Why Cunard Won't Buy Queen Mary
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2022
- I've been asked a few times why Cunard won't just buy back the Queen Mary and sail her as a sort of heritage cruise line...well there are several reasons why they would never do such a thing.
Check out my video about why the Queen Mary can't sail anymore:
• Getting Queen Mary to ...
Check out my video about why the Queen Mary has had financial difficulty these last 30 years.
• The REAL Reason Queen ...
Drone footage is credited to Dronesphere:
• Queen Mary Ship | Long...
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I think it would be nice if Cunard just made an annual contribution to maintaining the original QM to help preserve her as an historical artifact.
We all should.
It makes money for the city, why should Cunard pay them? You have the entitled liberal mindset.
They won't because they're a corporation these days that doesn't give one about heritage
There's no real reason for anyone to contribute to her care. She's completely viable anyway even with the cost of maintenance. She's an institution at Long Beach. Soon she'll have been at Long Beach twice as long as she was on the high seas. I'm sure Cunard are happy to see her being preserved, displayed and enjoyed right where she is. I think the people of Long Beach would say over our dead bodies you'll be taking her anywhere. Where did this silly idea come from ?
Carnival own Cunard and just don't care about her.
People that go on cruise ships today want ships like "Allure of the Seas." The Queen Mary was a large water taxi between England and NYC and that time has passed. Cruise ships today are the destination, they are like a small floating city. Another great watch from Alex the Historian.....
Thats why we have RMS QM2 for those of us who HATE flying and need to cross the Atlantic. Common cruise ships don't generally cross the North Atlantic, expecially in winter. However, it would be nice if there was another ocean liner as QM2 is often sold out and you have to get your tickets in advance.
I would do a Road Trip any day over a cruise ship, but going on the RMS QM2 would be a trip of a lifetime.... @@baritonebynight
Running the Queen Mary would be like daily driving a Classic Car.
You either keep her stock and need to be replacing parts all the time (believe me, I would know) or...
There must be a complete overhaul - a restomod if you will - with completely new components. This way you will end up with something which kind of looks like the Queen Mary, but lost all originality. By that point, you may as well build a brand new Queen Mary look-a-like with all modern components and amenities, like the Eagle Speedster, a modern interpretation of the Jaguar E-Type.
Queen Mary is a floating hotel and a museum which your right like any older hotel it needs up keep each year to keep her in good shape.
Royal Hawaiian is a very old hotel but she need up keep.
I will say, Queen Mary really is the perfect hotel as built, she had so many lush and luxurious accommodations that even in modern hotels are either rare, or hind to find a good one. Really honestly, if some of her original accommodations were restored she would function better as a hotel. I mean like a working pool and gym would instantly make her far more popular, as well if they had an adult lounge, children’s daycares and play areas, plus also just more upgraded facilities like the dining rooms and lounges and such. Really tbh, any restorations or work done on the ship really would pay off in the long term, especially if they brought more of her rooms into use
The pool is closed due to passengers drowning and it's been a hotel for many years already I was going to have my wedding there but the past 2 years it's been closed and good thing I didn't put the deposit on the wedding because it's not refundable the Pandemic 🔥⚡ stopped me But it will be back this spring 2023 with restaurants and Hotel opening So book your room!
It's important for me to correct, there has never been a drowning on Queen Mary. Cunard kept an impeccable record of happenings on the ship, they always recorded injuries and deaths, and no one had ever drowned or died in the pool areas. Not even in Long Beach years. (Especially not children, because kids were not permitted in pool rooms). The real reason the pool room is closed on Queen Mary is because the room is in need of restoration, but because of the expensive materials it is made of, previous companies haven't wanted to invest in restoration. So to prevent souvenir hunters from picking the room apart, they closed it.
@@AlextheHistorian I was told that it's permanently closed the pool by the commandant because someone drowned 40+ year ago and ghost hunters have also said so maybe they just don't want to let it be known there's a stairway that alot of people died from falling down the stairs
I hate to say this but, the Queen Mary makes most of its money from advertising that it's haunted, more than half of the stories of death and haunting on the ship were made up by the Disney company in 1989 when they made the Queen Mary into a "haunted ship". So the crew of the ship have an obligation to keep up with those stories. The real reason the pool room is closed is because it's in bad disrepair and the last company to operate the ship, didn't want to pay to repair it.
@@AlextheHistorian I heard somewhere that the pool was drained as you said because of the maintenance factor and restoration. Also the weight of the water was stressing the hull as it aged. I could be wrong on that point. What condition is the hull in and when was her last drydocking?
I've recently retired myself and now know just how she feels. We've both had great lives and now it's our time to enjoy the slower lifestyle that we've worked so hard to achieve.
