The Queen Mary
Ghost Stories
Mystery Man on the Staircase
I was walking up the center staircase from Main Deck to the Promenade Deck when I felt someone pass me going down the steps. I had seen no one coming towards me which was why I was caught off guard. I turned my head and saw a man in a white dress shirt and black vest with a bowler hat round the corner to continue his decent to the lower level. I turned and followed him, but I when I rounded the corner, he was nowhere to be seen on the stairs, in the foyer or in any of the halls.
March 24, 2010
Sarah, Springfield, Oregon
Where There’s Smoke…
We had just finished a tour and were in the elevators heading to our hotel room on A Deck. When the elevator doors opened, we exited into the hotel lobby area where I noticed a concentrated cloud of smoke hovering in front of the hallway. I paused, curious, as my father continued forward and walked directly through it at which point it dissipated into the air. I asked both he and my mother if they had seen it, and both said they had not. I had seen it clear as day and will never forget that curious feeling.
January 31, 2009
Lauren, Diamond Bar, California
Private Party
I was in a ballroom, the Queen’s Salon, the original first class main lounge, enjoying the self guided tour. I was the only person in the space at the time. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, I heard faint music and the murmur of people talking to one another. The smell of women’s perfume filled the large room, though it was not overpowering. I glanced toward the stage where I saw faded shapes of people in several small groups dressed in elegant 1940’s attire. Intrigued, but also quite nervous, I began to walk towards the figures. The closer I got, the farther away they seemed until finally they completely disappeared.
June 22, 2008
Daniel, Hawaii
Elevators
I was on B Deck at the aft end of the ship walking past some large silver elevators in the center of a foyer in what was an original second class passenger area. I saw a tall, pale man wearing a black suit waiting for the elevator. I had just walked past him and was not five feet away, clearly in earshot of any footsteps if the man had walked away, when I realized I was going the wrong direction and turned back the other way. The man was no longer there. He could not have been fast enough to make it up the stairs in that short time, so I was perplexed as to where he could have gone. I went to the front desk to tell them what I had seen, when the agent told me that those elevators were no longer in service and hadn’t been operational since the ship’s sailing days.
March 16, 2008
Moriah, Beverly Hills, California
Fainting Spell
My family and I were touring the ship at the forward end on B Deck. We turned into the starboard passageway to head back towards the main staircase. Suddenly, all of us felt the presence of someone following us. When we turned to check, no one was there. We paused between a two hotel rooms when my mother stumbled back against the wall saying she was out of breath; she grew very pale. When we asked what was wrong, she said she had just seen the figure of a woman gliding past her on the right. She said the woman seemed to disappear in mid flight right into the wall.
January 28, 2004
Shelby, New York City
Not-So-Imaginary Friend
I brought my daughter to visit the Queen Mary when she was four years old. We were walking around the engine room near an old water tight door when my daughter suddenly tugged at my arm and said “Mommy! Mommy! Look at that man.” I turned to look in the direction she was pointing, but saw nothing. The rest of the day, all she could talk about was the sad looking man in the workers outfit who was following her. She said his name was John. With her insistence that she did actually see a person in the engine room, I decided to mention it to one of the employees of the ship. When I told him the story, he told me that they often receive reports of similar activity in that same area. He went on to say that records show a young engineer was killed during a drill on one of the ship’s crossings. His name was John.
November 11, 2010
Margaret, Los Angeles, California
The Man in Black
I was an employee at the Queen Mary and my offices were on the Sun Deck in what used to be the old crew quarters when the ship was sailing. Some of my fellow colleagues often told me of ghost sightings, both from guests and even some of their own. I was not much of a believer until I had a very unsettling experience one morning in October. I always got to the office pretty early in the morning so there was only myself and my supervisor in at that time. I was at my desk when I noticed someone standing the doorway and looked up to see who it was. There was a man dressed all in black just standing there, staring at me, but not speaking. I was caught off guard and began to speak to the man, but suddenly, in the blink of an eye, he vanished. I thought I must have imagined it, so I went into my supervisor’s office right next to my one and asked “Did you see that?” She replied, with “You mean the man in black? I told you we weren’t kidding.” With that, chills went down my spine and I got up to search the halls but no one was there. I still tremble when I think about that day.
October 28, 1999
Dennis, Long Beach, California
My family and I were enjoying the self-guided tour of the Queen Mary and had just gotten to the bridge, the highest accessible point of the ship and where the Captain and his crew operated the vessel’s every move. We were fascinated by all of the gears, wheels and gadgets that were used to navigate the mighty Queen Mary. My son wandered into the Chart Room where all of the ship’s navigation maps were stored and the ship’s course was charted. As he entered, the other tourist walked out and he was alone in the space. He was looking at the maps to find where the Queen Mary was located when he felt a tug at the back of his shirt just above his left shoulder blade. He turned expecting to see one of us coming to join him and felt a deep chill as he realized he was still alone.
June 9, 1991
John, San Bernardino, California
