How Many Ways Can I Explain This? TR July 2016 -7/24, DCA Pt 1

[amalone1013]

Me too (well I was a little younger than Harry when they started) but I'm a huge fan too!

I don't know why exactly, but it was so cool to grow up with a character!

Someday I have to get out to the one in Hollywood and try this!

I like the tours and props and such. When we went in 2015 they had a Delorean from Back to the Future out and a bunch of smaller props, in a little museum type room in the Lower Lot. This year it was the Box Trolls, which I never saw.

Liked your update. We like Universal but to be honest the one in Hollywood is a little boring to me. We have done it so many times and it just doesn't seem to have that much stuff. We love IOA in Orlando and we even did the universal side this last year because of Daigon Alley and it was really cool. They have so much more back there. We will prob do Universal though when we go down at Thanksgiving because we plan on doing a lot of museums and such and my kids need something kid centered.

I'm really excited to do USO in a few months. This was my second time at Hollywood in just over a year (and second time ever). Zack wants to go again next year... I think I'm okay skipping it. I loved the Potter area, but otherwise after a bit it was like, oh another screen...

The car museum I was talking about is the Peterson Museum. You can google it but it is right next to LACMA. It looks pretty cool. We did it years ago but it has been re-done and is supposed to be pretty good if you like that stuff.

I cruised around on their site and it looks pretty neat to me. I'm not a car expert or junkie or anything, but I enjoy looking. I sent it to Zack and got back, Wow where is that???

Look forward to your next update.

Hope to have it up in the next few days!

 

[kelmac284]

Yea I totally agree about Universal. You will LOVE IOA and Universal Orlando. Plus they have the new water park which looks really cool. They were just finishing it when we were there in Dec. We stayed at Cabana Bay which is right next door. Besides Daigon Alley and Gringotts which is AMAZING they just opened the new Jimmy Kimmel ride in Universal that looks really cool. I was bummed we missed it.

I am not really car person either but my dad used to race and loves cars so he enjoys it.

 

[amalone1013]

Since I have to spend the day at work (and for 12 hours ) I’m attempting to update all of my TRs/PTRs/PJs, and get caught up/comment on all of my watched threads!

Also, I see I have also been hit by the Photobucket issues! Now, I know I am not that popular. I’m working on it! It might take a bit, because life is crazy right now.

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[amalone1013]

These updates are now going to become mostly photos with a few details and stories that I remember, after it being so long and only having photos to go off of. I'll do my best!

Universal Studios​

Part Two​

After the Walking Dead, I have a photo of Shrek 4D, so I'm thinking we probably did that at this point. I think that's gone now in Hollywood? I had to laugh in September in Orlando while in line for it, because the videos playing in line were talking about how Shrek was available on VHS in the gift shop...

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We also went to watch the Water World show. At this point this was too many shows for Sz, so she took Little J out to Citywalk to some candy store. They must have come back around the end of the show, because after we ran into some characters out! I think Shaggy and Scooby might have been out, but the ones I remember for sure were a skeleton or zombie, which Little J wanted his picture with, and...

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Doc Brown! Apparently I missed the memo about showing off our watches (visible and invisible). Zack asked him if he had the time, and he asked if wanted the past time, the present time, or the future time?

We then headed back to the Wizarding World to use EP on those rides. Zack's dad was a good sport and tried Forbidden Journey again, but he and Big J decided to sit out Flight of the Hippogriff. Apparently when they went to wait, near the gift shop exit from FJ, Big J decided to hop up and sit on the wall of the planter... only he miscalculated. Next time you're at either park, check out those planters (I believe it was the same in Orlando). The distance from the wall of the planter to the dirt in the planter is pretty good, so Big J ended up on his back in the planter with his legs sticking out. Zack's dad still enjoys telling that story. Meanwhile, we got to ride in the front row on FotH Little J went on and on about that in line, basically how we should give him our seat, etc. So when we ended up in the front I pretty much just turned away from them in the second row and ignored him. Not very adult of me... don't get me wrong, had I been traveling with a well-behaved child/children I would have offered it up, but he always feels he's entitled to everything and that's how he was acting at that time, and had also not been too well-behaved during the trip so far.