I'm from the northeast and for a few years my friends lived near Long Beach and I always loved our evening's onboard her.
Great video. The ship is a rich historical treasure, and its days of working have passed. He did a great job of laying out the reasons, thank you Alex.
This is a really good question I had never thought about before and it’s certainly interesting! Even if Queen Mary would never sail again, it would still certainly be interesting if Cunard purchased the liner as a hotel and had her as a museum for the company’s history. Quite a few companies have gone this route, including railroad companies.
Yes but the reason they would never do that is the same reason they would never sail her again.
Cunard has a museum, already, on the Queen Mary 2.
As always, Alex, a thoughtful and informative video. Thanks again!
Thank you, Alex. I always learn a lot with each of your videos.
Hi Alex, just found this but it's 1:30 AM so I'll catch it tomorrow after work.......
Cunard is of course a Heritage company in a sense that it sprinkles in elements of its long history into its product as part of its marketing but to Alex's point, it is naturally a line that has been through a lot of change and ownerships and is pushing a far newer product. Realistically, Cunard could help fund the Queen Mary's restoration on some level or at least officially wish it good tidings its way to a full restoration as a stationary attraction but that would be pretty much it. It belongs to the City of Long Beach and has long since passed the point of any serious involvement. Plus it has to be said that the Queen Mary has done her bit and sailed her last. She's done her thing, suffered through tragedy during World War II, went through a lot of stress during that time in particular, and done it all well on the Open Seas. She's more than happy being in retirement where she is welcoming people hopefully for many generations to come on what has already been a very long and successful life. And she is unique for a community like Long Beach.
Whoops looks like I lost Alex's heart badge when I edited this just now.
Superb content as always Alex! Keep up the good work! 👏👏
Thanks!
RMS Queen Mary's sailing days are gone which is why we have the chance to walk the ship and enjoy her. I know I couldn't afford to sail on an ocean liner and with sea sickness one of my faults ... hard pass. Great to see the face behind the voice, Alex 💖
As a modern corporation they have a lot of money in marketing research and most likely figure if they had an old ship it would taint their new ships' image subconsciously and more people would buy tickets elsewhere. They do care a little bit about the Queen Mary, because they did build QM2 after all, but they care about money more.
Now if they wanted to have the ship make them money again they could recreate some of the iconic features of the Queen Mary for a QM3. The first class lounge and dining room, the Veranda Grill, and such other rooms would probably be popular if people start to like woods again.
If perhaps they can make a ship that could go fast enough to make European cruises happen in America and Caribbean cruises happen in Europe then there may well be a cruise/liner hybrid. It would need to be at least 50 knots for an ocean cruising speed I reckon. Perhaps a QM3 would have rotors instead of funnels for an extra boost.
Good explanation, Alex. :)
It's Darren again...your friendly Port employee. Just wanted to fill you in on what we did just today.... We're pumping out the ballast tanks right now to check the hull thickness. So fun!
Good to hear! Were these the tanks with the fresh water ballast, or the ones with the mud?
@@AlextheHistorian mud. We're pumping one of them dry and pulling the mud to a tank, then checking it and pumping mud from one to another until they are all checked. Quite the process.
Awesome! I hope I'm not bothering you with my questions, but is it a visual inspection or has there also been special equipment like ultrasound or something?
@@AlextheHistorian as far as I know it's only been visual thus far. I think they might bring in some equipment if they find anything out of the ordinary.
Yes Cunard would have to restore and make her unrecognizable by the maritime rules/standards of today’s cruise ships, and the expense too, as you said. Also, it would have an impact on how much tourism it offers with Long Beach. Cunard nonetheless would never, and before I watched it, I hadn’t even considered it! Great video too!
SOLAS 2010 destroyed so much history.
@@chdreturns It made ships even more safe but it helped force QE2 into retirement
Great video, as always!
I’m just glad the QM1 is still around! So many ocean liners aren’t.
She is a beautiful ship, she has a gorgeous hotel. She is now being treated just like she should, a lady who worked so hard, absolutely beautiful, and did so many amazing things, and now her age has shown, so she’s taking it nice and slow in her retirement years! What a happy ending
Exactly. Now she's still here for everyone to enjoy and celebrate. They absorb her essence and history just looking at her. To be on her must be amazing. There could be no much more evocative places to be. I could just sit and look at her.
Amazing that some actually ask this kind of question.
As a Long Beach native and someone who’s loved the queen Mary ever since I was a little boy I must say I really enjoy your channel. Thank you for all the historical vids on our queen.
Thanks!
I used to see the QM as a less important or less larger, or less, kinda hard for me to explain, but now I see her as an important piece of art, luxury, history, and importance to WW2 brides or Jewish escapees that still live to remember the voyage they took likely in 1939. I see the QM2 as a preservation and a one-of-a-kind type of thing today. Again, thank you for this! Very interesting video.
