Time for another installment about my time spent onboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. In case you’re just catching up, I had the opportunity to spend a few nights onboard this famous Cunard ocean liner turned floating hotel.
The Queen Mary was launched in 1936 and after she was retired in 1967 she was purchased by the city of Long Beach and turned into a tourist attraction. She’s had her fair share of ups and downs since then and is currently docked, welcoming guests while at the same time in need of millions of dollars worth of repairs to keep her from rotting away into history.
So far, I’ve given you some background information on the ship and my visit, a look around my stateroom and the bathroom, and took you on a tour of the ship’s creepy Isolation Ward. Today, I’ll take you around some of the public spaces onboard the Queen Mary where you can get an appreciation of how beautiful this ship must have been when she originally set sail.
Let’s go for a stroll!
One of the first areas you will see when you check-in, is of course, the hotel’s front desk. A small desk by today’s ship and hotel standards, but it fits the bill.
One of the more beautiful spots onboard, and one that truly showcases some of the art-deco design is the ship’s Observation Bar.
I managed to poke my way into one of the event spaces onboard, the ship’s Royal Salon, where wood paneling, art deco ceiling lamps and fireplaces with nautical artwork above give the room an opulent feel. I can’t help but wonder what this room looked like back in the ship’s heyday when it was more meticulously cared for. As you can see, time has taken her toll on some of the woodwork.
There are several exhibits set behind glass on the passenger cabin decks throughout the ship. This is the original first class Travel Bureau as it was remodeled after World War II. The desks and chairs are those that were onboard the ship when she arrived in Long Beach. Original desktop accessories and copies of brochures were placed to show what passengers would be looking at should they choose to book another voyage on the Queen Mary, other Cunard ships, or make train or plane reservations.
At the entrance to the ship’s first-class fitness center is an exhibit that displays some very vintage equipment that passengers would exercise on during a transatlantic voyage – including one of the famous vibration machines that many thought actually worked!
Walking around the ship can be confusing, especially in the decks that house the passenger staterooms. There are many halls, passageways, and stairwells – some leading to places, some going nowhere!
Speaking of elevators, many are no longer in operations, but here is one bank that is…
…and one that isn’t.
Here’s one of the ship’s bars that did not have any name (that I could find), isn’t on any of the ship’s maps and wasn’t open during my visit. It’s right to the side of the hotel’s front desk on A-Deck. It does have nice views through the large windows and has that classic bar look with its black leather padding.
This vintage 1930’s piano sits outside this bar and is an original piece.
The Promenade Deck is the area onboard the Queen Mary where one can do some shopping, sign up for the Wyndham Vacation Club (yes, the QM is part of that group), have a glass of wine in the Malibu Wines bar, check out some of the historical exhibits and make your way to the Observation Bar.
Here are some photos from some of the exhibits that are off the Promenade Deck that have original pieces of furnishings from the ship that have been archived and preserved.
For a walk around some of these public spaces, be sure to watch the videos below: