What to Know
- The Queen Mary is located in Long Beach
- The ship will mark the 57th anniversary of its arrival in Long Beach, where it is been permanently docked, on Dec. 9; a dinner and dance will be part of the celebration
- Celebrate "The 12 Days of Christmas" on the ship from Dec. 12-24; The Lighting of the Stacks ceremony and Krampus After Dark are some of the festivities on the schedule
- Several chances to dance aboard the ship are ahead, including at a party led by Alex Mendham and His Orchestra on Dec. 28 and on New Year's Eve, an occasion that is always elegantly over-the-top
When you have a special anniversary, milestone, or a birthday that coincides with the Glitteriest Season, your big moment can feel especially festive, as if all of the sparkle might be, in some way, for your big day.
The Queen Mary, the ocean-roaming icon that has made a permanent home in Long Beach since 1967, surely must feel that way, given that her Southern California arrival was a December affair.
We're speaking of the ship as though it has feelings, but many fans know that this spirited place is something special.
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And special festivities are in order for a special vessel, the sort of holiday celebrations, and anniversary acknowledgements, that a timeless celebrity deserves.
Kicking off the dazzling December doings aboard the queen will be a Dec. 9 anniversary party, one that merrily marks 57 Long Beach years for the ship. Queen Mary was constructed in Scotland over nine decades ago, by the by, so this is not a party for her official start; rather it pays homage to her Southern California debut.
The Johnny Holiday Dance Orchestra will swingingly supply the vintage sounds at the fine-dining experience. The evening's memorable meal has meaning: The selections, which include Caviar Croquette Crisp and Lobster Bisque, take their appetizing inspiration from the docking ceremony celebration some 57 years ago.
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Festivities continue on the ship with "The 12 Days of Christmas" kicking off Dec. 12. Or should we say "sounding off": The series of yuletide-themed events and activities begins with the grand Lighting of the Stacks.
It's a quintessentially queenly evening, one that pays due to the Queen Mary's most prominent and spectacular feature: a can't-miss-'em trio of enormous stacks, painted in Cunard Red.
A Transatlantic Holiday Vacation Package will stylishly coincide with the daily holiday happenings, for those guests seeking a longer on-board experience.
Revelers will stay on the ship from Dec. 16-19, taking part in a pickleball tourney, enjoying movie screenings, and getting a taste of what a Queen Mary voyage might have been like back in the day, with a host of contemporary touches.
Though the vintage details will be plentiful, too, and some participants will surely break out some throwback fashion to truly get into the sartorial spirit.
More throwback revelry is ahead: Alex Mendham and His Orchestra will play the get-dancing hits of yore at a Dec. 28 party.
And Dec. 31 will bring one of the biggest bashes in Southern California, with the chance to watch a midnight fireworks show from the ship.
For more on the Queen Mary's anniversary, the Christmas activities, the Transatlantic schedule, Alex Mendham's toe-tapping appearance, and New Year's Eve, cruise by this site faster than a ship's horn blows.
