The Queen Mary I (the new Queen Mary II began sailing in 2004) is now permanently moored in Long Beach, California, as a museum/hotel/resort. The next Elderhostel experience including four days aboard the Queen Mary and a day on Catalina Island is scheduled from March 29 to April 3, 2009. The program (#1180R), including lodging and all meals, costs $829 per person double, with $292 extra for single travelers. We found the program well worth the cost.

A note about Elderhostel. As the name implies, the 33-year=old organization is the world's largest non-profit educational travel organization for seniors. It features some 8,000 learning adventures every year, throughout the U.S. and in over 90 other countries. Over 160,000 people participate in Elderhostel programs every year.

Although the Queen Mary is more than 70 years old, she has been maintained beautifully, and our cabins, dining areas, meeting rooms, restaurants and other facilities were luxurious and quite comfortable. During our program, we weren’t the only visitors aboard. The ship also functions as a hotel and convention center. Several public restaurants are open daily for diners who enjoy being surrounded by authentic maritime history.

Our Elderhostel program included presentations and discussions about the ship’s history. We were also taken on tours of the ship’s facilities, including the luxurious ballrooms, captain’s station, engine room, swimming pool, movie theatre and many other interesting facilities.

An unscheduled highlight of our Queen Mary I experience was a brother-in-law-conducted tour of the areas of the ship where he and another 10,000 GIs each were bunked during WW II voyages from the U.S. to England and returns. When the Queen was retired as an ocean liner to become a museum, several anti-aircraft gun mounts were restored to the positions they had occupied druing WWII.

We were told the ship is haunted by former famed passengers. Among the ghosts who are said to still roam the decks on late nights are Winston Churchill, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Cary Grant, Marlene Dietrich, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard.

There have also been reported late night Big Band music coming from the ballroom, as well as sightings of 1930s ship’s seamen going about their ghostly duties as they did 70 years ago. On our Elderhostel stay aboard Queen Mary I, did we hear or see any spooky happenings? You’ll just have to find out for yourself.   

Our 26-mile sea voyage and overnight visit to Santa Catalina was also an enjoyable experience. We strolled around the little tourist beachside town of Avalon, rode a bus excursion around the island and visited various pristine areas set aside as nature preserves for native plants and animals.

By Stan Scolaris