awesome. You use to by taken by tour guide through the ship. Then, a few years later you toured by yourself though you followed a set path. I haven't been in a while so don't know how it is laid out. I have never stayed at the hotel but would like to sometime. Have also enjoyed dinner there at Sir Winston's. Give it a try if it is still there.

 

[Tink33]

I took a behind the scenes guided tour in 1998:
Queen Mary Tours

We were in a small group and the guide customized the tour for us. The guide was very excited because my grandmother and mother sailed on the Queen Mary in 1948. My dad also toured the Russian Scorpion next door.

Make sure to use the discount coupon found on the site:
Discount Coupon

My parents and grandmother stayed in two suites in 1998. The cabins are beautiful. When making reservations ask for an ocean view.
Queen Mary Hotel

 

[ceejay13]

We took a guided tour about 5 years ago. I actually had taken it while my DH was at a meeting. I enjoyed it so much he wanted to go, so I went back the second time. The tour guide was a retired navy officer and we really enjoyed it. The history of the boat is incredible, and I think you would enjoy it very much.

 

[Planogirl]

I'm happy to read these positive reviews of the Queen Mary and also glad to hear that there are restaurants there too. And thanks so much for the great discount page. This will definitely save us a lot of money!

I was also intrigued with the Ghost and Legends link. http://www.ghostsandlegends.com/ Wow! There's a lot to this ship.

jadedee, I loved your story. What a nice momento that pearl is today.

 

[Snow Brite]

The first room we were given was an inside cabin and it was awful. In reallllly bad shape. We went back to the desk and asked or something else and ended up getting a free upgrade to an outside cabin with a porthole. There was a world of difference between the two. There was beautiful wood paneling on all the walls, the most incredible built in vanity and the shower still had the original nozzles for salt water (they didn't work any more were just for display). It was pretty cramped, and had a nostalgic "old" feel to it that was really fun. We took thesel guided tour and also got a bit lost, but that was part of the fun. It has abit of a run down, un cared for look, but I haveworked at hotels for a long time and probably notice things that others would not.

I think it was a really fun side trip and I would do it again. I would make sure though that I booked the outside cabin!

Jennifer

 

[Snow Brite]

The first room we were given was an inside cabin and it was awful. In reallllly bad shape. We went back to the desk and asked or something else and ended up getting a free upgrade to an outside cabin with a porthole. There was a world of difference between the two. There was beautiful wood paneling on all the walls, the most incredible built in vanity and the shower still had the original nozzles for salt water (they didn't work any more were just for display). It was pretty cramped, and had a nostalgic "old" feel to it that was really fun. We took thesel guided tour and also got a bit lost, but that was part of the fun. It has abit of a run down, un cared for look, but I haveworked at hotels for a long time and probably notice things that others would not.

I think it was a really fun side trip and I would do it again. I would make sure though that I booked the outside cabin!

Jennifer

 

[Hopefully]

I spent a night on the Queen Mary about 18 months ago, when in town for a professional meeting. I am glad that I did, but I agree that it seemed a bit "old and tired" to me. However it is what it is. The Art Deco artifacts are wonderful. I had an outside cabin and agree it had wonderful wood accents, and helped me to understand what travel was like in "Those Days" on a transaltantic cruise. One caveat however, there is little IF ANY soundproofing between the rooms. I was awakened in the dark, hearing male voices which I thought were in my room, to realize - as I really woke up - that they were in the room next door. (Scared to death for a few seconds ) We very much enjoyed the tour and I would recommend it.

 

[Chuck S]

It's been a long time, I grew up about 7 miles from Long Beach. It was a very interesting tour, and we used to really enjoy having dinner at Sir Winston's. When the city of LB first bought the ship, they sold EVERYTHING really cheap. I still have sheets, towels, dessert plates and a "first class" tea service set my grandma bought. She paid $9 for the tea set, sheets and towels were 5¢, the dessert plates were 50¢. She always took her best friend with her, and whenever we visit her surviving family in Fallbrook, they still use all that stuff, too. What memories.

 

[Planogirl]

Wow, Chuck you really have some wonderful items. We had an old hotel shut down in Houston and I always regret not buying something as a keepsake.

As for the Queen Mary being "old and tired", this actually makes her more appealing to me! I'm a history buff and I'm attracted to wonderful old places like a magnet.

Thanks everyone!