Normally I don’t comment twice on one video like this, I just have second thoughts lol.
4:25 If I were in possession of something like the Queen Mary no amount of money would convince me to give it away, to me sentimental value and historical value is worth way much more than anything money related
I think it was NCL that looked into buying the SS United States that is a much newer design that the Queen Mary. Yes they had interest but the cost to make it viable did not compute. What the QM is now used for is the very best thing for her. I wish the same for our countries flag ship.
Love the video Alex, Plus I believe that mabey her age has made it to the point to if she did go out at sea again she might either sink or capsize and she’ll be gone forever. And that would mean there would be one less ocean liner.
Nicely presented
We should just be happy that she is still around to be seen. Most other ocean liners are gone forever.
Nice job explaining the facts Alex. 👍 The same thing was true for the SS United States Too. Crystal Cruises were gung ho in the beginning of their idea to return the ship to service until they did the complete survey and found it out of the question. Like you said it's an astronomical amount to bring an old vessel up to today's maritime code. They said the ship was in very good structural shape but to do everything it needed was way more than they would spend. Plus as you described that the Queen Mary would be changed dramatically, so would have the Big U. It would have been unrecognizable. The world is lucky that at least we still have Queen Mary and all her majestic qualities. Great Video Brother ✌️
The whole point of the Queen Mary being there is to remind people of a different time and to Revel in its architecture and originality. Returning the ship to service on the Seas simply misses the point of what era she comes from and the times that we have to remember and commemorate as well as celebrate. To sell her on the Open Seas basically is to violate her and that is sacrilegious as far as I'm concerned much to Alex's Point again. It's like suggesting putting back into service the Missouri class battleships or the SS United states, or the Great Britain in the United Kingdom or the hi Kawa Maru in japan. These ships were products of their time and need to be commemorated and preserved as such.
Also during the pandemic, Cunard/Carnival Cruise Line's sold off/scrapped 30 ships built from the 90s & 2000. It was also too bad that the Pacific Princess "The Love Boat" was also scraped & too far gone/legal troubles .😓 "Great Channel Sir"👍🍻
Well said Alex, as much as we would like to see her sail again it's best and safer for her to stay at Long Beach, especially for future generations so they can too experience the history
Great video, Alex! This is a very busy time of year at my job, so I've missed lots of your recent videos.I hadn't seen/heard anyone asking about why Cunard wouldn't buy the Queen Mary, but it makes a lot of sense. Question: Do you have any information on an update to when she may be open for tours/resevations yet? Thank you. I'll watch the other videos you pasted in your discription too. 😀
Thanks Linda, unfortunately Long Beach still hasn't announced a re-opening date.
@@AlextheHistorian Aw sheesh- frustrating. Thanks for keeping us updated. My picture of dancing on the promenade and posing in front of the Fred Astaire photo just showed up in my Facebook memories yesterday, makes me really want to visit her again!
I feel like its a good thing they wont buy her. They are a cruise company and are not in the business of operating hotels. It would be interesting but not worth the hassle as it is something they wouldn't really be able to utilize. This is of course since they cant make her sail again.
It is a good thing! I believe that she is better off where she is.
@@i_cant_express_myself_in_words Absolutely! She had her run and it was a great one. She rightfully has her name in history but now she is retired and we should let her rest.
Maybe in one case like the Queen Mary, it's good to keep that one example of an old ocean liner around as an example of what one was. I'm more in favor of building a hotel/mall/resort around a ship's fittings on land if the fittings are worth using i.e the RMS Olymic's 1st class dining room being used in a hotel/restaurant.
Interesting topic!
Yes, I totally agree with you here; it just would be too outdated, expensive etc. I can't imagine Cunard doing this.
Very nice vlog👍
Great video 😎 👍 📹
Yeah I know what you mean Alex..
..it reminds me of the Iowa class battleships.
It seems like there is always some enthusiastic "fan" going on about "bringing them back" when they don't realize that these ships are nearly 100 years old nowadays!
..and Queen Mary is ten years older still(!)
People just get ideas in their heads I guess..
Great channel..
I've learned a lot from you.
Thanks
Thank you!
In the 1990's I ran a Marriott hotel. It was built in 1968 and it still is in operation today. Why? Location, location, location, the hotel is very close to a major intersection in the city and it is the easternmost building of a mile long high rise complex (lots and lots of businesses in those buildings). People would be surprised at how tight fisted companies are that operate a hospitality business. For instance, our front desk staff, which is our window to the world, only made 2.00 an hour more than the minimum wage. Why did they do that? When you work at a hotel, no two days are ever the same. Our housekeepers? The management company forbid background checks on them and they made minimum wage, strictly held at 30 hours a week. In addition, the head housekeeper ran her group with an iron fist. Our turnover on maintenance staff was constant because of the low wages. The security staff, on the other hand, was well paid and stayed on for years. They were scary how quickly they could de-escalate a situation, better I would say than most cops.
