The Queen Mary
Historical landmark · Long Beach
1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90802
Highlights
Art Deco ocean liner hotel offering fine dining, spa & tours.
Art Deco ocean liner hotel offering fine dining, spa & tours.
"I stayed overnight on the Queen Mary, which the text calls the country's most haunted hotel." - Elizabeth Rhodes Elizabeth Rhodes Elizabeth Rhodes is a senior editor at Travel + Leisure, covering everything from luxury hotels to theme parks to must-pack travel products. Originally from South Carolina, Elizabeth moved to New York City from London, where she started her career as a travel blogger and writer. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"If you have the guts to dine on a 90-year-old ocean liner docked off the coast of Long Beach, we imagine being outnumbered by ghouls must be an aphrodisiac for you. Rest assured, you’re gonna see something weird here. The 350-room ship has several different dining options—including an equally haunted observation bar—but if you’re just coming for dinner, you’ll eat at Chelsea Chowder House The menu has typical steakhouse stuff like filet mignons, jumbo shrimp, and well-dressed caesars, but the food won’t be the star here. That award goes to the ornate dining room with ocean views and apparitions waiting to pull pranks on you." - brant cox
"For a classic, seven-night transatlantic crossing I found the Queen Mary 2 to be a return to the golden age of travel: with no ports of call it’s exceptionally well suited to stillness—afternoon tea, planetarium shows, fencing lessons, formal galas, and an excellent library are highlights—staterooms range up to lavish duplex suites and dining spans the elegant Britannia Restaurant to the luxe Grill Rooms, combining maritime tradition with refinement." - Paris Wilson
"A refined British cruise line that celebrates the season with elevated, traditional touches: champagne served in crystal, afternoon tea accompanied by stollen and other European Christmas cakes, a showpiece gingerbread village, carolers, mince pies and visits from Santa beneath a spectacular Grand Lobby Christmas tree. The onboard experience is complemented by luxury shops for gift shopping and classic itineraries including the famed transatlantic crossings on the Queen Mary 2 as well as regional journeys around the globe." - Carly Caramanna Carly Caramanna Carly Caramanna is a theme park and travel journalist who has spent her professional career in New York City, Nashville, and Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, Yahoo Lifestyle, Insider, The Points Guy, and more. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"This beautiful ocean liner, launched by Cunard White Star in 1936, spent more than 30 years in service before permanently docking in Long Beach and becoming a hotel and tourist attraction. Ever since then, visitors and staff alike have reported seeing countless ghosts on the ship. These include The Lady in White, often spotted clad in a pale evening gown and dancing by herself in the lobby bar; William Eric Stark, an officer who died on board from an accidental poisoning and has been seen roaming the promenade deck; and Leonard Horsborough, a cook who died at sea on the Queen Mary’s final voyage and is said to now haunt the hotel’s kitchen. Gossel recounted his recent stay to T+L, saying, 'The RMS Queen Mary put a moratorium on its hotel operations during the pandemic, which I can tell you from first-hand experience seemed to have riled up the estimated 100 spirits onboard. I had the pleasure of staying on the ship recently and was at various points of the night woken by frantic knocking on my door. As you can imagine, nobody was there!'" - Travel + Leisure Editors
