Tuesday is ABCs of Homeschooling with Dawn over at 5 Kids and a Dog, and we are on the letter “H”.
I asked my kids what “H” word I should use for today’s link up, and I was REALLY surprised! I expected “H” is for HEALTH. We have been spending so much time in specialists’ offices, physical therapy, and occupational therapy that I truly thought that would be the first word out of their mouths. We are still waiting for the last specialist, a rheumatologist, to decide where to send us next. He has mentioned Boston, California, and all points in between, so we are really HOPEFUL that he finds a place closer to HOME.
When asked about what “H” word I should use, DS8 immediately said, “HISTORY.” This also surprised me because DD11 is our HISTORY buff. So, HISTORY is our word.
As I looked back through our pictures of places that we have visited before, I stumbled upon pictures from the kids’ (and Don’s) first trip to California. Besides the obvious trip to Disneyland, I wanted to share with my family a place that my father had taken me many years before. The Queen Mary. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Queen Mary, it was part of the Cunard White Star Line and a sister ship to the Queen Elizabeth. The Queen Mary is now a floating hotel in Long Beach, California. It is not just a floating hotel; it is a floating museum.
The Queen Mary was built in Scotland, and her maiden transatlantic voyage was May 27, 1936 from Southampton, England to New York City. {Yes, there was a huge 75th anniversary celebration last week, according to the website.} Many locations on the ship are preserved and are able to be viewed on the self-guided tour. Many places like the Wheel House and the Captain’s quarters are in their original locations up top. Other exhibits are below decks.
The Queen Mary was considered to be one of the grandest ships ever built, and that is still evident in the woodwork throughout the ship. The wood is beautiful! The Queen Mary was bigger than the Titanic and popular with Hollywood stars and important figures. Such people as Winston Churchill, Bob Hope, David Niven, Fred Astaire, Stan Laurel, and Oliver Hardy sailed on the Queen Mary.
In 1939, the Queen Mary was drafted into service for the allied forces as a troop carrier. She was painted grey and was known as the Grey Ghost. She set war records for sailing a total of 569,429 miles and carrying 765,429 military personnel, including wounded soldiers, war brides, and children.
Can you imagine sleeping 7 bunks high?
After World War II, the Queen Mary was restored to her former glory and continued to operate as a passenger liner until 1967 when she permanently docked in Long Beach, California.
Remember, I mentioned her sister ship the Queen Elizabeth. The Queen Mary had 3 funnels, and the Queen Elizabeth had 2 funnels, so when you watch an old movie or history film with these ships in them, see if you can tell them apart.
Check out the Hotel Queen Mary website for more interesting facts and pictures.
NOTE: In the time between when I first visited the Queen Mary and when I took my kids, there was a notable difference in the types of guided tours offered. Now, the more historical tours are offered during the day. Night tours have a “paranormal” emphasis to them. This is just a warning. Also, you don’t have to stay on the ship to be able to tour the ship.
what a neat post to go along with History!!
Thank you! I love being able to share unique things that we have seen, as much as, going to other blogs and seeing where other people have been.
How fun! I went to the Queen Mary Ship Hotel in Long Beach, CA many years ago. It was very cool.
It is lots of fun (with a little education thrown in)! It really is nice to see how the ships differed from the cruise ships of today.
Wow that sounds very interesting! I think it would be cool to spend the night on a ship hotel. =)
It was cool! However, the rooms are very small, and you have to be very careful when choosing the room type. Some rooms had twin beds.
Love the Queen Mary! The tour is so fun!! Would love to stay in one of their rooms!
It is a lot of fun! The kids actually just enjoyed looking at the displays below. They also enjoyed seeing the large posters of the important people who had sailed on the ship.
Sounds so beautiful. Learning history well traveling to new places, really brings the past to life. I hope we will one day be able to visit the Queen Mary.
Thank you for stopping by! We love to visit historical places while traveling when we are able to incorporate it. That is something that my father instilled in me, and I am having a great time passing that on to my kids. I hope that you are able to visit the Queen Mary someday!
Oh I love the Queen Mary! We stayed overnight with them on one of our trips. I have to agree the rooms are really small but it was so much fun staying aboard an old ship. When we went she was still in need of more TLC but I am hoping with the new tours maybe they have spiffied up a bit. I do recall they were having a wedding on the evening of our departure. I think it definitely would have been a wonderful setting for a wedding!
When we stayed there in 2007, she was still needing some TLC, but it looked like they were beginning to do some more restoration. The kids LOVED exploring every inch of the ship that was open to be explored.
Nice post. History is definitely a great word for H.
Thank you very much!
Very neat post. I work PT as a travel agent so I found the information very exciting and I love your picts too. Wow a paranormal tour would be a fun. EVERYTHING is a learning experience.
Thank you! That’s funny because I am now working as a PT travel agent, too. I specialize in all Disney and Universal Studios vacations. What do you special in?
We specialize in cruises. But do everything resorts, Disney, tours, hotels, air you name it. The company I work for actually has a store front location. One of the very few left in the Metro Atlanta area.