Long live the Queen Mary Long Beach for her lore, lure and romance
Updated: Sep 15
WORLD'S ONCE GRANDEST LINER LIVES A LIVELY LIFE IN LONG BEACH
STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER
"The Carpe Diem Kids"
There is something special about standing beside a great ocean liner and imagining what it must have been like when crossing the Atlantic was an adventure measured in days rather than hours. For travelers visiting Long Beach, California, the Queen Mary offers exactly that opportunity. Once one of the world's most famous Cunard ocean liners, she is now a historic attraction, hotel and destination on the Long Beach waterfront. Her story also provides a fascinating introduction to Cunard's modern-day ships, including the Queen Elizabeth, one of four Queens currently sailing for the company.
ABOARD the Queen Mary, there's always adventure. If you want to schedule it, you can, on a series of entertaining tours which take in every aspect of the grand liner's history.
Or you may just let adventure find you as you dress vintage, sip a cocktail and people-watch, dine with style, stroll the decks.
I EVEN PLAYED the piano on which my idol Cole Porter played during his beloved crossings.
It is now the piano in Winston's, the most elegant of several eateries on board.
There are tours for the history buffs, fun-seekers, ghost lovers, romantics, fans of the sea.
Manned by a crew of 500 domestic staff -- waiters, housekeepers, painters and engineers -- she has 346 hotel rooms and is truly a floating museum. To recall her glory days, vintage faucets offering the option of salt water were retained. In pre-air conditioned days, the '30s fans that now serve as decoration would have been essential.
Of the Queen's crew who manned her last voyage in 1967, 200-plus survive; they visit the Queen Mary from time to time.
MILLIONS worldwide have walked her decks since she moved to Long Beach, California -- including presidents, prime ministers and dozens of movie stars.
Today, visitors can stay aboard the ship, explore historic areas, take guided tours and enjoy dining and special events. The ship's current offerings include historic tours, paranormal experiences, special events and overnight accommodations in original-style staterooms.
There is an especially good reason to put the Queen Mary on your travel list in 2026. The ship is celebrating the 90th anniversary of her maiden voyage with special experiences, exhibits and events throughout the year. The anniversary program includes a new Embarkation Tour, historic photo opportunities and other special offerings designed to bring the Queen Mary's history to life.
For anyone interested in cruise history, maritime travel or simply unusual places to spend a night, the Queen Mary is a fascinating stop.
Among notable visits in recent years, Cunard's Princess made a stop in Long Beach to say "hello" to the Queen Mary.
In 2006 – Cunard's flagship, the Queen Mary 2, met her namesake, the original RMS Queen Mary.
AND IN 2011, Queen Victoria visited her older sister, the Queen Mary, before heading back to Southampton via the Panama Canal.
The QE2's longtime captain, Ron Warwick, sailed into Long Beach later in 2011 aboard Cunard's Queen Elizabeth. "He got off there, to visit us," says Commodore Everette Hoard.
And in March of 2013, a "royal rendezvous" occurred when Cunard's Queen Elizabeth visited Long Beach with a formal reception, fireworks and other grand hoopla. At that fun occasion, 3,800 liner-loving revelers came on board the Queen Mary to celebrate.
If you want to celebrate on the Queen, you're welcome. "Special events are our bread and butter," says Commodore Hoard. He sees his job as mainly one of public relations -- since the ship is not going anywhere.
BUSTLING ABOUT the ship, he schmoozes with visitors, history buffs and overnight guests, posing for photos and answering questions about the bridge, engine room or restaurants.
An avid history buff, he knows more than almost anyone about
Cunard's rich seafaring history, the various Queens who transited the seas under Cunard's banner, the ship's construction and contents and even the 57 varieties of wood found within her.
When one guest asked the difference between a liner and a cruise ship, the Commodore had a concise and immediate answer.
"Liners are built with a reserve of speed," Hoard said. "The Queen Mary, for instance, could go 28 l/2 knots. Liners have a longer, sleeker hull. And even a large cruise ship will navigate around bad weather," he says. "Liners just go for it -- plow right through the weather."
Hoard also lectures on board other vessels, preferring to stick with Cunard, although he's been asked recently to lecture on other lines.
Told that we loved bridge tours and visits to the captain's private quarters, Hoard didn't hesitate to take us to the bridge and into his quarters. Among the famous who enjoyed cocktails there were presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush along with "the Iron Lady," Margaret Thatcher, who shares pride in the Queen's heroic part in the Allies' winning of World War II.
From the Queen Mary to the Queen Elizabeth
While the original Queen Mary is now permanently docked in Long Beach, Cunard's tradition continues at sea.
Today, Cunard operates four ships: Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Anne. The ships combine traditional Cunard touches with modern accommodations, dining, entertainment and enrichment programs.
Among them, the Queen Elizabeth has a particularly strong connection to Cunard's heritage. Her design incorporates Art Deco influences, British-inspired elegance and many of the traditions associated with the Cunard name.
The modern Queen Elizabeth accommodates approximately 2,074 guests and has 911 crew members. The ship includes 11 restaurants and 12 bars and lounges, giving passengers plenty of choices during their voyage.
And the Queen Elizabeth has recently received significant attention from Cunard. In 2025, she underwent a major refurbishment in Singapore, updating many of her public spaces and enhancing accommodations and dining for guests. Among the areas refreshed were the Queens Room, Commodore Club, Garden Lounge and The Pavilion.
WINSTON CHURCHILL had a favorite easy chair in the captain's private quarters and sipped many a cognac while enjoying
several Queen Mary crossings with his wife, Clementine. When Winston's was opened as the ship's top restaurant in the late 1970s.
History buffs will love learning about the meeting of two stately queens in 1967. Early in the morning of Sept. 25, when the retiring Queen Mary, making her final trans-Atlantic voyage in the Cunard Service, passed her sister ship – the original Queen Elizabeth. Between 1947 and 1967 the two majestic ocean liners crisscrossed the Atlantic Ocean dozens of times, but this time was special. As the two historic Queens closed in on each other, both captains stood at the bridge in attention while the mighty whistle of each ship pierced through the autumn air. Realizing they
were witnessing history and an end of an era, they stood and saluted. That cold September morning on the Atlantic Ocean would be the final time the two beloved ships would cross paths, before the Queen Mary was permanently docked in Long Beach where we had the good fortune to visit her!
To make a reservation or book a tour or meal, go to www.queenmary.com
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