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At some point I took some photos of the different city areas around the park. I love the detail in these areas. I enjoyed them in Orlando too.
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Soon it was around 6pm and everyone decided they were ready for dinner. More drama ensued. Not terrible, but not necessary either. We suggested splitting up for dinner, and some people were aghast at that idea. I'll give you three guesses about which people it was.
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I busied myself taking photos over the side of the rail across LA during this... Look, the Warner Bros lot!
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Little J was bound and determined he needed to eat at the Simpson's chicken place. I never got into the Simpsons, so most of my experience with them is in the parks, but I did not know about them at age 12. Not only did I (and others) not want chicken fingers, but I had my heart set on eating at the Three Broomsticks. Eventually we convinced them it was okay to part ways. Zack and I and his parents headed to WWoHP, Big J/Sz/Little J/Auntie L to the Simpsons area, and Dr B and Bt to... I'm not sure. Actually I think I forgot to even mention they were here... they came late as they are not early risers and lived about an hour away at the time.

We went to the Three Broomsticks, where I took a lovely photo of the ceiling and our food.
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Zack had the Bangers and Mash, I had the Shepherds Pie, and Zack got a Butterbeer. I wanted to get a frozen one because I'm not a big fan of carbonated drinks (though I tasted Zack's), but every time I tried they were out of the frozen kind. If you ask Zack's dad, he'll tell you this was one of his favorite parts of the trip because he thought the atmosphere was neat even though he's not very familiar with HP, it was cool and quiet in there, and we got away from the difficult people

After dinner, Zack and I browsed the shops (or really, I drug him through there) and then we went to meet everyone at the Studio Tour again. At this time, they had just recently started offering a nighttime studio tour, and you could only use your EP once a day so we saved it for this time. We timed it so we hit the end of the tour hours, since it was summertime and still pretty light out. Most of my photos didn't come out except the one... but overall the tour was almost all the same. At the time there were rumors they might do a Back to the Future skit in the town square, but they just had Marilyn Monroe.

From the escalators on the way down

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Zack and I ended up being about 10 minutes late to the tour, because I was in line to buy some things. Apparently certain people got all worked up over that, and they were told to go ahead and we'd catch up with them after. When we finished the tour, they had already headed out to City walk because Little J wanted to buy more stuff (wait - spoiler, I told you who it was, and also, he wanted things bought for him, he doesn't buy things for himself!). I think Dr B and Bt headed out at this point. The park wasn't quite closed yet, so Zack's parents went to get drinks and just hang out in the little French area while Zack and I rode a few things on the Lower Lot, like Transformers which I think had been down all day.

Anyways, I took a few photos of things at night, we gathered Zack's parents, and headed back through Citywalk to the parking garages. The others, who had been so concerned about how they were tired and needed to get going to go buy whatever Little J wanted and then get back to the hotel to sleep... beat us by about 5 minutes. Must have been an awfully long line at the hat shop
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If you're still around, thanks for hanging in there! Next up, the USS Iowa Battleship and the Queen Mary!

 

[Raeven]

because the videos playing in line were talking about how Shrek was available on VHS in the gift shop...

I wanted to get a frozen one because I'm not a big fan of carbonated drinks (though I tasted Zack's), but every time I tried they were out of the frozen kind.

Aw it stinks they didn't have any. Same here! I've tried them all, and I like the frozen one best the carbonated one was too much carbonation for me.

 

[amalone1013]

Aw it stinks they didn't have any. Same here! I've tried them all, and I like the frozen one best the carbonated one was too much carbonation for me.

At least I got to rectify it in September and have one each day

 

[pepperandchips]

I'm still here and loving the update! Your photos came out beautifully. You're certainly making me want to get out to California again. The crazy family drama definitely reinforces how nice it is just to do couples trips or small family trips. Who wants chicken fingers when you can have Harry Potter theming?! Thanks for the updates - even if you just do photos and highlights I'll be here reading along

 

[amalone1013]

I'm still here and loving the update! Your photos came out beautifully. You're certainly making me want to get out to California again. The crazy family drama definitely reinforces how nice it is just to do couples trips or small family trips. Who wants chicken fingers when you can have Harry Potter theming?! Thanks for the updates - even if you just do photos and highlights I'll be here reading along

I'm pretty excited that we'll be back in Disneyland in about two months It makes our Disney World APs expiring at the end of the month a little easier

We're considering a family trip next year... but very different from this one. Slightly different cast, and a cruise instead of parks/destination. I think that might be okay... It's just frustrating to be with a group that is old enough to split up and make their own decisions, but they act lost and tag along then complain about what you planned Small groups are so much easier!

