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Queen Mary Review

SandyToes1978

By SandyToes1978,
in West Coast Departures

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SandyToes1978

SandyToes1978

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Since a lot of you may be planning to stay at the Queen Mary before or after your next cruise, thought I would take a moment to give you a rundown of how our stay went. There were a total of 7 in our party, DH and I being the last to arrive around 6:00 pm. Since my MIL had gotten there first, she checked everyone in. We were supposed to have gotten the deluxe king rooms that face the ocean instead of parking lot. Well, the other 3 rooms were. DH and I went to our room, and it had 2 twin beds that were unmade, bottles and cans all over the room and the bathroom was a mess. It was the last room left on the starboard side. So we were then shown to a different room on the port side. It had a tiny double bed and the porthole wouldn't shut. (It was record cold in Long Beach that day.....:eek: ) Plus there was a very rowdy party going on right outside the window. So we again were moved to a different room. This one was acceptable enough, but still not what we had reserved. The service pretty much stunk, and we were all disappointed since it was advertised as some high class 5 star service hotel. By the time we got all of the room fiascos under control, all of the tours had ended and restaurants closed up except for the really fancy ones. We had no intentions of dressing up for a meal, so we ordered pizza to the room. After we ate, we walked around the ship for a while and went to bed. Another note, the walls are paper thin. You could hear everything!! Not a good night's sleep. The next morning we woke up to no heat and no hot water for a shower. We later found out that the boiler was broken. When we did go down to the desk, the manager on duty said "so?" in a degrading tone when we told him about the water situation. We did end up getting a 50% refund on the room. The ship itself is absolutely amazing to go though and look at. However, I was disappointed about the rest of the experience.

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AlwaysReady2Go

AlwaysReady2Go

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I just booked a room and now have second thoughts. Was the room you eventually got clean? I found another review on a different site that said their room was grungey with torn wallpaper and such. Does anyone have a better suggestion of where to stay because I DO have high expectations for this anniverary trip. Thank you for any input.

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cathyz

cathyz

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I just booked a room and now have second thoughts. Was the room you eventually got clean? I found another review on a different site that said their room was grungey with torn wallpaper and such. Does anyone have a better suggestion of where to stay because I DO have high expectations for this anniverary trip. Thank you for any input.

You could try the Coast Long Beach Hotel : http://www.coasthotels.com/hotels/usa/california/long_beach/coast_longbeach/overview.html

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SandyToes1978

SandyToes1978

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I just booked a room and now have second thoughts. Was the room you eventually got clean? I found another review on a different site that said their room was grungey with torn wallpaper and such. Does anyone have a better suggestion of where to stay because I DO have high expectations for this anniverary trip. Thank you for any input.

 

 

The room we eventually got was "acceptable" but it is an old ship, so yes, things are "grungy":eek: I would try the Coast Long Beach too, I have heard nothing but good things about it. Esp. for an anniversary that you want to be perfect. Check out www.tripadvisor.com for other reviews on the QM and the Coast Long Beach. Take the tour of the QM after early check in!:D

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SandyToes1978

SandyToes1978

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No, I haven't stayed there personally, but everyone we met on the cruise that stayed there loved it, everyone that stayed on the QM hated it!!

Also some friends of ours stayed at the Renaissance in Long Beach and it was really nice, too, for about the same price as QM.

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cathyz

cathyz

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Thank you for your suggestion - this looks very nice. Have you stayed there yourself? Is the area that its in as nice as it looks in the pictures? Again, I thank you for your help.

Yes, we stayed at the Coast last October before our Paradise cruise and will be staying there again in 2 weeks for our Pride cruise. It's a nice area, but kind of remote, you can't walk to anything, but it is less than 1/2 mile to the port. There is a huge area right across the river that has lots of restaurants and stores and you can get there via water ferrys or free downtown shuttles or your own car if you're driving. They do have their own restaurant and bar, nothing special, but both are acceptable.

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fozzyfoz

fozzyfoz

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Thank you for your suggestion - this looks very nice. Have you stayed there yourself? Is the area that its in as nice as it looks in the pictures? Again, I thank you for your help.