I said all that to explain that a company like Cunard builds a ship with the knowledge that the ship has a limited shelf life. QM only sailed for a scosh over 30 years and reached her expiration date. Also, times have changed. Look at how many cruise ships, most in great condition, were sent to the scrappers within a year of the pandemic happening. Quoting the great Neil Peart, "He knows changes aren't permanent, but change is."
God alone is unchanging.
She deserves the rest after soo many years sailing. Surviving a world war and pushing through storms would be pretty stressful so she deserves her retirement. There's 1 thing though and that is she'll always be sailing in our hearts
As long as she's floating she's still a ship! I imagine her as a fancy grandmother giving advice and stories to the cruise ships that dock next door.
The ship deserves it's rest rest in Alang.
@@dancostello6465 Fuck Alang. Bunch of history destroying no lifes.
In my opinion, it is better to just use the Queen Mary as a museum due to how expensive it would be to carry out all the work. There is one old cruise ship that this was done to, the MV Astoria.
Hi Alex, I’m a big history buff & I really dig your videos. I visited the Queen Mary back in 2022 & she is a grand old lady. I understand the nostalgia that many ppl have when they think of those days when sea travel 🧳 was the way to go. I think your spot on with the out of this galaxy price range it would take to bring her in to the modern age of sea travel. I don’t think you could get five billionaires to have enough interest in a project of that magnitude. The inside would have to be gutted to bring her up to safety standards & there’s not enough of us history guys that could make enough to keep her in working order. She’s in the right place but some loving care from time to time is what’s needed.I have question ? Before Cunard sold her didn’t she have an non competitive agreement that she couldn’t be used as a passenger ship? I think I heard that when I watched a documentary on her WW2 service to back in civilian service then finally in retirement? So let me know if I got that right or not. I really think they need to get rid of the old Russian submarine. It looks tacky lol thanks for your time buddy. Respectfully 🤓
Yes Cunard had an agreement with the City of Long Beach that the ship would not sail in competition with Cunard. But technically it's not a "no passenger service" agreement.
@@AlextheHistorian Thank you buddy 🤓
Carnival era Cunard have traded on their history when it suits them to do so, also given they can never completely separate themselves from it either. However, as you mention it also doesn't stop Carnival era Cunard moving with the times, as indeed Trafalgar House era Cunard also moved with the times to survive and remain competitive, and independent Cunard tried to but was too late to reverse it's fortunes.
Carnival era Cunard did have more artifacts on the current fleet around 10 years ago this changing to what you describe in the last few years.
Trafalgar House era Cunard's last refit of QE2 in late 1994 (Project Lifestyle) focussed on their past ships (with the heritage trail onboard having 100s of items of memorabilia and murals) as well as giving QE2 an Art Deco influenced interior in her public spaces in an attempt (successful in my opinion as a former passenger) to make her interiors more cohesive after many refits up to then made her interiors a patchwork of styles.
Carnival era Cunard carried on this trend for QE2's 1999 refit (after they finished taking over Cunard in 1998 from brief owners Kvaerner) by spending $2.5 million refitting one of the restaurants that was in a style original to when she was built to instead imitate the style of an English country house (like some past Cunard ships no less) - it was a great restaurant to dine in!
The current Cunard fleet's interiors look to their past even more whilst paradoxically being relatively new ships, so moving with the times and keeping up with passenger demands but often looking back to create the product they sell and to create a unique selling point.
Cunard (under any owners) would never buy back and restore to seagoing condition QE2 either, for some of the same reasons as Queen Mary (reasons that also led to QE2's retirement in the first place), including very different passenger demands, modern maritime regulations (not being able to abide by MARPOL in particular), and plain old age.
Several of QE2's double bottom tanks were unusable at the end of her seagoing years as is common on old ships and as you mention the increasing costs for maintaining an old ship particularly in seagoing condition partly as the elements are relentless!
QE2 is still in structurally good shape out in Dubai (due to the lessons learnt from Queen Mary) and she functioned well to the end of her seagoing days (both hotel and seakeeping wise) regardless of being about 40 years old and not a modern ship by then, for example: leaving the Solent at 30 knots after departing Southampton for the final time en-route to Dubai. However, ultimately everything has it's time/era.
I understand Queen Mary's over 80 years is a different level again in terms of functioning from a hotel point of view particularly as she wasn't drastically changed anywhere near as much in refits but had Long Beach not damaged her structure and if drydocking wasn't an issue for over 50 years then she'd still be in reasonable shape seakeeping wise from a purely structural point of view given she's well-built if even over-built (QE2 also being well-built if even over-built - 1.5 inch thick high grade steel being found in parts of her hull).