I'm glad you're still enjoying even though I'm so behind!

 

[amalone1013]

For those still hanging on, thanks for bearing with me! I've got about three posts to go before we make it to Disneyland - you know, actual Disney things like this board is named after...

USS Iowa Battleship
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The plan for this morning was to get up pretty early, as we were going to be driving from Glendale to Long Beach to see the USS Iowa Battleship and the Queen Mary. We were aiming to hit the Iowa around when it opened, which was 10am. We almost made it, and my first photo on the ship is time stamped 10:35am - so that's usually a victory with a large group. We actually would have made it at opening or even early, except tragedy struck.

Big J and Sz had this large, very old dog they had left at home on this trip, with family stopping in to check on him. The dog hadn't been doing well for quite awhile before the trip, and on this morning when family stopped by to check on him, he couldn't get up. You can probably guess where this is going...

I don't to come off as a terrible person, so let me clarify... I love animals, pets are family to me and losing one is tragic. You are totally entitled to be sad, cranky, crazy, whatever as part of the grieving process. So I mostly give everyone a pass this day. My only issue with Big J and Sz was that this dog had been struggling for months, many of us had seen that for ourselves, and this is what they wanted to happen - it to come up while they were gone so someone else would make the decision, and I just don't feel like that's fair to the pet.

Anyways, moving on from that, we spent more time hanging around the hotel that morning then planned, as they got this news and waited to hear what the vet had to say once they saw the dog. Eventually Big J stopped by our room with Little J, to tell us they were going to run to a McDonald's for breakfast. Here's my other issue with this tragedy - Little J. His only concern during this exchange, was to steal a soda from our grocery run That might seem like I'm overreacting... but here's the thing. The kid has no feelings for animals. He never has, apparently. He was mean to the old dog. Mean to their new one, mean to Auntie L's dog, mean to Zack's family's dogs over the years - one of them actually knocked the sliding door out of the frame because he was teasing the dog. As much as his parents wanted him to care about their dog being euthanized, he didn't. But that didn't stop his parents or Auntie L from trying to put that emotion on him, or him using it as an excuse the rest of the trip.

And he could have just asked for a dang pop, and we would have given it to him, but he just tried to be sneaky and took it!

When they came back from McDonald's (with just food for Little J) and he had the can of soda, Zack's mom asked about it and they made up some line about how they had it in the car already - even though they'd been exactly zero places selling cans of soda, and we knew that...

Eventually we headed for the Iowa, and on the way there (we were in separate cars) they heard back from the vet who of course recommended euthanasia, and they said yes. So when we pulled in they got out crying... It was very sad. I felt bad for them, but good for the dog... after a few minutes we told them sorry and then headed onto the Iowa, just saying to catch up when they wanted. Us staring at them crying in the parking lot would help no one.



So now that we're through that fun story...

In case you're unaware, the USS Iowa is a battleship that has been turned into a museum in Long Beach. If you're considering going, Costco usually sells two-for-one tickets online I enjoy history, and this is stuff I don't know really anything about, so I enjoy seeing and learning. I usually end up fascinated by some random facts I never would have guessed in a million years. Zack and his dad, and Big J, were all really interested in this, and so was Dr B, who met us out here this day. They also have a phone app, which, if I remember correctly, you can use for an audio tour... but no one had headphones on them, so we didn't use it.

They start you off with some cheesy but fun souvenir photos. I'll have to grab copies when I get home tonight.

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Here's a nice sign with some info about the size It was interesting to see the size, and how it differed from the USS Midway, which is an aircraft carrier turned museum down in San Diego. When you first got on deck, I think they had a short video about some of the history. They also told us how a lot of the deck is covered, because it was made of teak, I believe, and needs protected and redone. You can see the plywood in some of the photos.

The guns are enormous. Definitely something you don't quite realize until you see it up close!

You might see an interesting boat go by. Not only do we have the cranes for shipping crates there

But we had this little Fire Dept boat go by!

Because I promise to share the good and the bad with you... Here is a goofy picture by a dummy shell. It was really bright out, okay?

