Originally Posted By RockyMtnMinnie It has been about ten years since we last visited the Queen Mary. We went there yesterday. What happened to the place? There used to be the little shops out front and things were nice. Now most of the shops are empty, you can barely read the signs on the ship because they are so old and faded, the ships decks are rotting away and the place is just completely run down. It's pretty sad looking over there, especially if you also head over to all the new development around the aquarium that looks so new and pretty.
Originally Posted By SFH They've been losing money for years. Isn't it nice that Disney never got to build there?
Originally Posted By sansoomaster It has been years since I have been there, about 10 also. I really enjoyed it back then. But I do remember it being a little pricey. As far as the English village shops, back then you could not get free parking to look around the shops. It was something like $10 just to park. Most people are not willing to do that.
Originally Posted By RockyMtnMinnie There are literally weeds growing out of the deck of the ship. People are going to be falling through the rotted deck soon. I can't see it lasting much longer in the state it is in now. That is sad since I've been visiting it since I was a kid.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Sad to hear. The Queen Mary has always been a troubled attraction -- even before Disney was involved. I remember when Disney first bought it -- they spent a ton of money to upgrade it -- and they had a really cool 'Ghosts of The Queen Mary' guided tour -- which was very 'Disney' in its execution. Biggest issue with The Queen Mary? -- after you visit once -- why do you ever need to go back?
Originally Posted By Mr F The $25 dollar admission fee is a rip off. The Ship is not doing well because the price is not worth it. I remember when there use to be the Spruce Goose Exhibit as well and carnival rides next to the ship, but now there's nothing. It's a complete rip-off
Originally Posted By juicer What is in the building that had the Spruce Goose? Has it been taken down or is it empty?
Originally Posted By leemac <<I remember when Disney first bought it -- they spent a ton of money to upgrade it -- and they had a really cool 'Ghosts of The Queen Mary' guided tour -- which was very 'Disney' in its execution.>> Without being overly nickpicky Disney never "bought" the Queen Mary. Disney were lumbered with the management contract when they bought out Wrather in c.'88. They finally decided to buy themselves out of the lease about four years later. It was a disaster from start to finish but DLR felt they should give it a shot. Plus they used it as political leverage against the City of Anaheim when DLR was pushing for tax breaks for the second gate. Ultimately it worked - Anaheim gave Disney a decent deal when they agreed to build out the resort.
Originally Posted By DlandDug The City of Long Beach owns the Queen Mary. For some strange reason they thought a large, grounded luxury liner would be a bigger tourist draw than the historic (and admittedly run down) Pike. The city demolished the Pike and ran the Queen Mary as both a hotel and a tourist attraction. As pointed out above, Disney was briefly involved when they bought out the Wrather Corp's Disneyland Hotel in 1988. The Queen Mary (managed, but not owned by Wrather) was sort of wedged into the deal. At the time, the Spruce Goose was part of the attraction. Disney did more than Ghosts of the Queen Mary. They added the Brighton Carnival, induced Harrods to open a boutique in the QM's shopping arcade, and put on a couple of live stage shows (A bon voyage celebration on deck, and a musical show with historic cars in the Spruce Goose dome). For one giddy Summer. guests purchasing a Disneyland ticket would get an attached coupon good for one free admission to the Queen Mary/Spruce Goose. "Voyage to 1939" was the over all theme, actually preceding the Ghosts tour which was added later. But it was all for naught, as tourists have never really clamored to visit a docked ship and a grounded plane. Disney opted out of the management deal as soon as there was an opportunity, Harrods pulled out, the Carnival closed, and the Spruce Goose was taken up to Oregon where it is being cared for in an aviation museum. But the Queen Mary remains, and apparently in very sad condition. I haven't been to visit it in over 15 years...
Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS <What is in the building that had the Spruce Goose? Has it been taken down or is it empty?> That building is now used as the Carnival Cruise lines terminal. It's still pretty cool inside, but they have VERY strict rules that you ARE NOT to take pictures once inside there.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <That building is now used as the Carnival Cruise lines terminal. It's still pretty cool inside, but they have VERY strict rules that you ARE NOT to take pictures once inside there.> Is that true? What kind of a rule is that?