 

We stayed at Coast and really liked it. It's right on the water so the views are great. (It is walking distance to the QM). While it is in a remote area, there is a free city shuttle that will bring you across the bridge to the shopping/restaurant/tourist area (aquarium, The Pike ferris wheel, and a cool "shopping village).

 

The only thing we didnt like about the hotel was the service at the restaurant was very slow, even when they werent busy and even when all we were ordering were drinks.

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Splinter

Splinter

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I never recommend staying on the Queen Mary for just those reasons. If you are interested in the history of the ship, take a tour, go for Sunday brunch, but stay in a modern hotel nearby instead of at the Queen Mary hotel.

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AlwaysReady2Go

AlwaysReady2Go

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I cancelled my room at the QM and had the Renaissance on my list before you mentioned Coast Long Beach. They both look so nice! When you were on the Pride did you do any really great excursions? I am looking into the Canopy Zip Lines if I can keep my courage up!! Thanks again.

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SandyToes1978

SandyToes1978

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Glad you cancelled your room at QM you are going to be much happier!:)

 

Here is a link to my review:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=24959

 

 

 

We were going to do the canopy tour but I am a huge chicken!!:eek: I freaked out when I read the discription: You must be able to stand on a 3' platform 90' above the ground....ahhh maybe next time. It was a lot of money to pay for me to get there and then back out. DH would NOT have been happy with me! So we did the Tequila tour instead.... and we did Randi's Happy Horses in Mazatlan, which was fabulous! Not booked thru the ship though....

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zuscruiserz

zuscruiserz

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I am looking into the Canopy Zip Lines if I can keep my courage up!! Thanks again.

 

If this is the zip-line in Puerto Vallarta, you will have a great time!!! We did not book thru the cruiseline however, we took an independent tour company (can't remember the name right now) and they were very professional. I am afraid of heights, but once I got thru the first couple, I had a great time! You have to get the video of the tour - it is SOOOOO worth it!!!

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Quilting_Cruiser

Quilting_Cruiser

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We stayed one night at the QM in December 2003 before our cruise on the Carnival Pride. We wanted to stay there for the history and uniqueness. We were also disappointed.

 

Our room had been recently remodeled, so we didn't have the wear-and-tear issues others have mentioned, and we found it acceptable, but nothing special. We did not find the walls to be paper thin and heard nothing from our neighbors--not that that mattered as there was a Christmas party a couple of decks above us that went on until 2:00 a.m. It was very noisy, making it absolutely impossible to sleep! Like the OP, we found the staff to be less than helpful.

 

What we did love was exploring the ship! My DD and I had a wonderful time looking around, and we did a self-tour.

 

Like others on this thread, I wouldn't recommend staying there, but I do agree it's totally worth the visit!

 

Jayne

 

:)

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WavesAway

WavesAway

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:) I stayed on the QM almost a year ago, and was quite delighted with the experience. The beds were comfortable, and the stateroom was clean, and furnished with original furnishings (which appeared worn, but what wouldn't after 60 years of use?). Staff at the front desk were helpful and went beyond what I'd expect them to. Although the stateroom was a degree or two cooler than I would have set the thermostat, I was toasty warm once I was in my bed. The hot water worked fine. I thought that the TV, hair dryer and refrigerator to all be bonuses, since those would not have been there in the ship's heyday. I could hear people in the hallway as they passed, but heck, I hear them on today's modern ships, too. The service in the restaurant was par for a regular hotel restaurant, but a little subpar for a ship. The ghost tour was disappointing, with cheesy special effects, so I'd caution people about that. The behind the scenes tour, though, was very good. My only real complaint about our stay was that one of the shops didn't open when the sign said it would. If someone really loves ships, and not just cruising, I'd advise them to stay a night on the Queen Mary. But, if you're just a cruiser and don't care so much about the ship, stay at the Renaissance. :)

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AlwaysReady2Go

AlwaysReady2Go

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I loved reading your review of the Pride. I cannot wait to sail on her in October. I hope our weather is good at that time of the year. I found some of your comments very true (cabin size RCCL vs Carnival) and cannot wait to try the new "Comfort Bed". Are those the "Sleep Number" beds like in the malls? Thank you again for your review and all your posts.

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