The bow is incredibly long, and the chains for the anchors are also enormous.

And here's more than you probably ever wanted to know:

More dummy shells

After a bit of time on the main deck, we ventured inside to the Officer's Galley, and also got to see into the kitchen and scullery areas.

Christmas dinner, anyone?

I am strangely fascinated by the kitchens... I think it's a combination of the industrial sized equipment fit into tiny spaces

There were also photos out, like this one of the Iowa firing all of her guns. I think this was just for a demonstration. You can see how they all rotate.

A mysterious map they have yet to date:

At one point inside, you turned the corner and ran into the photo desk. I'm not sure how anyone says no to these guys... I'm typically more cold-hearted than Zack when it comes to souvenir photos, but the ship museums are always staffed by volunteers who are veterans, it seems. The gift shop was also down in the ship, and you went through it to continue on your tour.

There was an explosion in one of the gun turrets during a training exercise at one time, so there is a memorial dedicated to those who died in the accident.

The Captain's Quarters, which carried FDR to meet with Winston Churchill during WWII. They outfitted the bathroom with a tub for FDR. Most of my photos here didn't come out due to lighting.

A view down the bow/guns from the bridge or a near area

The guns on the back of the ship.

One of the anchors...​

There was a lot to see here, and it took longer than we expected. And a lot of the ship isn't open to the public! The downside to this was that Sz wasn't interested in it from the beginning, so that combined with the passing of their dog did not make for a good mood with her. Little J just had zero interest, and of all places to make a big scene about being bored or hungry or something, it was in front of the Memorial... one of those moments that are like... I don't know them...

Up next, we grab some lunch and head to the Queen Mary!

 

[pepperandchips]

I'm pretty excited that we'll be back in Disneyland in about two months It makes our Disney World APs expiring at the end of the month a little easier

We're considering a family trip next year... but very different from this one. Slightly different cast, and a cruise instead of parks/destination. I think that might be okay... It's just frustrating to be with a group that is old enough to split up and make their own decisions, but they act lost and tag along then complain about what you planned Small groups are so much easier!

I'm glad you're still enjoying even though I'm so behind!

No worries about being behind, i'm struggling to keep up with all my subscribed threads as it is (not to mention my all but abandoned dining report which I've totally failed to update recently)

Disneyland has to be getting close right? Gahhh I want to go back there so bad! It's just so hard to justify the airfare when we can drive to Orlando in 6 hours. Wah wah wah, I know

For those still hanging on, thanks for bearing with me! I've got about three posts to go before we make it to Disneyland - you know, actual Disney things like this board is named after

I love the reviews of some of these other attractions! Can't say I'm putting the Iowa on my must do list but your photo tour was really neat!

The family issues are just UGH! I hate that misery loves company but at least it helps me not feel as alone with the family drama that plagues me at every turn of the wedding planning. I just don't get the selfishness of certain family members. Like you said, can we just behave for 5 minutes in front of this memorial?

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I just found your trip report. I am going to read it tonight!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I am all caught up!

The Details:
Disneyland July 19-23
California from July 14-24

You were there on my 40th birthday! I know you planned it that way.

We all get along quite well and I'm definitely the favorite future child-in-law. His mom often jokes she won't have anyone to talk to after we leave.

It is great that you get along so well and that living all together has worked out.

so we asked Auntie L. Her response was the best, but sad at the same time: she got a sad look and said quietly, "but I like Disney."

Poor Auntie L... That is totally what I would say, if that was me!

So we asked Auntie L to join us and she was overjoyed.

A happy ending! Yeah!

The other thing we added was the Frozen Pre-Show package on Friday. We debated... then figured, we'd be standing in line outside the theatre, or we could be inside with air and popcorn (and slushes and wine!).

I will have to go over and see what the Frozen Pre-show package is?!? Maybe I should try and grab that for our trip!

Portable wine glasses!

The important things!

I use this tote all the time though!

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I love this! I love tote bags as well. I only really use backpacks for Disney, ironically.

Would you like to get a bikini wax while you wait at the airport? You can here!​

I mean I guess if you run out of time before your trip...

We made it!

The whole day looked fun.

We knew it wasn’t Disney when the guy pulled the head off to take a drink.

Eek! Def not in Disney.

