Staying with the Queen
Posted in Food, Historic, Hotels, Ship Travel, Travel | By Shelley Gillespie | Tags: Historic, Hotels
For most people, a trip on an ocean liner is not something they would consider. It takes longer to get places that way and delays arrival at a destination.
Since The Queen Mary is now docked in Long Beach, California, the Queen Mary Hotel can provide an approximation of what it would have been like to travel the Atlantic in style.
Queen Mary from Long Beach
The rich woods, luxurious appointments and old world courtesies are in evidence at the Queen Mary Hotel. Just as in the original ocean liner, there are several classes of rooms available. We enjoyed an upgraded “stateroom” with a king-sized bed and original maple wood built-in cabinets. Later, we were told by Virginia, at the front desk, that Walt Disney had enjoyed staying in that stateroom.
Opulence and luxury - dress worn on Queen Mary's maiden voyage
Unlike hotels, all rooms (or staterooms) are not right on the corridor, but some are tucked back in a narrow, recessed hallway. The engineers must have worked hard to fit in the different levels of staterooms with all of the amenities.
The rooms have some quaint details left from the ship’s days of plying the Atlantic. There are small fans in each room that no longer function, left over from the ship’s original travels. An interesting duct system with a “punkah louvre” sends the cooled or heated air into each room. Cabinets have buttons, which you push to open a door; lights also use buttons instead of switches.
Some of the bathrooms have “salt” printed on the faucet handles, but they are no longer functional, just a relic from early years when people thought salt water bathing was restorative. And, if you have an outside room, your windows will be portals.
Recently, the hotel bedding has been upgraded and the beds are quite comfortable with big, high beds with cotton sheeting, down pillows and new bedspreads. There are also flat-screen TVs in each room with HBO.
Vintage painting from former smoking room - no smoking now, anywhere on ship
The most fun part of the stay can be a tour that gives you a chance to see where movies and TV shows have been filmed. In a large ballroom and other locations on the ship, the X-Files filmed the famous episode where Mulder winds up on a German cruise ship in World War II. The Poseidon Adventure and other notable shows have also come to the Queen Mary to add authenticity to their films and episodes.
Weddings and other gatherings are often held at the Queen Mary. That can be problematic for overnight guests who want quiet and their carousing neighbors are in a noisy, celebratory mood. The walls are thin, which is a fact people overlook, although that detail is posted and in an information card in each room. The card says, “Without the rumble of the ship’s engines, sound does travel through the steel walls.”
Places to eat onboard
From snack bar to white tablecloth, award winning restaurant, the Queen Mary provides a range of dining options to guests and day visitors. At the high end of the range is Sir Winston’s that demands “no jeans” and offers items such as chateaubriand with béarnaise and truffle sauces for $39. Chelsea, a “four-star seafood bistro,” has other offerings.
Both Sir Winston’s and Chelsea are only open for dinner. The Promenade Café serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and, while the dress may be casual, the service is formal, proficient and friendly, as you might find on the ship during an ocean crossing. The Hollywood Deli offers pizzas, salads and sandwiches from mid-morning to early evening. Hotel guests may also have room service deliver to them until as late as 1:00 AM.
If you are in the southern LA area and want an unusual experience, staying at the Queen Mary, dining onboard or taking one of their tours can be a memorable time.
Note: Don’t worry about the boat rocking! You won’t get seasick because the boat is stabilized at the dock.