A foggy morning loomed over Long Beach, CA, as the sun tried
its best to break through the marine layer. In order to get our day started,
coffee was definitely needed to awaken our weary eyes. Midship Marketplace is
located on the port side of the Promenade Deck. They served Starbucks coffee
products along with pastries, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, yogurt parfaits,
oatmeal, and more. Decorative accents like colors, design themes, and use of
the Greek key pattern on the counter and floor tile pay homage to the former
Midships Bar and Lounge located in this very space. Iced Caramel Macchiato,
Mocha Frappuccino, strawberry danish, and blueberry muffin were on the menu for
our light breakfast. We sat at a table right outside on the Promenade Deck and
watch as the fog continued to roll in on the port side.
After breakfast, it was time to take a walk outside on the
Sun Deck. The marine layer was starting to burn off and the Long Beach skyline
began to appear along with the marina, Parker’s Lighthouse, and the Long Beach
Convention Center with its oceanic mural of the Pacific Ocean. Juvenile sea
gulls were taking in the view as well from the handrails. It was time to head
back to the room for a little rest before our ship tour.
Commodore Everette Hoard led our ship tour of the Queen
Mary. The construction of the Queen Mary started in December 1930 at John Brown
Shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland. After a delayed construction, due to the Great
Depression, the R.M.S. Queen Mary launched on her maiden voyage on May 27,
1936. She became the most popular Atlantic liner of the late 1930s from
Southampton, England to New York with a stop in Cherbourg, France. The ship was
stocked with 50,000 pounds of meat, 20,000 pounds of poultry, 17,000 pounds of
fish, 9,000 pounds of bacon and ham, 2,000 pounds of sausage, 14,500 bottles of
wine, 20,000 bottles of beer, 6,000 gallons of draught, 4,000 pounds of coffee
and tea, 25,000 packages of cigarettes, 5,000 cigars, 21,000 tablecloths,
91,000 napkins, 16,000 pieces of cutlery, 200,000 pieces of crockery, and
100,000 pieces of china and glassware.
In March 1940, the Queen Mary was drafted as a troopship
sailing around the globe delivering supplies and men during the course of World
War II. Her service lasted six long years. In July 1947, the Queen Mary resumed
passenger service along with the Queen Elizabeth.
By the late 1960s, transatlantic liners were showing a great
decline in passengers due to the increasing popularity of jet travel for
intercontinental transportation. In May 1967, Cunard Lines announced that the
Queen Mary would be retired and sold. The City of Long Beach submitted the
highest bid of $3,450,000. She made her final 39-day journey from Southampton,
England and arrived in Long Beach, CA on December 9, 1967. Construction began
to convert the passenger liner into a floating hotel, tourist attraction, and a
special events venue. The Queen Mary opened to the public in May 1971.
On the Promenade Deck, above the Centerline Boutique, is a
decorative Frieze; a highly sculpted band, plaster reinforced and pressure-wax
treated to make it look like it was sculpted from ivory. It is just one of the
modern examples of the Art Deco style found on the Queen Mary. The shop on the
starboard side was the First Class Drawing Room, which was a favorite of
Winston Churchill. As you make your way towards the bow, the Observation Lounge
and Cocktail Bar’s semi-circular room “rounds” out the Promenade Deck with its
Maple Cluster and Cedermah (naturally occurring every 150 years or so when
Cedar and Mahogany trees cross-pollinate) panels and modern styled ornamented
balustrade. A few films have been shot here like “Being John Malkovich” and
“The Aviator” to name a few.
The Queens Salon, formerly the First Class Main Lounge, is
one of the most beautiful and regal rooms you’ll ever see. This room is three
decks high and was once filled with large overstuffed chairs and couches. During
the day, this lounge was the entertainment center for the First Class with
music concerts, movies, games, and just socializing. Peached tinted mirrors
were used here to help with the “green” of seasickness by reflecting a healthy,
beautiful complexion. At night, the couches and chairs were pushed to the sides
of the room, and the carpet rolled up to uncover the hardwood floor of the
ballroom where “formal nights” were born. Another handful of movies were shot
here as well like “Godfather II” and “The Natural” to name a few.
