Would you ever spend the night on a haunted ship? I did—and survived—but I’m not rushing to do it again.
If you're in Long Beach, California, it's hard to miss the Queen Mary ship across the water from downtown. The historic ocean liner, which was originally launched in 1936, has been permanently docked in the city since transatlantic operations ceased in 1967. Now, the vessel operates as a floating hotel.
The Queen Mary is anything but a regular hotel, though. The ship has been well-preserved for decades, committed to maintaining the original feel of a 1930s ocean liner. Yet beyond the decor and layout, the vessel has one major difference from an average hotel: she is (supposedly) haunted.
Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there’s no denying that the Queen Mary has a spooky reputation. Frequently touted as America’s (and the world’s) most haunted ship, more paranormal activity has been spotted on the ocean liner than any other ship today—it’s speculated that over 100 spirits haunt the ship.
While I’m a bit of a skeptic, it’s hard to argue against the ship being a paranormal hotspot.
After reading about the Queen Mary, I felt intrigued to spend the night onboard myself. So, on a recent girls’ trip to Southern California, I convinced my mom and sister to spend the night with me aboard the vessel. My mom, who listens to paranormal podcasts on a daily basis, could not have been more excited, but the same could not be said about my easily frightened sister.
Even I was slightly hesitant to spend the night onboard. After all, why put myself in a situation where I could possibly encounter a ghost? Nonetheless, I remained relatively skeptical and booked a night in a Double Queen Stateroom for $267.
Here’s what it was like spending the night on America’s most haunted ship.
Boarding the ship, I felt as if I were stepping back in time
When I laid eyes on the Queen Mary for the first time, I felt as if I were transported to a different era. The black and white exterior, red smokestacks, and array of porthole windows are far more characteristic of ships from the early 1900s as opposed to those built today.
As a Titanic buff, I couldn’t help but geek out when boarding the ship. So many of her design features reminded me of the ill-fated vessel, despite the Queen Mary launching 22 years after the former.
I imagined myself as one of the over two million passengers to sail on the ship in her heyday, although, of course, I wouldn’t be traveling at all on the permanently docked ship.
Walking down the hallway to my cabin was particularly eerie
After a prompt check-in process, I was handed a key card and attempted to locate my stateroom. Unsurprisingly, ships have come a long way in the past ninety years, and the Queen Mary’s layout seemed slightly confusing.
Decks were labeled by letter, but not in any particular order. My cabin was on the B deck, which was, oddly enough, above the R deck.
Ascending the stairs, my first challenge on the haunted ship was ahead of me: walking through the hallways. Perhaps it was my imagination, or the effects of watching too many horror films, but the long hallways and cabin entryways on the Queen Mary made me uneasy.
Would one of the ship’s notorious spirits appear around the next corner? It was unlikely, yet there was nothing comfortable about the ship’s never-ending hallways. I walked as quickly as possible to reach my cabin.
At first glance, my cabin appeared dated, but the furnishings were well-kept
Maintaining a ship as old as the Queen Mary is no small feat. Between 2016 and 2024, the city of Long Beach spent over $45 million in repairs and maintenance on the Queen Mary.
Even still, I did not expect my cabin to feel modern. Efforts to maintain the vessel place an importance on preserving her classic Art Deco decor and ambiance, so I certainly wasn’t expecting anything akin to the Four Seasons.
Entering the room, my cabin appeared basic. There was little decor, with just two small paintings on the walls. The wallpaper and carpet were quite dated, with the wallpaper falling off in one of the room’s corners.
Fortunately, however, the cabin was more spacious than I anticipated—it was roomier than standard cabins on today’s most modern cruise ships.
My cabin had two queen-sized beds, which proved comfortable (despite my fears about falling asleep on a haunted ship). A nightstand was between the two beds, but there were no outlets near the bedsides, as was expected in a 90-year-old hotel room.
Across from the beds was a table with two chairs, along with complimentary bottles of water for our stay.
Also across from the beds was a TV, which hung slightly crooked on the wall.
Two closets were in the cabin, too, although I did not bother to unpack during my short 1-night stay onboard. I did, however, open the doors to check for any ghosts hiding in the room.