QE2 deserves to rest too, having sailed further than any other ship in recorded history (5.6 million nautical miles) for 26 continuous years underway, at an average speed of 25/26 knots, in nearly 40 years in service - not to mention war service and weathering many storms (including hurricanes) over the years like Queen Mary.
Talking about cabins as a static hotel vs being a seagoing ship relating to Queen Mary in your video, a similar thing would happen if QE2 ever sailed again. When I revisited and stayed on QE2 in Dubai I stayed in one of her (albeit completely rebuilt by Dubai) original in 1969 top grade and first class cabins (before the first penthouse suites were added in 1972 and these cabins dropped a couple of cabin/suite grades but remained in first class) for a fraction of the price my parents and I paid to sail on QE2 in her seagoing days when we had cabins on the lower passenger decks that were a lot more snug. It would've been preposterous for us to have even considered one of those original first class cabins back then. This made it quite surreal in a good way to stay in what was a first class cabin and was only possible for me given her new static hotel role.
Most of QE2's lower deck cabins in Dubai have been stripped out and some of the space used to make new cabins occupying at least the space of two of the old cabins. The hotel guest's changing demands aren't that different to the passenger's changing demands after all, and Dubai has to appeal to them more over the ocean liner fans like us in order to remain commercially viable even in the static hotel role. Unfortunately, this results in a lot of history being lost but old passenger ships turned into static venues are always a compromise.
Hi , I’ve been wanting to reach out too you after fighting dead with getting hit with Covid-19 twice I’m a lot better so here I am.
I love your program and have same love for our lady Queen marry. I grew up visiting Queen Mary and feeling history all around you and how important it is to preserve the history of the queen.. when I was with Covid-19 I had a thought.. and wanted share with you about your video. “ Queen Mary not for sale”. I know that Queen marry will never seal again.. but might crazy thought was what if Queen was kept same as much as possible but turn her in a gambling cruise line that will sell from Long Beach around Hawaii and back. There is nothing like this in the world, and yet it would create a huge profit that would pay for the Queen Mary, and at the same time you can experience what it would’ve been like to be on an ocean liner back in the 1940s and to experience what you and I and everybody else loves about the Queen Mary this will be the only way that the Queen Mary could be refitted with engines brought up to code and could sell again because of the gambling aspects and maybe the guest and visitors visit the queen Mary should fill out a questionnaire form to see how visitors feel It might be interesting to see but nevertheless, I do agree with you, but I just wanted to share my thoughts with you may never happen, but then again, we can always dream😊. But again I love your program your passion for the Queen Mary is exactly how I feel we have, and are very fortunate to have a very important piece of history sitting in Long Beach. If you would like to reach out to me, I would love to hear from you and I would like to have the opportunity to share one other experience that my stepfather who has since passed away traveled on the queen Mary at the end of World War II when returning back to New York it’s an amazing story.. thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you take care of yourself and be safe
Tal
Los Angeles,Ca
well informed video ! As you say to bring her back would entail so many changes to her, she would be unrecognizable ?
Cunard is pretty much a husk of it’s former self. They currently operate only 3 ships which is such a small amount compared to what they had 7-8 decades ago. It’s just another cruise line out there ever since carnival bought it. The same goes for holland america line which is also a husk of it’s former self.
To me, I think that they should get a replacement Yarrow boiler and get the ship up to running standards like they do with steam engines so that they can do short distance dinner excursions. People would be happy to have the experience of riding in a real steam ship even if it was only one day per week. To have fine dining and a few hour cruise would be lovely.
Queen Mary was the most expensive steam powered ocean liner ever to run. If she could do short excursions and actually turn a profit from that, she would have never been retired in the first place
It would be a fantastic idea, IF… it was far cheaper to renovate and maintain. But considering her age, the cost for maintenance and then having that pushed to customers would unfortunately be her downfall in the 21st century. I’d love to see her sail, but I think her best chance is doing exactly what her duties now are.
Bonus problem: if she sank, it would be a ridiculously large loss considering the age she is from. The only way I could see her sailing again is if conflict broke out and the decision was made to move her to a neutral county for safeguarding.
Long Beach did not buy the QM as an historic ship, it bought it cheap to use as a ready-built marine museum; a massive ship brought in to be a cheaply acquired building. It gutted the engine rooms and much of the decks below first class, in short a lot of the stuff that would make visiting the ship so much more interesting today, given the museum failed right of the start. Long Beach then made one mistake after another in operating the ship as an attraction, the first being putting her off shore so people who drive all the way down to LB can and do simply turn around and drive right back out of town, without ever stopping in town.