Best Ever Popcorn Shrimp
Our popular Popcorn Shrimp plus Pepperoncini, Roasted Red Bell Peppers and great Dippin’ Sauces.

Yum! I love Pepperoncini's!

Too funny!

Fair warning: these are not cheap rides. They are either $5 or $8 per person per ride, or you can buy a wristband for $30 per person. We were only interested in three rides, so we just got enough 'credits' for those... at the tune of $48 total!

Make a one day ticket to Disney at $100 not seem so bad. Right?

Here we were supposed to be stuck in a tar pit... Zack's parents missed that and just looked nice. Zack did not appreciate me trying to pull him into the tar

Too funny! I truly love how well you all 4 get along.

Can't wait to hear how the rest of the trip went.

 

[amalone1013]

No worries about being behind, i'm struggling to keep up with all my subscribed threads as it is (not to mention my all but abandoned dining report which I've totally failed to update recently)

My subscribed list is out of control

Disneyland has to be getting close right? Gahhh I want to go back there so bad! It's just so hard to justify the airfare when we can drive to Orlando in 6 hours. Wah wah wah, I know

About 3 1/2 weeks! And it's a busy 3 1/2 weeks... we were out of town this weekend, we're out of town the next two weekends... so the only weekend we're home before leaving is Easter weekend. Though we do have to get through that whole wedding thing first out there - work before play

I love the reviews of some of these other attractions! Can't say I'm putting the Iowa on my must do list but your photo tour was really neat!

I would never have paid it any attention on my own... but I enjoy it once I get there. Usually I'm just wowed because it's all things that never cross my mind - easily impressed over here

The family issues are just UGH! I hate that misery loves company but at least it helps me not feel as alone with the family drama that plagues me at every turn of the wedding planning. I just don't get the selfishness of certain family members. Like you said, can we just behave for 5 minutes in front of this memorial?

Weddings bring out the best and worst of people. It's amazing. I think we just had the last of ours this weekend (which wasn't bad, we just went back to my hometown and had a little party to share photos/videos with everyone and we definitely had someone who came just for information ). And then I've been watching family drama for BIL's wedding from the inside too... man I can't wait til that's over. There's both family drama and also the fun part of no information, like my suit story on my wedding TR. If you ever want to vent via PM I'm here

I am all caught up!
You were there on my 40th birthday! I know you planned it that way.

Obviously! I'm glad you're here/enjoying!

It is great that you get along so well and that living all together has worked out.

And it's crazy that it's been almost two years since I wrote that... And we still get along. They've helped us so much with this, even though we can't convince them of that. We have our days we're frustrated, but it's more about lacking space and not relationships. And we got some nice house type gifts for the wedding, so we have more things to store... We're looking for a place now, but between the market being crazy and also talking about moving out of state here we are, staying and saving and paying off student loans... we might have to bite the bullet on an apartment...

Poor Auntie L... That is totally what I would say, if that was me!

It was so funny, and sad! That would be me too!

I will have to go over and see what the Frozen Pre-show package is?!? Maybe I should try and grab that for our trip!

I'm not sure they have it anymore, I wasn't finding it a few weeks ago. Which makes me sad. It was $49pp, and about an hour before the show you checked in and they had a little setup that looked like Arendelle with the fountain in the middle... unlimited popcorn and snow cones, one glass of beer or wine for the adults. Everyone got a special lanyard and pin, and then they took you to the theatre and you got to pick seats before they let anyone else in. They had lots of fun facts and trivia about designing the show too.

The important things!

We made good use of them, especially in my next post!

The whole day looked fun.

Eek! Def not in Disney.

Yum! I love Pepperoncini's!

Too funny!

Make a one day ticket to Disney at $100 not seem so bad. Right?

Yeah! The pier was fun for the afternoon, but the ride prices... Bubba Gump is one of the touristy places I can eat over and over...

 

[amalone1013]

RMS Queen Mary
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When I left off, we had some hungry people. We were headed to the Queen Mary next, which was a 10-15 minute drive around from the Iowa. There's not a ton of stuff in there, it was sort of industrial because of the shipping port, and then there were also a lot of boats kept around there... but Google Maps showed a local's place that was on a barge, so off we went!

I give you... The Chowder Barge!