The bathroom was small with vintage features, and a porthole provided natural light to the dim stateroom
Despite the cabin’s age, the bathroom was surprisingly pleasant. The toilet and sink appeared relatively new, and the shower featured a half-sized tub.
Making the “haunted” cabin somewhat less creepy was a porthole window overlooking the city of Long Beach.
The cabin was somewhat dim even with the lights on, so I appreciated the window for natural light.
Just a few doors down was cabin B340, the most haunted room on the ship
Even though I was hopeful I wouldn’t have any paranormal encounters in my cabin, I was somewhat panicked when I realized that cabin B340—supposedly the most haunted stateroom on the ship—was just down the hall from my own.
Only visitors who book the ship’s paranormal night tour are able to enter the room, but a window in the door provided me with a partial view of the room’s interior. More paranormal encounters have been reported in the cabin than in any other area of the ship, due to alleged murders taking place in or near the room.
Needless to say, a brief peek into the cabin was unsettling enough for me, and I briskly backed away.
Walking around felt spooky, but the historic decor was unique
After cruising on over twenty ships, I have never seen a vessel quite like the Queen Mary. Compared to today’s ultra-modern ships, the Queen Mary felt far more regal; I can only imagine how huge and luxurious the ship must have felt when she launched.
A vintage candy store, souvenir shops, and historical exhibitions could be found around the ship, along with a bar, coffee shop, and two sit-down restaurants.
Outdoors, the ship did not have a traditional pool deck. While there is an indoor pool on the Queen Mary, it was reserved for first-class passengers. The pool is not operational for visitors today, but it’s said to be haunted by a young girl named Jackie.
Instead of a pool deck, the Queen Mary has a wraparound promenade deck. Additionally, the top of the ship has several outdoor decks leading to the ship’s stern, but there were no seats or attractions atop the ship.
To learn more about the ship’s history, I booked a ghost tour
Whether or not the Queen Mary is haunted is up for debate (and scientific doubt), but frankly, it was more fun to believe in ghosts while onboard. To fully immerse myself in the ship’s haunted history, I booked a 1-hour walking tour of the vessel. Because I was spending the night onboard, the tour was only $20 per person.
The guide took our small group around the ship to areas I could not enter on my own, telling stories of the nearly 50 people recorded to have perished on the vessel. A story about a woman appearing in the mirror of the ship’s elevator had me sticking to the stairs the rest of the evening, that’s for sure!
As the sun set, I was nervous to sleep on the haunted ship
Following the ghost tour, I strolled along the outer decks of the Queen Mary at sunset. Being onboard such a historic, monumental ship certainly made for a more interesting night than a regular hotel room in the city of Long Beach.
I was surprised to see family-friendly offerings like a game room on the ship, and I enjoyed listening to stories from past passengers on the vessel, which were broadcast on television in one of the ship’s lounges. Seeing these historic videos and photographs of the ship made me feel grateful that I can still experience what it was like to sail on an ocean liner so many decades ago.
My one regret about my night on the Queen Mary is that I arrived too late to fully enjoy the experience onboard. Because check-in opened at 4 PM, I didn’t consider arriving earlier. Yet once I boarded the ship and realized how vast the indoor and outdoor spaces actually were, I wished I had arrived a few hours before check-in to better explore every nook and cranny.
As the sun set, I was feeling apprehensive to actually spend the night on America’s most haunted ship
As I headed back to my cabin for the night, I cringed at the thought of walking down the ship’s spooky, dark hallways. Even if ghosts aren’t real, there’s no denying that walking around the ship felt uncanny.
I somehow drifted away peacefully to sleep that evening, but the same could not be said for my sister, who spent the night worried an apparition would appear at the edge of her bed.
Unscathed, we disembarked the Queen Mary early the next morning to catch a flight home. Yet even though I had a great time onboard, I think I’m too timid to book a stay on the ghostly ship again.
Despite returning home without any paranormal encounters, I would prefer to keep it that way, so I think I’ll stick to non-haunted cruise ships from now on instead.
Jenna DeLaurentis
Jenna DeLaurentis enjoys exploring new ports of call around the world on a cruise ship, learning about new cultures, discovering beautiful landscapes, and trying diverse cuisine. She loves to get active while at port, whether cycling through mountains in the Caribbean or scuba diving under the sea.
