Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Queen Mary Interiors, September 1973

Welcome back to the Queen Mary!


We've seen a lot of the exterior of the 1934 ocean liner, so today we're going to take a peek at the inside. Most of the luxurious cabins were gutted and transformed into offices, hotel rooms, and public areas, but a few of the rooms were preserved for visitors to experience. Those twin beds look tiny, I'm sure my feet would stick out at the end by about a foot! I love the details, like the built-in book shelves, the burl-wood (maple? walnut?) headboards & footboards, and even the old-fashioned telephone. The inlaid wood mural on the wall is pretty impressive too.


This had to be one of the officer's quarters; notice the hat! Looks cozy. The doorways into these rooms were covered with plexiglass to keep people from throwing pennies, gum, and other junk inside. You know how people are!


Some wealthy travellers not only got a little bedroom, they even had a sitting room, with a writing desk, a sofa for company, and even a fireplace! I assume that the horrible fluorescent lighting was added late in the ship's existence, or maybe even just for the tour.


Wood paneling everywhere! And not that crummy knotty-pine stuff either. Another comfortable sitting room, complete with champagne glasses and brandy snifters filled with delicious epoxy resin. Mmmm! I presume that all of the furniture from the many demolished rooms wound up being auctioned off, probably for a song too. I need some of those club chairs.


Stay tuned for more from the Queen Mary....

6 comments:

MIKE COZART said...

My birthday cabin looked similar to the last image. Mine did have the built in bookshelf with the wall/floor radio. I didn't have all those club chairs though. Many of the other Art-Deco rooms my birthday guests had are not shown in these images.

Nancy said...

these are neat. I find it interesting that the windows are rectangular rather than what we would expect to see with the traditional "porthole" round ones.

I remember when we got lucky enough to take a cruise on the Disney Wonder pondering on how exactly I was not going to fall off that little bed but I didnt. Rachel had the one close to the wall and she woke herself up a few times when she banged her arm into it!

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, I believe you are correct and that shortly after the ship arrived in Long Beach, many of it's original furnishings were auctioned off. I think I've heard there was even an attempt at some point to buy back any pieces that had been sold off.

Are you sure that's plexiglass and not a ghost family?

Major Pepperidge said...

Mike, I wonder if all of the rooms used as hotel rooms retain their Deco ambiance? The ones in my posts are not open to the public, but it is pretty cool if you get to pretend that you are on board a luxury liner on the Atlantic back in the 1940's.

Nancy, I am just guessing that rectangular windows are more old-fashioned, but I don't really know. Where did you go on the Disney Wonder?

TM!, not only is that Pepper's ghost, it's his relatives too!

Nancy said...

for Rachel's Sweet 16, Tim and I paid for a cruise (he bought the trip, I paid for our airfare). Tim does not like hot weather, so he stayed home with the kitty!

we boarded the Wonder on a Sunday noon in January 2006 at Port Canaveral, departed at 4:30. Monday we arrived in Nassau, and while there we took the tour of the seaquariums at the Atlantis resort....so awesome. departed there late (so folks could stay ashore and "party") and on Tue morning we arrived at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. spent the day there, then Wed all day at sea, arriving back on Thu morning. it was one of the best times ever! :-)

Anonymous said...

Ah the QM. I used to work there. As a souvenier, I have that white bakelite phone that you see in the stateroom It graces my living room now. There used to be an entire deck down below- completely dedicated to storage of artifacts from the ship. Brass items, silver services, Phones, clocks, you name it. It was wonderful. -Glen Banks