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So it was bad enough that everyone was second-guessing me when I was reading this off my phone, they were probably third-guessing me becuase it was really hard to find (it's just docked with bunch of boats in the marina!), and I know they were a hundred-guessing me when they saw this place. ​

It was kind of your typical, dive bar fried decent cheap food kind of place. Actually, this LA magazine article does an excellent job explaining it and has pictures of the inside (I didn't take pictures until we got to the Queen Mary). Hey, I enjoyed my fried shrimp basket! Some were less impressed with the atmosphere, and pouty/silent for that reason. They had to sit us in two booths, so we sat in one with Zack's parents. I do remember while they were serving the other booth, Little J was taking the onion rings out of Zack's mom's basket - on purpose, staring at her the whole time, his parents definitely saw and didn't say anything

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After endearing everyone with my lunch choice (I should mention that no one wanted to make a lunch decision either, so I was at a point of you either speak up or shut up...) we made it to the Queen Mary and got checked in. I can't remember why now, but for some reason I had cancelled and rebooked our room, and when I did that I picked a regular room instead of the deluxe room. It basically looked much prettier and we had decided to splurge, so I was a bit bummed I messed that up. But I was more bummed that our view was of the underside of the walkway onto the ship, out of view of the tourists coming on to the boat, to an area used for smoke breaks by employees. We got in and I was disappointed by the room, I figured out it was my fault, but decided to go see if we could at least move across to the harbor side. Everyone else was on that side already, so we got a room a few down from them.

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And don't worry, we're actually staying on the Queen Mary again this weekend and I made sure to book the right room

After throwing our stuff in the room and getting a few photos, we were raring to go exploring. Zack and I are do-ers on vacation, and so are his parents, and so is Auntie L typically... but because her son/grandson/DIL were not, she was following suit with them. So they weren't in the best mood between our very late lunch (my room pictures are from 5pm) and this day not interesting two of them and then of course, the passing of their dog. But we wanted to see as much of the ship as we could since we got there several hours later than we were expecting, and they followed along.

So the Queen Mary was once an ocean liner from the 30s to 60s... think Titanic, and also carried troops during WWII. When she was retired, she was sailed to long beach and converted into a tourist attraction/museum/hotel/event venue. So there's multiple exhibits and also restaurants on board. There's some guided tours and I think a self-guided audio tour that we missed doing due to time. We headed towards the engine room which Zack was most excited to see. I won't torture you with those photos because I don't know what most of it is and the photos are blurry due to the lighting. I did get a kick out of seeing the original walkways and paths compared to what they had put in for tourists After you got through the engine room they had some exhibits of things from the ship, and also a spot where you could look down into the water and see one of the propellers. It was cool but also a bit creepy because anything lit underwater like that just makes me think Titanic. And it was so quiet down here anyways, and there weren't a ton of people, so it was a bit spooky overall. I actually lost the group because I went ahead slightly, then tried to get back to the engine room and couldn't, ended up speed walking to the exhibit exit and starting over in the engine room - and they weren't there anymore and it was really creepy because no one else was there, but there were creaking noises from this ship...

Courtesy of AmericanExpeditioners.com​

I didn't get a ton of photos overall; if you are interested this site has a ton of photos of the engine room and the exhibits following it, including the propeller area.

This was the spare anchor kept in England. Each anchor was 16 tons
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Most of the exhibits close down at night, and just the restaurants are open. You can also walk around the decks if you're staying there. I didn't take any pictures inside (maybe I'll rectify that this weekend and can post them if anyone is interested?) but it has beautiful wood and art deco details on it. I've also come across a FB group with photos claiming that much of the original furniture and light fixtures has been stored away (and not in a kind way to keep them nice) and left to ruin, along with some of the non-public areas of the ship (ie the original library, etc) being damaged by carelessness and used for storage/trash... it's sad if it's true. I understand the need to update and modernize, and that may mean losing some original areas, but it sounds as if many areas were closed off instead of being restored.

After this, we headed up to the decks. Photo dump!

The Queen Mary is surrounded by a rock breakwater since the ship is floating.

