Visitors will be back onboard the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach for the first time since March 2020 with free guided tours to the public, the city announced Monday.
One-hour tours guided by a historical docent will enable visitors to experience areas of the Queen Mary’s Promenade Deck and scenic views of the downtown Long Beach shoreline, including a stroll through the Promenade Shops, Observation Bar, Queen Salon and Royal Salon as well as other areas on the iconic vessel.
Docents will explain to tour participants the ship’s history – including its haunted history. There will also be a short video presentation inside Heritage Hall on the critical repair work done to the ship throughout 2022. Signs on display along the tour route will spotlight a variety of completed and ongoing restoration and preservation projects.
“The Queen Mary has been an icon of our Long Beach shoreline for 55 years,” Long Beach Councilwoman Mary Zendejas said in a statement. “We remain dedicated in our efforts to preserve the ship’s history and structural safety. I look forward to welcoming the community back on board!”
Since regaining control of the Queen Mary for the first time in over 40 years in June 2021, the city hired marine engineering experts. Based on previous studies, city officials and ocean vessel experts were tasked with identifying the crucial repairs, designing specifications and layouts, establishing project milestones and identifying necessary funding for the project.
The repairs include the removal of 20 deteriorated lifeboats that were causing stress on the Queen Mary’s side shell, improving the bulkheads to assure internal structural stability and designing and installing new automated bilge pump systems to remove excess water if the unlikely event of water intrusion occurs, according to the city. All bilge pump platforms have been installed and the system will be completed in early 2023.
The remaining critical repairs scheduled for early 2023 are the installation of an emergency generator to power key components of the ship in the event of an emergency, as well as the installation of new boilers and heat exchangers to allow for cooking, cleaning, sanitizing and other hospitality functions. The boilers and heat exchangers are the last critical pieces that will allow for the reopening of the ships’ hotel, restaurants and bars.
As critical repairs were conducted to the Queen Mary’s exterior and its interior hull, many other preservation and restoration repairs were also addressed, such as painting, lighting replacement and upgrades, and also flooring and railing refurbishments. While select areas of the ship are now open to the public for the limited-time tours, more preservation, restoration and additional critical repair work will continue throughout the next several months.
“These preservation efforts showcase the significant progress we’ve made to ensure the Queen Mary remains a community staple and renowned international attraction for generations to come,” Department of Economic Development Director Bo Martinez said in a statement. “I look forward to the reopening of the hotel, shops and restaurants onboard and future opportunities to drive economic development and local tourism.”
As required repairs are finalized, Evolution Hospitality will reopen and manage the day-to-day operations of the Queen Mary’s hotel, dining facilities, entertainment venues and ship-related events. The city did not provide a date for these reopenings.
The Queen Mary closed to the public in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and remained closed during the repair projects. The ship, however, was available for filming and special events in order to generate revenue to support the ship operations, according to the city.
“I am thrilled to welcome visitors back onboard the Queen Mary and share the beauty and history of this landmark with our community once again,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “I thank our City staff for their dedication throughout the critical repairs process to ensure the ship’s safety and preservation.”
The limited guided tours are available for required online sign-up on a first-come, first-served basis. The tours will beginning Dec. 15 and the city expects them to fill up quickly. Additional information that includes tour dates, times and signup links is available at longbeach.gov/qmtours.
There is also a Queen Mary Updates webpage, which includes the ship’s economic impacts on the city, a historical overview, the city’s position on preserving the historic integrity and structural safety of the ship and the city’s short- and long-term goals for the preservation process.
