A Historical Adventure: Departing Daily From Long Beach
Written: Oct 23 '09 (Updated Oct 23 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A treasure from the past. Absolutely fascinating to experience. Good value. Lots to do.
Cons: May seem "run down" if you "don't get it" - Isn't supposed to be Hilton.
The Bottom Line: Amazing journey into the past and an experience not to be missed by anyone even remotely interested in the famous liner. If you want a modern hotel, go elsewhere.
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| mickp's Full Review: Queen Mary Hotel |
A couple of years ago, during a trip to Southern California, I was surprised to discover that the original RMS Queen Mary was now a hotel and museum ship in Long Beach.
I can still remember being out on the pier at Seal Beach and asking my wife about the vague shape of the three-funneled liner I could only just make out through the haze and glare. "Oh that's The Queen Mary", she replied. "It's a hotel now". Ever since this moment of revelation I knew the QM was a hotel where we would stay at some point in the not too distant future.
The only flaw in this plan was the fact that we were, at the time, both Disneyland deluxe annual passport holders. As such, it didn't seem to make much sense to visit anywhere else while in SoCal. This was the wrong attitude. After one crowded, miserable trip to Disneyland (which we still both love, but there's such a thing as too much of a good thing), I threw in the idea of a night on board The Queen Mary. This was the carrot I needed to tempt my wife into the dreaded drive across the Mojave from Vegas to the SoCal coast. We would spend an afternoon and night on board this ship, then "transfer the flag" to a hotel on Harbor Blvd, Anaheim to get a final couple of days use out of our expiring Disneyland passports.
We were fortunate enough to catch the tail end of some sort of special promotion which scored us one night in a renovated deluxe stateroom, all of the tours on board the ship and a buffet breakfast the following morning. All this for around $165. As we drove through Long Beach I looked in wonder at the mighty Queen Mary, a relic from a bygone era - preserved here for us to visit when almost all of her contemporaries have been broken up for scrap. As we pulled in the first thing I discovered was that The Queen Mary has a rather small and extremely confusing car park. There's a huge parking garage for Carnival Cruises passengers, but accessing the "hotel" parking requires some creative doubling-back through the lot if you don't know exactly what you are doing.
Check-in was hassle-free. We took the small elevator up a floor or two and walked over the gangway into the ship and discovered the check-in desk opposite an elegant staircase. The staff were polite and helpful and we soon found our way to our deluxe stateroom, complete with two large portholes overlooking the harbour.
Now, one of the reason I have chsen to write this Epinion so long after our visit to The Queen Mary is due to frustration at reviews on Epinions on around the web from people who frankly, just don't get it. If you're looking for a spotless, sterile, rectangular room - your generic Marriot or Doubletree, there's a slew of such hotels lined up down the main drag in Long Beach - Don't bother with The Queen Mary. Some of the complaints I have read have revolved around the very things which make the QM a historic landmark. Yes, there's water stains on some of the carpet, yes the (very old) wood panelling might be cracked in places. Yes, your bathtub may be a bit stained and the fixtures may not be in super condition - None of this equals "run down", "filthy" and some of the other nonsense I have read. I even read a review complaining about the lack of a large enough computer desk area for laptops.
Our room was pretty much everything described by some of the negative reviews - There were water stains on the roof and parts of the carpet, we even had a slight drip over near the door. Despite this, our room was wonderful - the bed was very comfortable and the experience was like stepping back in time. The bathroom was surprisingly large and even featured a toilet that was more like those I was used to all my life in Australia (different from the "filled nearly to the top with water" American toilets). The bath/shower had options for hot or cold fresh water or hot or cold salt water. I am assuming the salt water option is out of operation, but it was still interesting to see and think about what it must have been like cruising The Atlantic in such a cabin back in the glory days. The room was also equipped with a small TV, empty fridge, coffee pot and pretty much standard hotel fare.
Shortly after arriving at Long Beach, The Queen Mary, due to some unfortunate decisions of the time, had large areas gutted for some planned use that never panned out. Despite this, large areas of the ship are accessible and you don't really notice anything missing. The huge Promenade Deck is available for a pleasant stroll and there's a variety of stores in the magnificent shopping arcade where you can pick up some themed souenirs to commemorate visit your visit.
We didn't make much use of the on board dining. "Sir Winston's" was far too high end for us, but the breakfast buffet in the restaurant overlooking the harbour was small, but surprisingly excellent. Some of the best scrambled eggs I have ever tasted perfectly rounded off the heavy novelty factor of dining aboard this vessel steeped in history. For those looking for somewhere else to eat, there's a convenient shuttle bus that runs from the QM's car park, right over to The Pike on the other side of the harbour.
Despite having tickets we elected not to take part in some of the walking guided tours on offer, however we thoroughly enjoyed our self tour of the engine area/museumy section at the rear of the ship, our tour of the Russian Submarine (berthed right up front of the ship) and even the extremely cheesey, but thoroughly entertaining "Ghosts and Legends Tour" which , with the help of some special effects, plays on the "haunted" mythology that's recently been attached to the ship.
Overall we both had an absolute blast on board The Queen Mary and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a night on board to anyone who is going to be able to appreciate it as a historical attraction that ALSO happens to be a hotel. Unfortunately, turning this stately old vessel into the luxury hotel some people seem to want would be to destroy the soul of the place. I think it's wonderful that this famous old lady of the sea still has a home where thousands of visitors can witness her splendour and take a trip into the past.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mickp
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Mike Price
Location: Aussie in Las Vegas, Nevada
Reviews written: 431
Trusted by: 270 members
About Me:
An Australian living in Vegas - Eating too much buffet and writing too many Epinions.
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