There is this Cold War Era Russian sub next to the Queen Mary. I think it closed in 2015 because it is leaking/listing and they have not repaired it - When I was looking into it for this trip it seemed like there was an argument over who was responsible for repairs. Too bad, I'm sure it would be interesting to walk through (though claustrophobic according to Trip Advisor reviews!)
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It was very pretty up on the decks as the sunset, and very quiet and peaceful. Soon though, we started to get rumbly tummies. I don't think Big J/Little J/Sz/Auntie L spent much if any time up on the decks; they may have gone straight back to their room. In the first photo, you can kind of see there was an area with stores and restaurants across the harbor from the Queen Mary. There were also several restaurants on board for various price ranges. We offered up both of these ideas, but they were not happy with them. They didn't like any of the restaurants on board, but they didn't want to drive to the shopping area Also, they had never stopped for snacks themselves (or wanted us to pick anything up when we offered). After a good hour of Auntie L being a go between and making excuses for them, Zack's mom told us not to worry and go eat. Somewhere in here they asked when the ferry to Catalina left the next morning, which I had sent and told them countless times... We had booked the 8:15am ferry (and you have to check in 1 hour before) because the next ferry wasn't until 10:30am or so and the trip takes an hour. So Sz threw a snit over that going on and on about how she didn't know it was that early! It was on the other side of the harbor, so a 10min drive. This was also one of those things we told them they didn't have to do if they didn't want to... Zack's mom told Auntie L off at that because his parents had seen all of the planning we'd done, so when we headed for dinner they weren't speaking. I can't remember for sure now, but I really want to say Big J/Little J/Sz ended up driving over and getting burgers or something... but they might have just gone to bed. Zack's parents decided to just eat some of the snacks we had gotten.

We went to the Chelsea Chowder House, which was the midrange restaurant. I think maybe it was on an enclosed area of one of the decks, and so there were windows all along the side looking out over the water. I didn't take photos of our entrees, but I do remember I had their mac and cheese which was delicious, and whatever Zack had he was happy with - it might have been a pasta. We might have started with Spinach and Artichoke dip, but I know for sure we finished with creme brulee. We joked that this might have been the best meal of the trip because not only was the food good, but it was so nice to get away from everyone!

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It was late at this point. The timestamp on my dessert photo was 10:15pm. We stopped by Zack's parents' room on the way back, and his dad informed us that his mom and aunt had taken a bottle of wine up on the deck, and requested we come with a second bottle So we headed up there. There were quite a few people up there with the same idea; lots of groups with beer/wine just hanging out. We cracked open the second bottle and just talked. Eventually it got even later, as time does, and we were some of the last people up there. There were some kids roaming around, maybe early high school age? We thought it was kind of funny since it was after midnight. At one point one hid around the corner from his friends, but we could see him clearly from where we were, maybe 15-20 feet away. So Auntie L (keep in mind that she'd had a good bit of wine by this point) decided she was going to go scare this kid, since he was trying to get the jump on his friends.

I don't know how she snuck up on this kid, but she did, and she went "Bluhblbubhablhbuh" and sort of flailed her arms in front of her like she was impersonating a squid or something. Oh man, we just cracked up and this poor kid about jumped out of his skin! He took about 3 giant steps before he looked back at what had made that noise, and he looked behind him until he hit the stairs

We decided it was probably time for bed then... but Zack's mom and aunt were on a mission to get some photos of us at that point. Off the back of the boat there is a gazebo for weddings. They decided they wanted a photo of us by the gazebo... which for some reason involved them squatting at the bottom of the stairs to take... which led to them falling over... laughing... figuring out the deck had been sprayed down and they now had wet butts so more laughing... They also wanted pictures of us by the rail, with the city behind us. Even now, I have never seen how these photos turned out...

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Eventually we herded them back to their room and to bed, and hit the sack ourselves. It was around 2am by then and we had to get up early to catch the ferry. While we enjoyed our time on the Queen Mary, we had decided we wanted to go back to see more - and it turns out that this weekend presented the perfect chance!

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[Lesley Wake]

I haven't been on the Queen Mary since I was young but I definitely remember it being spooky in the engine area! At Halloween they also do a whole Dark Harbor-Queen Mary Haunted House/carnival thing.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I am very intrigued by the Queen Mary! I have never heard of it before. I don't know if I would find it fun or creepy. Glad to hear you are getting to go again! Take lots of pictures!