Good video Alex, you are absolutely correct, let’s remember her as a great ocean liner, now she can earn a well earned rest in retirement for everyone to enjoy!
🇬🇧🇺🇸
Did ever someone ask Cunard, if they would pay for some of the expenses to keep QM1 and in return there could be a travel agency office on the QM1 to promote and inform about Cunards present voyages.
Yes something similar was offered, but it made no sense to cunard because they have a shiny new terminal next to the ship.
Yeah no doubt.i totally get it.
You could apply nearly all your observations as to why the SS United States will sadly never be a viable proposition to bring back into service.
Excellent video.
Excellent explanation of why the Cunard Company buying back and recommissioning the Queen Mary is unviable and economically infeasible.
Buying her back and recommissioning her is practically impossible due to her age and the modern safety regulations. It reminds me of when Crystal Cruises wanted to buy SS United States in 2016 and they released a proof of concept of the SS United States reimagined and made up to code in modern safety regulations and it looked terrible, Thankfully they ended up cancelling the idea.
I think that Queen Mary should be turned into a virtual ocean liner. Windows could be replaced with screens to replicate sailing. they could make something to make the ship move to replicate going over waves.
As far as looks the old girl holds her own to typical ones of today she’s a classic beauty like a bottle of fine wine it gets better with age….she’s Beautiful
Imagine if a cruise ferry company built an almost exact replica of queen Mary, but lives up to modern standards. Man how cool would that be? Imagine ur on the beach relaxing, watching the waves, and then you see the (replica) Queen Mary sailing by slowly
I remember years ago as I’m sure a lot of people do remember pike amusement park in Long Beach, California. They should convert the land around the queen Mary and build another amusement park. The city of Long Beach can either build their own or contact search companies as Six Flags, Magic Mountain and see if they would be interested. this alone would generate a tremendous amount of income for the city of Long Beach, and it would also secure the future of the queen Mary, so it would never fall into disrepair again, but the Queen Mary could be use for shops restaurants. I think this is another possible and more realistic option.
Disney actually tired to do that, build an amusement park around the Queen Mary. There are a couple stories as to why it fell through. One of them being is that Disney was just using it as a ploy to get Anaheim to approve the expansion of Disneyland
QM aside, Cunard would have kept QE2 as she was still operational and had plenty of history if a heritage vessel was in their plans.
Good point!
That's exactly what Cunard did back in 2004 when QE2 was replaced with QM2 for transatlantic crossings - the former continued operating as a cruise ship. However. in 2008 there was a major recession and Cunard's finances were low, resulting in its retirement.
The math of what makes a cruise ship profitable is completely heartless. If you don't believe me, look at some of the beautiful cruise ships being run around to be broken.
Old things only raise money if a large percentage of the population with money can remember the thing they are paying for. Nostalgia has a freshness date.
Plus, they can't move it since most of the OG parts used to make her function are missing, she's basically completely hollow. One thing for sure, I would not like seeing her with a white hull if that ever could happen, like in an alternate universe or something.
HI ALEX,, WHAT A GREAT VIDEO!!!!! THE WORDS YOU SAID ARE SO TRUE,,... THE QUEEN IS NOW A LONG BEACH GIRL TO STAY ,, SHE IS TIRED AND DOES NEED TO REST FOR THE REST OF HER DAYS WITH US .. LONG BEACH NEED SOME TYPE OF ENTERTAINMENT HERE AND HISTORY AND WE GOT IT THE QUEEN MARY WHEN SHE HAS THAT GRAND OPENING TO SET SAIL CLOSE LAND...I LIKED THE VIDEOS YOU SHOWED GREAT OLD DAYS AND THE TAX COST PAPERS INTERESTING,,.. I HOPE YOU DONT MIND ,, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY,, BRINGING A OLD OCEAN LINER TO A CRUISE SHIP IS A LOT OF MONEY,,, SO WHY DID THEY TAKE THE STOCKHOLM THAT WAS A OCEAN LINER AND TURN HER INTO THIS BIG FAT CRUISE SHIP WITH BALCONYS,, SHE LOOKED SO MUCH BETTER IN HER OLD DAYS BEFORE SHE AND THE ANDREA DORIA HAD THE COLLISION IN JULY 25TH 1956,, .. THANKS, ALEX.. CHERRS!!!
Why did Cunard get rid oh the Queen Mary in the first place? She couldn’t make money for Cunard back then. As you pointed out, the financials are much worse today.
The fans of the old ocean liners can stay in the hotel. The current business model is the best option. I recall at one time many years ago that Royal Caribbean was interested in restoring and sailing the United States but later backed out.
