If you want to trade shore excursions and deck parties for ghostly sights and unexplained sounds, dim the lights and read on.
For years, these types of paranormal happenings have plagued guests aboard Queen Mary, a Titanic-era ocean liner-turned-hotel. Haunted events include spirit sightings, severe temperature changes, disembodied voices, strange knocking and slamming doors.
Just in time for Halloween — here’s everything you need to know about this historic haunted cruise ship.
History of Queen Mary
Queen Mary launched from Southampton, England, in 1936. The Cunard-White Star Line vessel set a benchmark for transatlantic travel in both luxury and speed. It featured opulent gilded art deco accents, a grand ballroom, two swimming pools and posh cocktail bars. The vessel also set a new speed record of 28.5 knots (32.8 mph), a record it held for 14 years.
Sailings aboard the luxury liner drew Hollywood celebrities, British royalty and wealthy magnates. Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth were among the list of notable passengers.
During World War II, sybarites were replaced with soldiers, as Queen Mary served as a military vessel. At times, the ship would carry upward of 15,000 men per sailing to the battlefronts. The ship’s bold blue and red colors were repainted a less conspicuous shade, earning it the nickname “Grey Ghost.”
After the war, Queen Mary was returned to its former glory and continued transporting well-heeled passengers across the Atlantic until 1967. After its last voyage, the city of Long Beach, California, acquired the ship and transformed it into a floating hotel four years later.
Today, visitors can stay in one of 200 original first-class cabins and suites. All are meticulously refurbished to the “golden days” style of transatlantic travel — rich wood paneling, original bakelite fittings and plush fabrics.
Is Queen Mary really haunted?
You don’t earn a spot on Time magazine’s “Top 10 Most Haunted Places in America” list without something to back it up. Historians report the official number of deaths on board to be between 47 and 55 — and some of those souls might never have left. Over the years, Queen Mary guests have reported seeing some 150 different spirits.
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If you decide to test your courage and book a stay here, a few spots on board might prove more fruitful in your ghost hunting quest.
Stateroom B340
Reserve this cabin if you want the full haunted cruise ship experience. It’s believed to house the ghost of former passenger Walter J. Adamson, who died there in 1948 (of natural or suspicious circumstances, we might never know). In 1966, a woman who spent the night in the cabin claimed she was awakened when her covers were yanked off her, only to see a man standing at the foot of her bed. She rang for her cabin steward, but the man vanished into thin air before he got there.
Other guests reported hearing disembodied voices and witnessed seeing the bathroom lights and faucets turn on by themselves.
The Mauretania Room
In 1989, two members of Queen Mary’s housekeeping staff entered the lounge to prepare for an event and found a man sitting in a chair in the middle of the dance floor. One employee asked him to move, but he remained there silently staring. As she began to call security, the man suddenly disappeared before their eyes.
Hatch Door No. 13
This is the site of perhaps the most chilling death on board Queen Mary. The horrific incident occurred one night in 1966 when crew members were ordered to close the engine and boiler rooms’ watertight doors. Within minutes, a young crew member was found crushed in the door, his arms pinned to his side. He was freed and rushed to the medical ward, but rescue efforts failed.
Many Queen Mary guests have claimed to see his spirit over the years — a ghostly bearded figure wearing coveralls. Others have reported sounds of whistling and footsteps following them in the area around the hatch door.
Ghost hunting on Queen Mary
The hotel leans into its haunted history, offering ghost tours, spooky events and ghost-related hotel packages.
A handful of Queen Mary tours provide a “paranormal” experience for every type of ghost hunter. The one-hour Haunted Encounters tour offers up a tamer version of Queen Mary’s ghostly past (ideal for families). After-hours tours like Graveyard Tours (for guests aged 16-plus), the Paranormal Ship Walk and The Grey Ghost Project visit behind-the-scenes areas of the ship and provide guests a chance to perform their own paranormal investigation.
For a full-on Halloween experience, plan your Queen Mary visit around the Dark Harbor festival. The event is held each fall on select nights from around mid-September to just after Halloween. Queen Mary and the entire harbor morph into a creepy wonderland chock-full of scary characters, haunted mazes, carnival rides, Halloween-themed bars and lounges, live music and other spooky attractions.
You can even book one of Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor hotel packages (VIP and Evil Express packages) that include your Queen Mary accommodations, priority festival access, a fast pass for attractions and other perks.
Bottom line
If ghostly tales and creepy encounters are your jam, a visit aboard Queen Mary will provide all the elements for a scary good time. Those brave enough to go all in might have their own “haunting experience” with an overnight stay. Just check your luggage when you leave — you won’t want any spirits following you home.
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