Hauntings and High Tea Aboard the Queen Mary

Would you like a serving of scones with spirits? How about some Earl Grey Tea with a ghost sighting?

Well, it may not be that dramatic, but prepare for just about anything during a stay aboard the Queen Mary.

The Queen Mary, considered one of the most haunted places in the world, made for an unusual overnight stay during a recent visit to Long Beach, California.

Come aboard with us for a look at the Queen Mary. Take high tea and tour the vessel’s eerie and potentially haunted decks. Learn what you can expect to see (or feel) during a night on the world’s most haunted vessel.

What is the Queen Mary?

The Queen Mary is a former British Cunard passenger ship in service from 1936 to 1967. The ocean liner made transatlantic voyages during its heydays.

The ship became a troopship during WWII carrying as many as 15,000 soldiers at a time. The Queen Mary collided with the HMS Curacao near the coast of Ireland in 1942, killing 340 crew members of the smaller escort ship. Some claim that the strange happenings aboard the Queen Mary started during this tragic incident.

After the war, the Queen Mary relaunched transatlantic trips in 1947 after a retrofit. However, the 1960s brought smaller passenger counts as airline travel increasingly drew passengers away. Cunard announced a sale of the ship in 1966. The city of Long Beach, California bought the ocean liner in 1967.

Today, the Queen Mary is permanently docked at Long Beach as a hotel.

Take a U.S. Ghost Adventures tour of the Queen Mary. Use this link and enter Promo Code FWT10 for 10% off your tour.

Staying on the Queen Mary

I stayed aboard the Queen Mary for one night after a Mexican Riviera Cruise on the Carnival Panorama.

The ship is next to the Long Beach cruise ship terminal, and is within walking distance of the cruise ship terminal.

Fortunately, my room was ready after debarking from the cruise ship.

I booked a portside standard king room with a port hole window.

The room had ample space for me during my one night stay and a decently sized bathroom.

The recessed hallway leading to my stateroom seemed a little creepy. I don’t know if I felt that way because of the alleged paranormal activity on the ship.

The hotel attempts to preserve as much of the original furnishings as possible. That means that the Art Deco style could be seen throughout the ship, even in the rooms with decorative light switches.

High Tea aboard the Queen Mary

While staying on the Queen Mary, I decided to treat myself to high tea.

You can make reservations for the tea time. Tea, pastries, and finger sandwiches are served during the time.

High Tea is every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. Reservation required.

High Tea was not a populated event when I visited. Only one other table had guests, which meant that the wait staff was highly attentive.

Touring the Queen Mary

After indulging in tea time, I set about the ship.

I stood in awe as I looked at some of the Art Deco features throughout the vessel. From the observation bar to the main promenade deck to the elevators, the ship was built with flair. The former ocean liner retains many of the features it had in its prime, including the wood paneled hallways, the intricately patterned carpet, and artwork in unexpected places.

The War Room

Now on to some of the areas around the ship with historic significance.

This recreated war room resembles one used by Winston Churchill during WWII.

Churchill sat on this wooden chair during these long war planning sessions.

The phones are a fun yet poignant reminder of the import of these sessions that truly changed the course of history.

The Queen Mary First Class Pool

Mixed in with the historical significance of the Queen Mary is a more seedy underbelly. But, it may be the attraction that draws most people to tour and spend a night on board the Queen Mary.

The ship is considered one of the world’s most haunted places.

With its history during the war and throughout 40+ years of sailing, the Queen Mary was the site for many deaths. And, some people say, that the spirits of those deceased people still haunt the halls and decks of the luxury liner.

While I walked around the ship, I was able to visit many of these places. And I will tell you about some rooms or areas of the ship that sent chills up and down my spine.

First up, appropriately, is the first-class pool. The pool, located inside the ship, afforded passengers an opportunity to escape the elements during the transatlantic crossings.

No reported deaths occurred in the first-class pool officially.

However, people report seeing two ghosts regularly in the pool area.

The more common sighting is of a girl named Jackie who drowned in the pool (once again, there were no officially reported deaths at the pool).

Others report seeing a woman in her 50s or 60s dressed in black and white roaming the first-class pool.

The pool is closed and in disrepair. You are unable to gain full access to the pool these days. But, I was able to photograph the room from an overlooking balcony.

I felt nothing unusual while at the pool.

Stateroom B340

The ship, nicknamed the Ghost Ship of Long Beach, has many staterooms. Today, guests book many rooms on the vessel.

