The Queen Mary welcomed guests aboard in a limited, sold out tour series
For the first time since March 2020, the Queen Mary in Long Beach welcomed the public aboard Thursday for limited, sold-out, tours.
The ship has been closed for just over two years while undergoing critical repairs and the City of Long Beach reports that it intends to preserve the ship further for the community and as an international tour destination.
Limited guided tours of the Promenade Deck were made available to reserve Tuesday, Dec.13 and they were booked up in one day. The city of Long Beach released this statement, "Thank you for your interest in the free guided tours of the Queen Mary, available for the public for a limited time. Due to popular demand, all scheduled tours are now full. We appreciate the community interest and excitement in this opportunity and we look forward to welcoming more visitors back on board when additional elements of the ship reopen in 2023."
Commodore Everette Hoard, dressed in uniform attire, welcomed guests who snagged the reserved tour spots to the Promenade Deck Thursday. "She has survived a depression, a world war, the jet age, and at the end of her sea-going career, the ship breaker's hammer. Now in the 21st century, we can add a global pandemic," said Hoard.
The ship arrived in Long Beach in 1967 and the city has been the owner, but not always the operator of the vessel. Its former operator, Eagle Hospitality Trust, filed for bankruptcy last year and at that point the city took over operations for the first time in 40 years.
A 2017 report estimated total repairs to the ship could cost anywhere from $235 to $285 million. This year, the Long Beach City Council approved $5 million for crucial repairs to get it to the partial reopening stage.
The city reported that about 75 percent of the critical repairs inside the ship: electrical, plumbing and metal fabrication-related work, is expected to be complete by the end of this year, with the remaining internal critical repairs to be completed in early 2023.
As required repairs are finalized, Evolution Hospitality will reopen and manage the day-to-day operations of the Queen Mary's hotel, food and beverage facilities, entertainment attractions and ship-related events. More information about these reopenings will be available at a later date.
"We look forward to soon reopening the historic Queen Mary Hotel and welcoming guests back to enjoy an overnight stay or experience scenic shoreline views, refreshments and dining at one of our world-class restaurants," said Evolution Hospitality General Manager John Taffin.
With public interest for the ship swelling, the city of Long Beach just launched a first-ever annual membership program for the Queen Mary. With the upcoming spring 2023 public reopening approaching, the membership is not only a chance to support continuing conservation and restoration efforts, but for $150 annually, there are other perks.
Annual Membership Benefits
· General Admission with limited blackout dates
· Two (2) general admission Day Passes annually
· Hotel guest pricing for Tour/Exhibit/ Attraction tickets
· 24-hour presale on Queen Mary Signature Events
· Discounted Ticket pricing during the presale of Queen Mary Signature Events
To find out more about this new program , visit: LBheritage.org/queen-mary.
