My Stay on the 1930s Ocean Liner, Queen Mary (In Long Beach, California)

Queen Mary’s Was Launched In 1934

You don’t need me to tell you how amazing the Queen Mary must have been in the 30s when she was the world’s grandest Ocean Liner.

She carried Film Stars, Musicians, Dukes, Duchesses and even the great Winston Churchill.

During this time, she set a new speed record and held the “Blue Riband” award for a number of years.

The Blue Riband was an accolade presented to the ocean liner, which crossed the North Atlantic Ocean in regular service, that achieved the fastest recorded average speed during a westbound crossing from Europe to America.
There were 35 transatlantic liners that captured the Blue Riband. Cunard was the most regular holder of the award. Queen Mary was the last Cunard ship to hold the award, losing it in 1952 to the SS United States, which holds the record to this day.

Chris Frame, Maritime Historian

In August 1936, Queen Mary captured the Blue Riband sailing at an average speed of 30.14 knots (34.68 mph) westbound and 30.63 knots ( 35.25 mph) eastbound.

The Queen Mary originally had lots of first-class staterooms but also had “cabin class” (second class) and “tourist class” (third class) rooms. Here two bunk beds to a cabin and eight cabins to a bathroom would have been considered “luxurious”.

Small though they were, the fares for these berths were not cheap at £80 per passage (equivalent to around £3,700 today).

World War 2

In 1939, she was transformed into a troopship and stripped of all of the luxurious things she had previously had onboard. She was completely painted in dull grey.

During the war, she broke the record for the most passengers on one ship – 16,683 – and this record remains unbroken.

Winston Churchill said that The Queen Mary’s contribution as a troop carrier shortened the length of the war by a whole year

After the war she was refitted with a luxurious interior once again and continued passenger services for another 20 years. By the late 1960s, Ocean Liners couldn’t compete with the competition from airlines, and she was sold.

She completed one last cruise in 1967 to Long Beach, California, where she has stayed ever since.

She Didn’t Handle Rough Seas Well..

Despite being such a grand and expensive ship, the Queen Mary rolled from side to side a lot more than had been expected. She was built with no handrails for passengers to grab onto in the corridors, as it simply hadn’t been thought necessary.

Workmen had to travel on the ship after a few voyages to fit handrails to the corridors and to bolt down heavy furniture.

The rolling problem was improved when in 1956 when stabilisers were retrofitted.

One crewman reported a roll in a particularly bad storm of 44 degrees from vertical! That means you could walk with one foot on the wall and one on the floor..!

Present day

The Queen Mary was owned by a number of private companies but has now been returned to the ownership of the City of Long Beach. They continue to maintain and refurbish her.

The Queen Mary lives on now as a full-service Long Beach hotel, historical landmark and entertainment venue, giving visitors a unique glimpse into a bygone era when steamships were the most regal way to travel. The National Register of Historic Places Program is administered in California by the State Office of Historic Preservation, and placement on the National Register affords a property the honor of inclusion in the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation.

The Queen Mary Website

The ship is absolutely gorgeous and much of the decor and style is still reflected in Cunard’s current ships.

I was lucky enough to stay on the Queen Mary with my parents and my brother; we stayed in one big ex-first-class cabin with two porthole windows.

We decided to take an audio tour to get a better look around the ship. The audio tour takes you around the decks and public areas, then down into the behind-the-scenes parts of the ship.

It is amazing to think about all of the history that this great ship has.

There are many reports of ghosts and spirits onboard the ship, and it is rumoured that the many prisoners who died onboard in World War 2 still walk the corridors. Also, the ghost of a young man who was crushed by a water-tight door and a girl who drowned in the swimming pool are said to have been seen.

Many paranormal TV shows have visited to try and capture the action, I particularly enjoyed watching the most haunted episode which was filmed on the ship. I love to terrify myself with this kind of thing! Mind you, I’m glad I only started to look into this after my stay.

I really enjoyed my time onboard the Queen Mary. It was really interesting to stay on a ship with so much history. I would love to return and stay on her again sometime soon!

I have a trip planned on the newest Cunard ship The Queen Ann, in the near future.

Sailing with Cunard makes me reminisce about this trip and my wonderful stay onboard The Queen Mary.

It is amazing to see how much has changed in cruising, I wonder what cruising will be like in another 100 years or so…

If you find yourself in Long Beach, I would definitely recommend a stay on the Queen Mary, even if it is just for one night.

If nothing else, it’ll make you appreciate modern-day cruise ships. The Queen Mary is gorgeous but she definitely doesn’t have modern facilities and entertainment onboard – like a surf simulator or ice rink!

I sailed on the last ever Ocean Liner, Cunards Queen Mary 2. Find out how I got on here:

Before You Go

Cunard has the world’s last Ocean Liner, The Queen Mary 2, in their fleet. See how she compares to the original Queen Mary here:

Queen Mary vs The Queen Mary 2 – Size, Power, and Speed Comparison

Ocean Liners are very different from cruise ships. Find out how here:

Cruise Ships vs Ocean Liners – Measurable Differences You Need to Know