I think making this seaworthy again would be like putting a salvage car back on the road. You go to fix the problem and just keep finding problem after problem, costs keep adding up, etc. alternatively the movie Money Pit lol.
She’d be rather like the Flying Scotsman then
Having the queen Mary stay is best deal for city
Alex you are right about Cunard they are a modern day ship every 20 to 30 yrs it’s moff with the old on with the new.
But many people today are different than they use to be you take Union Pacific they have refurbished three of their great steam locomotives and they sell out doing excursion trips people today want’s to travel the steam age.
I’m sure if the Queen Mary had her machinery she would have a big passenger list even if they built a Titanic 2 with all steam turbines it’s the age and power of steam would capture their interest of ocean liner travel you don’t especially have to have balconies.
On the sailing of the QM in some ways she’s like the Titanic she was built 22 yrs after Titanic. Take some of the old wooden steam Mississippi River boats are up and running.
But to me it’s best leave the Mary where she is she much safer there than out on the ocean because she is only one left.
The reason why Cunard decided to sell the queen Mary in the late 1960s, I think it was 1967 was because she was not profitable. It’s the same reason that Holland America line decided to sell their ship the Rotterdam which today is a hotel in the city of Rotterdam. The ships simply do not have the amenities that today’s passengers want and the cost to operate the ships exceeds The revenue that they can generate. I agree with you the ship was very popular many many years ago and when we travel to California one of the first things my father wanted to do was to go see the queen Mary. That’s the generation that remembers the glorious queen Mary when she was sailing.
Isn't this the same location where the Love Boats, Pacific Princess docked?
I was loo,ing at images from when I took an 11 Day Cruise to Caribbean on QM2 in '04 ... they have up dated them immensely
Considering Carnival sold the QE2 and the last real Ocean Liner built the Ms Vistafjord.. you can’t even find the history of the Norwegian owned years.. The eighties and nineties when then were a Norwegian fleet with an outclassed QE2 compared to the Sagafjord, Vistafjord, Royal Viking Sun, and Sea Goddess’s.. why would carnival want a scrap heap? They could buy the QE2 back tomorrow if they wanted to. Why would carnival want to buy back future razor blades?
Cunard couldn’t wait to offload it back in ‘67 due to the fact she was coming to the end of her expected working life, failed as a cruise ship when they tried that with her and was very fuel hungry - why in gods name would they want it back?!?!
I'd like to know if I can get full access tour to the ship for a price??
They don't offer full access tours, only guided tour groups of pre-determined paths.
Excellent Video. But yea its good of people too want to see it operate. But its not realistic. Old ships are meant to be were the Queen Mary is. Docked for all of us to enjoy it as it was. If it was ripped up and gutted to bring it up to modern standard we would lose a piece of history. :D
It may be too soon but, do you know of any plans for her 100th birthday? Her 90th is next year, am I correct?
QM's Maiden Voyage was 1936, so her 90th wouldn't be till 2026. And Long Beach doesn't think that far ahead for anniversaries. They haven't even announced the celebration plans for the reopening day of this year...and they did tell me they plan to have a celebration
There is also queen Mary 2?
A much better and bigger ocean liner. Why would they even consider taking the task to renew a ship they gave away?
Is there any updates on the queen Mary repairs this month or coming up months ??
The same repairs I mentioned last time are still ongoing.
In denmark slagelse commune bought m/f broen and the price for overhaul from keel to funnel is about 250 million dkk
Wonder how much the same will cost for queen mary.
The estimates for a complete overhaul of Queen Mary is estimated to cost a total of $290 million USD. That includes the $10 million they've already spent this year. But in order to do that overhaul, they need to build a dry dock because there is no dry dock on the west coast of North America large enough to do a commercial project like Queen Mary. Long Beach is considering spending another $200 million to build a dry dock nearby.
Half a billion.
Oh fuck
Yes but it's important to mention that the important critical repairs only amount to $25 million, half of that is already underway. The other $265 million is refurbishment work that is not critical to the safety or operation of the ship. The hull is in great shape, so there is no worry of needing to be dry docked in the near future.
The original Queen will never sail again but at least we have the Queen Mary 2.
I'd like to ask a possibly stupid question: Do you know what happened to the former royal yacht Brittania? Did someone buy her? Or did she go to scrap?
Royal Yacht Brittania is now a floating museum, moored in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is kept in pristine condition.
I think we're just lucky the Queen Mary is still being looked after by Long Beach council and QMI. Cunard would never consider anything with the Queen Mary. Cunard - owned now by Carnival Corporation - also sold off the much loved Queen Elizabeth 2 in 2008. Although more modern, still a much loved classic liner named after our recent late Queen going through the same transformation which Cunard (Carnival Corporation) have no interest in.
