Once a popular British cruise liner, the now dry-docked Hotel Queen Mary is a popular stomping ground for ghost hunters and thrill-seekers.
Now a hotel, the Queen Mary offers more than just lodging, however, as many guests visit in the hopes of encountering the legendary spirits said to still reside aboard the ship.
Adrienne Asis, a life-long Long Beach local, has worked at the Queen Mary as a “Haunted Encounters” tour-guide for two years. Her main job is leading the “Ghosts & Legends” tour, which is, in her opinion, one of the most popular tours because of the special effects that are used to enhance the experience.
“I haven’t seen anything for sure myself, but I have heard so much that’s just unexplainable,” said Asis.
Asis believes that many people let their imaginations run away with them.
“I try to keep one foot in reality and one foot open to possibilities of paranormal events,” said Asis. “I mean, I’ve heard voices, knocking, seen things moving when no one is around me, but it could be anything.”
According to Asis, the usual guests on the haunted tours are teenagers, often on dates. She explains that because of the Queen Mary’s British roots, a lot of people from the United Kingdom visit the hotel as well.
For adventure-seekers, the Queen Mary offers several different activities centered on investigation of the paranormal. The “Paranormal Ship Walk,” held every Thursday, Friday, and Sunday night at 8 p.m., walks guests through the darkest nooks and crannies of the ship, led by a tour guide knowledgeable of the ship’s history.
“Dining with the Spirits” offers the same tour and includes a five-course meal at Sir Winston’s restaurant onboard the ship. Every Friday at midnight is the more intense “Paranormal Investigation,” in which a psychic uses “tools of the trade” to investigate paranormal activity. For the history buffs, the “Twilight Historical Tour,” held every Thursday through Sunday, mixes paranormal legends with historical fact.
Richard Avila from Whittier, a bellman at the Hotel Queen Mary for three years, has witnessed the effects of alleged paranormal activity.
“I was helping a lady and her kid with their bags. A few minutes after I left them in their room, the lady came out and said she couldn’t stay in that room,” said Avila. “She was shaken up, and seemed convinced that something, or someone, was in the bathroom.”
Avila admits that he personally has never had any paranormal experiences, but likes to believe that anything is possible.
Sal Nordon, a hotel guest from New York, took part in the “Dining with the Spirits” tour and experienced unexplained phenomena.
“I just have a really open mind to things. I definitely saw shadows, shapes moving. In the boiler room, I felt a powerful sense of something going by me,” said Nordon. “You know when you walk into a room and you just feel a certain type of energy.”
Nordon also recounted, “The freakiest experience was at the pool. I peeked in through the door and figured that another tour must be going on,” Nordon said. “The pool was filled with smoke and there were people standing around the first level.”
Visitors to the Queen Mary hoping to have a paranormal encounter can also request to stay in one of 34 rooms in which unexplainable activity has been reported.
For those who are skeptical or uninterested in the paranormal, the Queen Mary also boasts plenty of history, such as the “World War II” tour, and a self-guided exploration of a Russian Foxtrot submarine.
For more information, visit: www.queenmary.com or call (562) 499-1666.
