A hotel with a unique history sits near the Port of Long Beach, California. It served as a transatlantic cruise liner and a wartime transporter. This is The Queen Mary.
Christened in 1934, The Queen Mary was one of the Cunard Line luxury vessels.It was able to transport 2,139 passengers and a crew of 1,101. The ship was the fastest when it made its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, lost the record for a few months and recaptured it until 1952.
The vessel became a troop transporter during World War II after being retrofitted. During this time, The Queen Mary became known as the Gray Ghost and transported over 16,000 American soldiers. It was involved in an accident in 1942, where it split the HMS Curacao in two and 239 lives were lost.
It returned to its service as a transatlantic cruise liner after the war and was retired in 1967 after completing its 1000th and final crossing. The vessel carried over 2.1 million passengers and navigated nearly 3.8 million miles.
Many offers were made to purchase the ship and Long Beach, California won the bid with a $3.45 million offer. The ship was transformed and given some modern amenities. New restaurants, a museum on the lower decks, and the first and second class cabins were converted into hotel rooms.
Visiting The Queen Mary is a great experience. For all those who wonder what it would have been like to travel on a transatlantic cruise liner before air travel, this is a great place to get an idea. Although some of the original features are not around, we felt as if we were walking on the decks of the older ship, The Titanic.
The rooms still maintain some of the features of the original vessel, even if just as decorative features. The room was quite comfortable overnight and, unlike its original state, the cabins do have air conditioning.
You do not have to stay on the ship to visit the museum or the ship. You can visit and pay the fees for the tours.
Shops are also available for you to purchase souvenirs and even some antique souvenirs from the vessel’s days as a cruise liner. 
The top decks of the ship allow you to see the Captain’s quarters, the bridge, the observation towers, the radio room, the wedding chapel, the main dining room, and many of the facilities that would have been used by the passengers of this ocean liner. 
The ship is also considered the most haunted building in the United States. Many ghostly encounters have been reported by visitors to this ship. You can ask for a list of the ghostly sightings to add to your experience.