The ship would be a flop in today’s market. No balconies, that is a huge requirement of today’s passenger ships. Even Mickey Arison, CEO of Carnival which owns Cunard, said that before Queen Mary 2 was designed that it had to feature staterooms with balconies.
Yes she's very old. And if she did go out I would say she just need to be around United States maybe the Caribbeans but that's pretty much it
Why did Olympic (Titanic’s sister ship) not become a museum next to queen Mary?
In the 1930s, ocean liners were not seen as rarities worthy of preservation. Ocean Liners were like modern luxury cars. A Mercedes-Benz from 25 years ago is seen as outdated, and there are many better ones on the market today. Olympic was mostly seen as just another outdated liner, and newer, more luxurious ones were being built every day.
Many reasons, one the nostalgia of titanic probably wasn’t a thing in the 1930s, and also jobs. From the 1929 the Great Depression hit world wide and around the the time the Olympic was scrapped gave much needed jobs to people in the north east of England, but many items were saved from the Olympic such its first lounge and part of the aft grand staircase can be found in a hotel in England.
Is the pool going to open on Queen Mary??
They want to open it, but right now there are projects at a much higher priority that need attention first.
Alex you don’t have to alter the rooms they can do excursion trips.
Alex a cruise ship not made to go where the Queen Mary can people are looking back in time of Golden age travel aboard a steam ship they don’t want a cruise ship filled with toys.
But as I said also it is best to leave the QM floating where she’s at.
perfect explanation as cunard once was out of money and had to merge with white star line for the government to give them money
what about coastal water tours , where it takes tourists on tour of the us coast line cause thats not open waters and has a different set of requirements then cruise ships , it would classified as a tour boat
The same exact repairs would still need to be made.
@@AlextheHistorian my thought was as a tour boat it didn't require the same codes as a cruse ship, so the repair cost would be less and they could install modern engines, cause they take up less space and are more powerful so they would need less of them, but now that i think about it with all the engines gone thats a pretty big place and i bet the empty cargo holds are big too, probably big enough to put some amusement rides in and a small coaster
Where did u get that titanic model from
It was a model kit I recieved as a gift for Christmas.
Given MV Britannic's success during the interwar years, it's always been strange to me that Cunard ignored the practicality of the ship (Diesel engines, tourist class) and instead went all in for water taxi.
Probably because she was ex-White Star… apart from commemorating the Titanic disaster, Cunard probably wanted to erase White Star’s legacy and forget the company itself ever existed.
@Nictrain123 I don't mean that, I mean take the aspects of Britannic that work and build off that. Especially as they had Caronia proving the concept work.
Cunard developed Britannic style vessels for cruising could've helped a lot during the 60s
@@SudrianTales Very true.. if only that were the case.
I visited the Queen Mary in 1973
1:55 If Cunard is not a heritage company, then why do they still run QM2 which was built on July 2nd, 2002?
Queen Mary 2 was put in service in 2004, and at the service age of 18 years old, she hasn't even reached the half-way point of her service life.
@@AlextheHistorian Ah ok. Just saying, Isn't she the oldest of the ships in the current fleet?
@@trainlover123trainsrock yeah, but not old enough for her to literally be "old". Most passenger ships have a service life of about 40 years, but QM2 is only 18 years at sea.
@@AlextheHistorian Alright. Thanks for the clarification Alex.
When was the last time it was in drydock
1970. But after extensive surveying and testing last year and this year, her hull is in remarkably good shape with very little corrosion thanks to her maintained Sacrificial Cathodic Anode System.
Why not make a clone of the original Queen Mary ship with upgraded features.
I know they have the Queen Mary 2 larger than the original Queen Mary ,But it’s nothing like the original.
That’s my 2 cents. 😊
Even if she were to sail again, I’m sure people like me who love ocean liner history would book trips every now and then, but it’s not like trips would sell out forever. People are all about modern cruise ships with hundreds of itineraries and activities to do. The only possible way I could see QM sailing again and making bank would be a complete transformation. Taking away a lot of the history and adding clubs, pools, bars, spas, etc. Whereas many including myself, would rather see her a floating hotel, preserved, than an unrecognizable copy of a Royal Caribbean ship.
It's Cunard old stock and it's time has passed. Perhaps salvage some internal portions to adjacent underutilized sheds.
I think the answer is pretty simple why would they buy something that they sold in the first place
I think you missed the biggest reason why the Queen Mary would not be brought back. Cunard is a brand now owned by Carnival. I question if they really even have respect what Cunard meant in the QE2 days.
I sculpted her in my ship rps cuz she is the best ship
Asking why Cunard won't buy the Queen Mary is like asking, "Why don't we restore the Colosseum in Rome and use it as an arena for events again?'. Because if you do that, then it's no longer a historic monument, it's just another building.