And yes, we wanted ghosts.
Although our flight was delayed out of Sky Harbor, we arrived early for our check-in time. The concierge was very accommodating and because I had spilled the secret when making our reservation that this was to celebrate our anniversary, they wished us well to boot. They gave us the room that was available and we dropped off our luggage in our amazingly beautiful stateroom. We signed up for the Queen Mary package which included a behind the scenes look at the ship, the ghost tour, the WWII days and the self guided tour.
After scheduling everything for that day (as we boarded another ship to sail for Hawaii for 15 days the next day), we went to the tea room for, what else, tea. Heaven, pure tastebud heaven. And African Solistice is my new favorite tea.
We toured the gleaming art deco ship, marveled at the exquisite craftsmanship just about everywhere and learned the very real hazards of renaming a ship. After taking the red shuttle into Long Beach we returned exhausted and decided to go to bed at the very late hour of 8PM.
Hey, it was dark out.
So, in we spooned cradled between snowy white linen under a down comforter.
Just as we were drifting off, there came a tap-tap-tap on the port hole.
Um, did I mention that we were between 6-7 stories up, no balcony, no nothing except 3 more stories up on the sun deck.
My husband and I looked at each other. Probably just a bird, right? Right?
Tap-tap-tap.
Tap-tap-tap.
Hubby got up, opened the window. The outside of one was wet. The outside of its twin was bone dry. Hmm. Must be birds. Back in bed, hugging a little tighter.
Tap-tap-tap.
Tap-tap-tap.
Tap-tap-tap.
Right. Birds. I checked. Not a featherhead to be seen. Birds. sneaky buggers. Back in bed. I don't care. I'm going to sleep. silence. Just as I was drifting off, it started again. On the fringes of my mind I wondered if it could have been some kind of morris code. SOS-dot-dot-dot, dash-dash-dash, dot-dot-dot.
About 130 AM I woke to the hum and vibration of engines. Every engine has a different feel to it and this was a deep, growly feel coming from below decks. I didn't think much of it until I realized the ship technically doesn't have any engines.
So what was humming and thrumming?
Um, okay. After hubby confirmed he didn't hear anything, I snuggled a little closer and decided to ignore it.
The next afternoon while waiting to board our ship to Hawaii, I met a woman who stayed on the Queen Mary over night in the Queen Mary suite. She reported her findings to the front desk and added her experience to the log.
They have a log?
She then asked our room number. When I told her, she said "Oh, yeah, that was in there. A lot."
O-kay then. Having time to kill, I then had a lightbulb moment and hubby and I reviewed photos of our room.
I'm taking that green orb for dust. You can take it for what you want.
If you are ever in Long Beach and have a few hundred dollars to spare, spend the night on the ship. She has class, grace and beauty beyond description. And while a tour is nice, staying on her is not just a trip back in time but a window to luxury, art and a connection to history.
11 comments:
I totally believe in ghosts. Years ago, we lived with one in our home. A couple of years ago, I spent the night in the Monte Vista in Flagstaff and saw orbs. So much fun! Great post.
You already know we believe in ghosts. Sounds like you had an adventure for sure. I can't wait to hear about the Hawaii trip. Loved your post.
That is so interesting! And what a gorgeous room!!!
Interesting... Orbs are all the rage. But dust doesn't tap on the porthole. A mystery wrapped in paranormal. Of course it must be ghosts. For a writer, ghosts are so much more fun than dust and night birds. Is there a story in the works?
Thank you all for commenting:D
It was a great adventure
Sounds exciting! I stayed there when I was ten, before learning of the ghosts. I wouldn't mind going back and touring the haunted pool.
Hey Linda, I want to know what the very real hazards of renaming a ship our. When our boat the Sexsea was sold, the new owner wanted to rename her and we cautioned him against it. But it was the boating community that convinced him that the Sexsea was a known entity on the lake. So what are the REAL hazards?
Tina, the pool is part of the haunted tour. It's like the haunted mansion at Disneyland.
Alexis, during the outbreak of WWII the us government commandeered a French ship. They renamed her and began to retrofit her. She caught fire in the harbor and capsized.
After the war, the Queen Mary's sister ship the Queen Elizabeth was bought by an Asian company to be converted into a school. They renamed her and began retrofitting her. She caught fire and capsized.
Seems to be a pattern here:)
Doubting Mary here - Maybe the taps were a loose hinge; the wet-dry windows, ocean spray; but that green orb! Living proof!
Love it! Gotta be a story there!
Don't think I'd be brave enough to stay on a haunted ship, but we did stay in a haunted hotel in Paso Robles, CA a few years ago.
Our ghost didn't snore so we were able to enjoy our stay.
OMG! You reminded me the Queen Mary is on my bucket list, too!!
I'm going to have to remind my high school buddy this!
I don't know about ghosts, though. I don't like them to mess with my sleep.
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