Over the last few days there has been quite a bit of exciting news about Cunard’s Queen Mary. Ordinarily I might not have noticed. But recently a dear friend gave me two plates from the Queen Mary for my birthday.
Cunard’s Queen Mary in Long Beach, California Photo Credit: Allen Kennedy Photography
A Dairy Plate from the Kosher Kitchen aboard the Queen Mary
A Meat Plate from the Kosher Kitchen of the Queen Mary
The synagogue aboard the Queen Mary
Photo Credit: Website
She felt they would have special meaning for me because they were actually Kosher plates! The Queen Mary was the first luxury cruise ship to have a Kosher kitchen and even a small synagogue. No one is really sure why they installed both of these but I am quite sure that Jewish passengers were most appreciative. My friend, who just celebrated her 89th birthday, cruised on the Queen Mary as a child with her parents. She is not Jewish, so even she isn’t sure how they came into her possession. But now they are a proud treasure of mine.
Exciting News About Cunard’s Queen Mary
So without further ado I will fill you in on the big happenings. For one, the iconic RMS Queen Mary will unveil her new, permanent exhibition, ‘The Cunard Story,’ on July 5 in Long Beach, CA. The exhibition will showcase Cunard’s remarkable 179-year history, its relationship with The Queen Mary, its founder’s vision, the ships it inspired and continues to bring forward, and their influence on immigration, global maritime policies and technological innovation. ‘The Cunard Story’ will showcase the company’s legacy through artifacts, photographs and film, and will also feature an ‘immigration salon’ that allows visitors to digitally explore ancestry databases. Through the offerings, visitors can experience ancestor arrival dates and specific ships that carried them, allowing for a deeply personal experience.
The Queen Mary alone transported thousands of passengers during her Cunard service; and approximately one in five immigrants sailed to the U.S. on a Cunard ship at the height of the immigration period during the latter part of the 19thcentury and early 10th century.
The list of companies having enjoyed a century of success is short. Cunard, the revered maritime icon began its voyage to success 179 years ago in Halifax, Canada. For nearly two hundred years the company has forged a reputation for sea-going leadership, competence, vision and service to the world-at-large. Cunard ships have been legends in their own time; the best in their class – holding records of achievement for speed, comfort, engineering breakthroughs and more. Lusitania was a Cunarder. But, perhaps the line’s most recognized ship was the original RMS Queen Mary. Indeed, the Queen Mary still reigns supreme; she is the only ship of her class and prominence to have survived eight decades on the public stage. Like the company responsible for her advanced technologies, uncompromising grace and head-turning style, the Queen Mary epitomizes Cunard’s legacy of excellence.
This partnership between Cunard and the Queen Mary has allowed two icons of maritime pioneering to curate an immersive experience that illustrates their remarkable history, offering guests a deeper understanding of the impactful setting and creation of the Queen Mary within the Cunard legacy,” said Chris Wilmoth, Director of Marketing, The Queen Mary.
Soon celebrating her 85th Jubilee Year the Queen Mary represents all that Cunard stands for. Retired from service in the 1960s, the ship remains known world-wide and attracts over 1.5 million visitors each year.
In addition to that, guests are invited to celebrate the arrival of summer with new immersive experiences including 5 music festivals, family movie nights, weekly murder mystery dinners and an all-day Fourth of July celebration. There are memories to be made at the Queen Mary all summer long.
The Queen Mary’s movie nights series attracts approximately 500 guests per event, and concerts welcome up to 15,000 guests. Since partnering with Goldenvoice in October 2017 and significantly expanding the ship’s event schedule. Music lovers of all genres can find their groove this summer, with performances spanning from R&B and Hip-Hop to Urban Latin Fusion. Goldenvoice has driven 150,000 concert goers to the ship over the course of the partnership.
A stateroom in the new Queen Mary Hotel
Photo Credit: Website
But wait, there’s more! You can even book a stateroom aboard the Queen Mary and enjoy the stationary ship as your hotel. Due to the continued growth in attendance and success, the Queen Mary welcomes approximately 1.5 million unique visitors annually, accommodates approximately 3,500 hotel guests per week and welcomes an additional 10,000 monthly visitors for banquets. One of the Queen Mary’s most notable and successful annual events is Dark Harbor, the ship’s spooky Halloween attraction, featuring 23 nights of terror with mazes, live music and haunted rides, each September and October. Dark Harbor has hosted more than 650,000 haunt enthusiasts over the past five years.
The 65 acres of waterfront land surrounding the ship earmarked for the all-inclusive entertainment destination known as Queen Mary Island is currently in the conceptual approval phase and Urban Commons is working collaboratively with the City of Long Beach to finalize plans that will allow the highly anticipated development to come to life.
A lavish meal aboard the Queen Mary
Photo Credit: Website
“Restoring or even maintaining a historic vessel like the Queen Mary is not something that is accomplished overnight. The goal is to ensure that the Queen Mary’s future is as illustrious as her glorious past.”
