"Welcome Aboard!;" After three year hiatus, Queen Mary reopens for tours in Long Beach
After three years of having her doors closed to the public, the beloved Queen Mary in Long Beach finally welcomed visitors aboard on Saturday.
"Welcome back home and welcome aboard!," crew members said as the first tour guide entered the ship to the tune of its bellowing air horn. "As she has survived a depression, a world war and now we can add a global pandemic to that list."
One of the dozens of Southland attractions forced to shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic, administrators took the chance to give the retired ocean liner a makeover.
The 1,000+ foot ship set sail for her maiden voyage in 1936, at one point transporting soldiers during World War II before retiring from service in 1967, when it was permanently moored at the port in Long Beach. Since then, it has become a museum, restaurant space and hotel.
While operations have not yet fully returned, with restaurants and hotels still out of the picture for the near future, tours resumed Saturday — with all shows quickly selling out as people eagerly returned aboard.
"This is a great day, our teams worked really hard to get the ship open," said Steve Caloca, the managing director of the ship.
Among those first visitors to set foot on the Queen Mary were a local youth ship club.
"This is special because I'm here with my crew and my friends," one of the boys said.
Visitors weren't the only ones overjoyed to return though, with longtime tour guide Danny Wrangle overjoyed to return after he was furloughed from his position during the pandemic.
"The whole goal was always to come back here," he said. "The Queen Mary kind of grabs a hold of your soul and your heart and it really just leaves an impression on you."
There's still no date in mind for when the Queen Mary will return to full operation of restaurant service and hotel rooms offered, but Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson is offering his full support.
"We're gonna make sure that the Queen has what she needs in order to have a long life and continue to be a destination for our region," he said.