Fun facts about the Queen Mary:
- The Queen Mary is 1,019.5 feet long, 118 feet wide, and 185 feet high containing 12 decks.
- First Class: 22 suites, 328 staterooms, and 18 public rooms accommodating 815 first class passengers
- Second Class: 303 staterooms and 9 public rooms accommodating 787 second class passengers
- Third Class: 309 staterooms and 6 public rooms accommodating 573 third class passengers
- She weighs 81,237 gross tons and made of high tensile steel plating held together by 10 million rivets.
- She carried approximately 2000 passengers and 1200 crewmembers.
On
the Sun Deck, the Verandah Grill was the most exclusive room in the Queen Mary.
Reserved for first class passengers only, it was the most famous restaurant and
nightclub on the North Atlantic. Reservations were mandatory and would be
booked solid months in advance. There was also an upcharge of one pound or 5
dollars for this special ala carte meal. At midnight, the tables and chairs
were moved to the side to make room for the “Starlight Roof” nightclub.
The
“R” Deck is the location of the Grand Salon, the largest room on the Queen Mary
and currently home to the Champagne Brunch every Sunday. The walls are adorned with
exotic Brazilian Peroba wood cut in three different ways with dados of Maple
Burr from Canada. A decorative map of North Atlantic displays the routes that the
ship would take. The ship icons were operated by an electrically operated
pulley. On modern cruise ships, this is all computerized and can be viewed on
the ship-board monitors and in your cabin on the television.
My
mom has had a fascination with the Royal Family and pretty much anything
British since she was in middle school. We watched Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy
Brett and Monty Python on PBS, and saw the marriage of Prince Charles and
Princess Diana live on TV. She even named me, Chelsea, after a city in England
and means a “port of ships”. Diana: Legacy of a Princess exhibit was a must-see
for us. Even though, Princess Diana left us too soon, she has left a legacy of
memories and inspiration for people all around the world. She was a fairy tale
princess with her charm, compassion, timeless beauty, and classic style. The
exhibit is setup in chronological order from the Royal Family’s House of
Windsor with George V and Mary of Teck to Prince William and Catherine, Duchess
of Cambridge with their two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Dresses, accessories, memorabilia, letters, news stories, and more are on
exhibit here. You can easily spend a good hour or two here.
You
can’t leave the Queen Mary without souvenirs! The shops on the Promenade Deck
have a great selection to choose from. They even have specialty foods like MBars, cuddly items like a bell boy teddy bears, or collectibles like lapel pins.
After shopping, we headed back to the room to pack up and “disembark” for
lunch.
Since
we were surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, we were craving Hawaiian food. A few
miles inland is Poke Etc. It’s located in the Ralphs shopping center on the corner of Cherry Avenue and
Carson Street. They have more than just poke, they have plate lunches like
kalua pig, lau lau, shoyu chicken, and more.
Kama’aina
Plate ($10.95) is a combo plate with kalua pig, lau lau, a scoop of rice with a
sprinkle of furikake, and choice of poke. The kalua pig had a good porky flavor
and was seasoned properly with just salt. The lau lau was pretty good too with
pork, pork fat, butterfish, and steamed in ti leaves. The Limu Ahi Poke was one
of the most authentic pokes I’ve had on the mainland with limu (ogo), green
onions, onions, sesame oil, and shoyu. No avocados, no mangos, no pineapples,
just da kine simple stuff! Onolicious to da max! The only thing that was
missing was a scoop of mac salad. Rating: 4.5/5
We
also got a half pound of Limu Tako (octopus) Poke. The tako was sliced thick
enough for the flavors to penetrate the meat. Again, just basic and authentic.
Onolicious! Rating: 5/5
After
lunch, we headed back home. A wonderful weekend in Long Beach had come to an
end, but can’t wait until next time!
To view more photos, please visit OC Food Diva’s
Facebook page.
For more information:
1126 Queens Highway
Long Beach, CA 90802, United States
+1.877.342.0738 (information), +1.877.342.0742
(reservations)
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