However, one stateroom has a haunted history all its own.

Stateroom B340 is reportedly one of the most haunted places on the floating hotel.

People report getting spine-tingling chills in the room. Others report seeing apparitions. Still others report having bedsheets and covers removed during the night or water faucets turning on by themselves.

With all of this paranormal activity, I think you must be crazy to book the room. However, you can do just that. I say, “No thanks” but many others request to spend the night in Stateroom B340.

The Stateroom bedroom was closed, but the living room area was open for viewing during my walking tour.

I felt nothing eerie or unusual while visiting the room.

Boiler Room and Engine Room

People also witness apparitions in the ships engine room and boiler room.

And, it’s not surprising that they do.

The engine room is dimly lit throughout, leaving me with an uneasy feeling. While I didn’t experience anything while investigating this part of the ship, the eerie lighting certainly helped set the mood of a haunted vessel.

There are reports of a crew members dying in the engine room. During a emergency evacuation, crew had five second to vacate the engine before metal doors sealed the room closed. This crew member started to exit, then turned around to retrieve a wrench. That was a fatal mistake, as he was found later crushed by the door. His spirit is said to haunt the engine room.

The boiler room can only be accessed on a reserved tour of the ship, meaning I did not get to see the room. But many paranormal incidents have been reported.

The Isolation Ward

While I felt perfectly at ease during most of my onboard experiences, there were a couple of inexplicable episodes.

The most profound came while exploring the infirmary/isolation ward. Obviously, this was an unpleasant part of the ship. You never want to find yourself in the infirmary while on a cruise, much less an isolation ward.

I did feel some unease investigating this section of the ship.

But, the most disturbing incident happened while I looked into this side room. I felt a sudden, very profound chill come over me. I could feel the hairs raised on my arms. There was no explanation. I was by myself and there was no obvious reason for this unusual reaction. The room had no information about hauntings or deaths.

I left that area and caught up with a nearby guided tour and listened in while the tour guide talked about the isolation ward. The guide had nothing to say about the room I visited that produced the strange feeling, although he was standing at that room during his discussion. He said that people often feel ill when visiting the isolation ward.

After listening to the guide, I roamed around the isolation ward for a little more time. However, when leaving I was unable to look at the room where I was frightened. I actually had to cover my face and turn away and up the stairs because I experienced the same chilling feelings.

I still feel very uncomfortable when I look at this seemingly innocuous photo.

The Propeller Room

One more strange thing happened while I toured the ship.

I was fascinated by the propeller room. It would make a great picture.

I took a couple of picture in the room. After my ship tour, I returned to my room and looked through my photos.

Strangely, I did not have a picture of the propeller room. Instead my camera took a two second video of the room. I did not take any videos on board. My phone was on the picture setting the entire time. I did not change it to the video function, and I have no explanation for the video in the propeller room.

Not a big deal, but after some of my other experiences, it did seem a bizarre and inexplicable thing.

The Funny Experiences in my room

I wrote earlier about my room. However, there were a couple of strange things that happened in my stateroom.

When I checked in after my cruise, I went to the room with my mom and sister (who also cruised with me but flew out of Long Beach later that day). They stayed with me a short time before leaving to catch their flights.

While in the room, my sister tried to open both porthole windows with no success. We assumed they might have been locked shut. After she left, I was able to open both windows, one of them swung open almost too easily. 

Also, while my family were with me, I tried unsuccessfully to open the closet door. It would not budge. After tea, I went back to the room briefly. I once again tried the closet door. This time in unlatched easily. Strange, I thought. I shut the door and went on my ship tour.

When I returned to the room, that closet door had swung open. Is it possible I did not properly latch it when I left? Yes, it is possible. But after my experiences in the isolation ward, I felt that this could have been another paranormal happening.

@familywelltraveled The haunted Queen Mary We spent the night on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. The ship is one of thr most haunted places in the world. We did not see any spirits or ghost, but did have a couple of uncomfortable, spine chilling experiences in the Isolation ward. #hauntedplaces #hauntedship #queenmary #queenmaryship #travelblogger ♬ Halloween Theme Song – Walter Landors

Note: I wrote this article as a first person account. However, my wife actually stayed on the Queen Mary. I have faithfully recorded her first-hand experiences onboard.

Have you toured the Queen Mary? Did you have any ghostly experiences on board? We would love to hear from you.

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