Want do see how POSH started? Spend the weekend with a queen. The Queen Mary that is. The R.M.S.(Royal Mail Ship) Queen Mary was commissioned back in 1925 and l her maiden voyage to New York was in 1938. Once called the "Inevitable Ship" the Queen Mary has survived to see the passing of seven decades. She saw yeoman service during WW II when she carried about 800,000 soldiers in safety during six years of wartime service. She was simply too fast for U-boats to catch. In and out of wartime camo she managed 1001 Trans-Atlantic crossings-her fastest as 3 days, 21 hours and 48 minutes. Volumes of books have been written about the ship and passengers of yesterday.
However, it was clear by the end of W.W.II that due to aviation advances usual in wartime, the grand liners were endangered. Jet transports finished them off. The Queen retired and was headed for scrap, but City of Long Beach sprang for $3.5 million dollars and various management groups have spent many more millions since to bring the Queen Mary to her final resting place.
The Queen Mary in all her elegance remains one of the most famous ship in history. She is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There is no more classic posh attraction with the largest cabins ever built for a ship that sport "exotic," at least for the time, The ship boasts a variety of restaurants, a wedding chapel and 16 Art Deco reception salons for private celebrations afterwards. There's even a chaplain to manage things. That a great spot to say first vows or to redo your own wedding.
Want to eat, The Champagne Sunday Brunch features a harpist and eleven culinary stations and a special buffet island just for children. There are all sorts of other food options onboard and in the shops along the end of the dock where the ship is moored.
After a meal take the Shipwalk and check out the original staterooms, crew's quarters, gym or the Engine Room and Wheelhouse Displays that reenact a near collision at sea. Add a huge ship's propeller, anchor and other items and you've spent an enjoyable hour or two. Behind-the Scenes Guided Tours are available and worth the extra cost as you explore areas like the first class swimming pool, salons and the spaces where the ship's 27 boilers stood.
While day trips are possible, and the Sunday Brunch is particularly recommended, you can also enjoy a Saturday stay in the larger than usual staterooms of the Queen Mary Hotel. Rooms and hotel packages vary in price. Dinner in the elegant restaurant with it's 1930's art deco lounge offers a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean too.
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