Originally Posted By trekkeruss That is bizarre. What is inside the terminal that they need to protect or keep from people taking photos?
Originally Posted By Sara Tonin Homeland Security? We don't want those terrorists to see how rundown this attraction is or they might think they were successful in planting a bomb and destroying the terminal.
Originally Posted By SFH Don't forget that when Disney was managing the operation, they got a lot of bad press for supposedly firing the "captain" because he wouldn't shave off his mustache. Seems kind of silly now, given that only a few years later, Disney allowed cast members to have mustaches. Actually, I don't think they ever prevented the females from having them, other than being able to select the most attractive applicants. Seriously, part of the deal included rights to "reclaim" land to have more room to build, but of course those rights were pretty much nullified by the addition of environmental regulations over the years. California has something called the California Coastal Commission, so in addition do dealing the the usual city, county, and state authorities (California has its own OSHA and EPA, too), Disney had them to deal with. SFH
Originally Posted By Dabob2 We visited it at the end of '07; DH had never been there and I hadn't been in probably 25-30 years. I was kind of shocked at the level of upkeep. Some of it still looked good, but some of it was just plain decayed. Peeling paint, rot, barely readable signs... very sad. I remember it in the 60's/70's being a major attraction. They even had a Jacques Cousteau connection briefly, and an actual AA man (not DL-quality, but that they had one at all was something). They still had the ghost tour, which at least in its current configuration would totally depend on the skills of your guide; ours was pretty good and pretty funny, so we enjoyed that at least. I wanted to find the propeller because I remembered loving the eerie green glow they gave it in its own little room. It's still there, but man, finding it is a challenge. It's off by itself within a labyrinth of equipment rooms over several levels with terrible signage to get you there. I did find it, but wondered if I'd ever find my way back! In addition to the reasons others gave, it occurred to me that in the age of mega-cruise ships that are like floating cities with every possible amenity, the idea of visiting a large ship has lost a lot of its novelty. Those of us who love history (and especially those who know of the QM's role as the "gray ghost" of WWII) get something from the QM that you can't get from a Carnival or Royal Caribbean ship, but I guess that's not a large part of the population.
Originally Posted By schnebs A lot of the QM's problems stem from the way it's been operated. The City of Long Beach had some grand plans for her, but as the cost of revamping her (gutting her so she could never go to sea again, really) became higher than anyone ever expected and as some major players in the original plan either backed out or folded, it led to the decline of the attraction and the neglect of the ship's condition. The current management's attitude is basically "throw anything in and see if it'll generate some revenue", which has led to a Russian submarine attraction, a bungee jumping tower, exhibits of Marilyn Monroe's personal items and the Russian crown jewels, a paranormal institute supposedly devoted to investigating ghosts on the ship, an "enhanced" ghost tour that wrecked several of the few untouched crew areas, cheesy tourist-trap shops, and a burlesque show called "Vamp: The Lounge". They've also invited such class acts as the Weinerschnitzel chili dog eating contest and tattoo conventions to hold their events on the ship. And don't even get me started on their Halloween event. The City eventually realized that what they bought was the world's largest white elephant, but the ship's become so much of a symbol of the city that they can't get rid of it. Their attitude is basically that as long as the ship doesn't sink and it doesn't cost the city's taxpayers any money, the current operator can do whatever it wants. Can the mess the QM's become ever be fixed? There are plans out there, certainly, like the ones found here: <a href="http://www.sterling.rmplc.co.uk/visions/" target="_blank">http://www.sterling.rmplc.co.uk/visions/</a> Unfortunately, making ideas like these a reality would call for a lot of money and someone with an amount of vision that nobody in the City or the in the company that operates the tour and hotel have ever demonstrated.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <They've also invited such class acts as the Weinerschnitzel chili dog eating contest and tattoo conventions to hold their events on the ship.> Hey, don't be hating on tattoo conventions -- or chili dogs for that matter.