 

[amalone1013]

The Queen Mary 2018
A Two Day Mini TR
Part One

By popular demand... Ok not really, but you're sort of a captive audience so I'm sharing my photos here

We had a really late flight to LAX on Friday. We started off with dinner at the airport. I've got a Priority Pass Lounge card thanks to a credit card benefit, but our airport doesn't have a lounge... so instead they've partnered with a restaurant, and they give you a $28 per person credit. We sat at the bar along the window, and had a lovely view of some planes...

And after those left, of the mountains as the sun went down. We shared nachos and a steak quesadilla, and this amazing banana nutella dessert. I also enjoyed a cocktail.

Banana Nutella - Scratch made bread pudding with chopped cashews, fresh banana slices, and Nutella

Deep Eddy's Peach Tea - Deep Eddy Peach vodka, Deep Eddy Sweet Tea vodka, and iced tea

We landed at LAX around 11:30pm, which was on time, and made our way to the hotel shuttle stop. We waited maybe 10 minutes or so... Since we had gotten in so late, we stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton LAX.

It was clean and just fine for the night. Occasionally you heard planes take off overhead, so maybe not the best for everyone, but then you're probably not staying at an airport hotel or you're asking for issues... I chose this hotel because it was similarly priced to the other hotels on the cheap end, and I earned extra SPG points. I'd stay here again if we got in late like this... The bathroom was the strangest set up I've run into in a hotel, and there were no outlets by the nightstands but okay for a night.

We slept in a little, and decided to just eat at the restaurant in the hotel for breakfast. I checked the uber prices to the Queen Mary - I had a backup car rental reservation, but I was hoping there would be no surging with Uber because at regular rates it was about half the price of the rental car plus parking at the Queen Mary. Rates looked good when we needed Uber so I cancelled the rental. The hotel restaurant had a buffet, and an a la carte menu. We both opted for breakfast burritos.

Afterwards, we grabbed our bags and called an uber. We called the Queen Mary just to double check they had a place to store luggage - it seemed like they should, but being a unique hotel, I felt better checking. They told us they did, but most likely our room would be ready early.

We saw the Goodyear blimp on the way I noticed when trying to Uber there, it kept mapping the route as around the cruise ship terminal that is next to the Queen Mary So we ended up in the drop off area for the terminal. We just hopped out and walked next door.

There is a russian sub outside the Queen Mary that used to be open for tours, but was shut down three or four years ago because it's leaking. It's too bad, because I think it'd be interesting, but it's definitely in rough shape now...

Lobby area:

The photo is of the area originally.

Even though it was only about 11:30am, our room was ready. We heard later they were sold out this night, my assumption is because they had two different weddings that evening.

Our room, a Deluxe Harbor View King Room:

I meant to try and find a photo of an original room on the ship but never did, so here's one I dug up on the internet.

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Thanks to google. Zack noticed when we were there, the tub was very rounded and not a combo shower originally. It looks like the Formica in the shower area was originally around the whole room.

I love all of the little original things still here, like these taps:

At the time, ships didn't have the systems to purify water themselves, so they could only carry so much water and so you were encouraged to bathe in salt water and just use fresh to rinse a the end of your bath.

The Queen Mary needs some more love. We paid $189 for a Saturday night for this room, plus a $17 facility fee. She is owned by the city of Long Beach, and then leased to a company to operate the hotel and attraction. Recently a new company took over the lease, and have started work, which is great. They also have big plans to add a whole boardwalk and entertainment area around the ship to ramp up activity around the ship, which looks neat if it all goes through.

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[pepperandchips]

Love both visits to the Queen Mary. You are so much kinder with the family drama than I would have been! I liked all the photos you took on this second visit. What is Zack doing in the picture with the Pepsi? It's a great photo of him though. Hope you have a fabulous Easter weekend!

 

[BrerMama]

Although boats are not my favorite (traumatic sinking boat during a zoo trip when I was a kid), I enjoyed reading about your nights on the Queen Mary.

And thanks for relating all the family drama because it's helping me remember why I don't vacation with my extended family....

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

The Queen Mary needs some more love. We paid $189 for a Saturday night for this room, plus a $17 facility fee. She is owned by the city of Long Beach, and then leased to a company to operate the hotel and attraction. Recently a new company took over the lease, and have started work, which is great. They also have big plans to add a whole boardwalk and entertainment area around the ship to ramp up activity around the ship, which looks neat if it all goes through.

Sounds like a great start to your mini trip!

I would love to do this sometime, and the news plans make it sound even better!