Hauntings in Long Beach, California: The Ghosts of the Queen Mary

If you have ever experienced the eerie sensation of your arm hairs standing on end due to a certain feeling within the atmosphere, then you will easily understand why this is a common occurrence when entering the ghostly world that exists aboard the Queen Mary. Much larger than the Titanic, the Queen Mary was the most glorious ocean vessel of the Cunard Lines. Many distinguished passengers boarded the regal ship as her transatlantic ocean journeys promised to never be uninteresting.

Dubbed the "stateliest ship afloat" by King George V at the time of her launch in 1934, the Queen Mary quickly became a popular mode of transportation for troops, war brides, refugees, and wealthy socialites. The floating grand hotel was renowned for fabulous décor that emanated a graceful elegance of flowing art deco that gave the feeling of harmony to all that boarded the luxury monster yacht.

Located on the Promenade deck were amenities fit for a Queen, but were instead exclusively designed for first class passengers, allowing for them to be ultimately entertained day or night. A Piccadilly Circus, lounge, ballroom, and drawing room guaranteed that the wealthy would not lack in things to do while crossing the Atlantic to their desired destination.

Fred Astaire was enamored by the elegance of the grand ballroom, so much so that he felt the need to show off his dancing skills while traveling on the Queen Mary and many other stars traveled on the extravagant cruise ship as well. The list of celebrities include Queen Mary's eldest son, the Duke of Windsor, Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson, Clark Gable, David Niven, Bing Crosby, Elizabeth Taylor, Aristotle Onassis, Bob Hope and Mary Pickford.

The Queen Mary continued to be a favorite attraction for the celebrities up until 1967, when Cunard Lines sold the luxury liner for $3.45 million. The gargantuan ocean vessel made her final voyage to Long Beach, California on December 9, 1967, and in 1993 the RMS Foundation took control of her future. The Queen Mary faced extreme renovations as her beauty was now buried under slimy moss, and leaks that had ruined much of her original teak decks and other original equipment.

The Queen Mary was not always an elegant cruise ship; in fact she was once camouflaged to become a wartime ship that eventually housed 16,000 military members at a time. Her exterior was transformed into battleship gray, and the interior was stripped of all luxury items and replaced with bunk beds, a mess hall, and other facilities that would accommodate the troops during World War II.

The renovation process not only gave life to a beautiful ocean liner from days gone by, but it also appeared to give life to prior passengers that had lost their life on the cruise ship. It did not take long for construction workers to notice that something was amiss, and it only got worse as the ship was stripped of her original possessions, replaced by modern day counterparts and technology that was needed to run an updated grand hotel.

During her 60-year hiatus, the Queen Mary was the location of fifty reported deaths, and many of these spirits now haunt her hallways and other popular parts of the ship. These sightings, speculations, and rumors are what gave birth to the Ghost and Legends tour that features state-of-the-art equipment and special effects that clouds the line between what's real and what isn't, and dramatizes actual paranormal and historic events reported over the past 60 years. The tour offers passengers a look at the darkest parts of the ship that were once limited to crew members only.

Reports of several female apparitions donning vintage style bathing suits have been spotted wandering the decks near the pool, and the sound of water splashing can clearly be heard at different times of the day. The sound of children laughing is a common occurrence, as is watery footprints leading to the changing room, even though the art-deco pool has been completely empty for more than three decades.

The officials claim that a ghost or apparition must be physically witnessed at least on four dozen occasions before the sighting can be included in the Ghosts and Legends tour. It has been determined that approximately fifty people lost their life on the Queen Mary, so seeing a ghost is not all that uncommon, only the manner in which they appear is.

The once popular pool has been described by paranormal experts as the vortex for ghostly activity aboard the ship and the location where spirits from other realms enter the ship. Regular sightings of a female apparition have been seen frolicking by the pool. Stories and rumors handed down through time would lead you to believe that the girl drowned in the pool, and is absolutely clueless that she is in fact dead.

An immense explosion in the engine room claimed several lives of crew members, as did the collision with a smaller cruise ship in 1942. The HMS Curacao was literally sliced in half when the Queen Mary struck the ocean vessel that sank in no time at all. Survivors were left to fend for themselves as the Queen Mary was under strict orders not to stop for any reason. This could perhaps explain that screams that sometimes occur for no reason at all.

Ghosts or not, the Queen Mary is an internationally recognized icon for the City of Long Beach, California, and is embraced as an historic hotel and a floating museum. The haunted ocean liner is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and thousands of tourists visit the ship each year, where they can stay in one of the Queen Mary's 365 hotel rooms or dine at one of its ocean-view restaurants.

A number of tours are available for exploring the ship's historic past. The self-guided tour lets visitors walk the length of the vessel, from the engine room to the wheelhouse. Daily guided tours provide a closer look at the Queen Mary's former elegance, including the dining room and the indoor swimming pool.

The Queen Mary is infamous for throwing some of the best parties, events, and attractions to fit the holiday or occasion. Everything from a two day wine fest to first rate disco parties and a yearly 4th of July celebration are featured on board the one of a kind floating hotel. Other events include an Art Deco festival, highlighted by a tea dance, bazaar, pajama party, and entertainment by local musicians.

July 4th Celebration & Activities Aboard the Queen Mary

Children can explore adventures in Sea walk
Live Bands from Noon until 9:00pm
Fireworks Extravaganza at 9:15pm

Regular Admission: Adults: $25.95, Children aged 5 to11 are $11.95

July 4th VIP tickets are available at $99 for Adults and $39 for Children, and include event admission, a large buffet dinner offered in Capstan from 3:00pm to 10:00pm, preferred seating for the fireworks display at the stern of the ship and a pass to the new Rock'n Hollywood Exhibit.

Haunted Encounters Passport Includes:

New Haunted Encounters film and orientation
Haunted Encounters Tour
Ghost Sighting Scavenger Hunt
Ghosts and Legends of the Queen Mary
Self-guided Queen Mary Ship walk Tour

Adult Admission is $25.95 and children aged 5 to11 are $14.95

*Ticket booths are located at the front of the ship in the blue building, and at the Harbor Castle, entrance through the Sea walk. The ticket booths are open from 10am to 5:30pm.

The Queen Mary can be toured at: 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, CA 90802
Phone: 562-435-3511
Admission fees are $24.95 for adults, $22.95 seniors & military, and $12.95 children ages 5-11. Open daily 10-6.