Queen Mary Christmas: 2019 Review

Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA

We’re fully in the thick of Christmas season, and especially with this year being a shortened one on account of Thanksgiving coming so late, there are plenty of holiday attractions to see and enjoy, and a tight amount of time to pack them all in!

Today, we’re checking out the Christmas festivities at the Queen Mary. The venerable ship has hosted a holiday event for years, and the last time we visited, it was still running its popular Chill event. As it turned out, 2017 ended up being the final year of Chill, and last year, the Queen Mary’s events management company, Urban Commons, transitioned to a less elaborate and ornate Christmas event entitled simply, Queen Mary Christmas. Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts (read: I was on vacation) meant that we were unable to cover it, but we had a chance past Friday to stop by for the event’s media night and see how this year’s festivities shaped up. What was the verdict? Read on to find out!

The Queen Mary is all decked out in its trademark string light netting and holiday decorations.

The first expectation to make clear is that Queen Mary Christmas is nowhere near the extravagance and scale of Chill. Whereas the previous event had enough activities and attractions to fill an entire evening, Queen Mary Christmas is more of a half evening of couple of hours visit. The event is split between amenities located inside the ship and points of interest outside the ship, on the asphalt and grass events space that Dark Harbor also half-occupies.

The Lighthouse Stage features holiday musical acts, though they’re hopefully a little more cheery than this band last Friday.

There is no special theme to this event. Instead, there are a series of general Christmas activations and experiences that guests can partake, earning stamps on their Christmas activities passport. Guests can also take part in a drawing by posting pictures of themselves and tagging Queen Mary social media (#QMChristmas and @TheQueenMary) to a grand prize.

Things kick off outside in Santa’s North Pole Village, which features a main stage for musical entertainment, a central carousel, a North Pole Climb rock wall, the recurring Giant Rocking Horse, the QM Express Train, and the True North Ice Rink. There’s also a True North Trading Company for souvenir and Christmas shopping, plus some assorted fairground-style food stands dressed up in winter theming.

Of the attractions, the ice skating is the only one not included as a part of the standard general admission. Instead, it is a $15 uncharge for 45-minute skate sessions, which includes ice skate rentals. Alternatively, guests with VIP admission can partake in the ice skating already included. Unlike Chill’s final year, this is a traditional, rectangular ice rink with a grand and towering Christmas tree in the middle. No special ice course that winds its way around the event grounds. And while the ice skating course of yesteryear was pretty awesome, the rink here is a perfectly suitable, amply spaced, 6000 square foot sheet of ice to enjoy the traditional holiday activity.

The True North Ice Rink offers a great view of the ship and a festive Christmas tree.

The area around the True North Ice Rink is lavishly furnished, creating a nice little ambiance. There are VIP cabanas available for rent for those who want a little home base to eat, enjoy refreshments, and take in the scene. The Making Spirits Bright Bar and The Lodge provide beverages and food—nothing overly gourmet, but generally tasty fair-style food. But this area does craft more Christmas village ambiance than elsewhere in the North Pole Village, and it’s got a relaxing vibe to it. Guests can also catch Christmas carolers spreading their merry melody cheer throughout the evening.

Christmas carolers help ring in the season.

Elsewhere, the rock climbing wall and the Giant Rocking Horse are pretty standard fare. The train is also nothing terribly elaborate. It’s actually a motor-driven, trackless type similar to what guests might see at a large shopping mall, with the train taking a winding course across the outdoor grounds and passing by the main sights of the North Pole Village area. The Lighthouse Stage presents a Christmas band throughout the night, singing Christmas songs and carols to those who want a break from the attractions.

On board the ship, visitors can enjoy the Winter Wharf, a series of activity areas and photo ops that tries to go for a pop-up museum feel, to varying degrees of success. The artistic aesthetics inside are really cute, with bright colors and a bit of a Googie Style feel to the ambiance. Guests can enjoy food and treats at the Nutcracker Sweets booth, engage in stocking and gingerbread decorating (both are uncharges for GA ticket holders), see rotating entertainment at the Wharf Stage, and check out the #InstaWrap Room.

The Winter Wharf features a charming and festive atmosphere.

One of several rotating dance and percussionist acts at the Wharf Stage.

Guests will recognize this area as the queue for the Lullaby and B-340 mazes at Dark Harbor the past few years. For Christmas, the open space has been completely transformed to an indoor village area that has a cute and kitschy ambiance. it’s clear that the look was geared toward social media engagement, especially with the #InstaWrap section, though I’m not sure how thought out some of the graphics were from a family-friendly perspective. “Jolly AF” and “Son of Nutcracker” seem like they have some more risqué intonations than possibly intended for a holiday event, though maybe these were also included to appeal to non-family attendees.

Take pictures with clever signs here at Santa’s #InstaWrap!

Next door, the ship’s 4D theater offers The Polar Express 4D, which is literally a collection of clips from the 2004 Robert Zemeckis holiday movie, complete with snowfall, some mist effects, winter wind, and even a poke in the back when Santa whips his reindeer (an odd choice, but I suppose they had to use that effect somewhere).

Finally, the promenade level of the ship is where guests can meet Santa Claus himself at the Captain’s Quarters and have Storytime with Mrs. C. In addition, the Midship Marketplace, Chelsea Chowder House, and Winston’s can be accessed from the deck of the ship. On certain days of the month, a special three course dinner with a holiday show featuring song and dance group, the Holiday Follies, and a breakfast with Santa are also offered.

As a side note, this holiday season, the Queen Mary is also seasonal specials and holiday dining options on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day onboard its restaurants at Winston’s, the Promenade Cafe, and Chelsea Chowder House. These pre-fixe menus feature traditional holiday favorites like prime rib, marinated turkey, roasted Brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, seared fish, beef wellington, and more! It’s a tasty and elegant way to enjoy a holiday meal!

The True Northing Trading Company offers souvenirs and holiday goods in a temporary tent set-up. Unfortunately, with the rains last week, that also meant ponding water on bare asphalt inside the store—something that the event did not appear to be pr… — The True Northing Trading Company offers souvenirs and holiday goods in a temporary tent set-up. Unfortunately, with the rains last week, that also meant ponding water on bare asphalt inside the store—something that the event did not appear to be prepared for.

Ultimately, Queen Mary Christmas offers a fun and cute holiday event that lacks the pizzazz and pageantry of its predecessor but does offer some interesting attractions that encompass the typical holiday activities one would expect from a Christmas event. Those who haven’t visited the Queen Mary in a few years and are expecting something on par with Chill will be disappointed, but those looking for a more budget-conscious alternative to places like Disneyland or Knott’s Merry Farm or Universal Studios might find this more to their tastes.

We did feel a bit of nostalgia for the departure of Chill as we toured a Queen Mary Christmas last Friday. The scope of the previous event, its immersive and encompassing environment, plethora and complexity of live entertainment, and much more numerous attractions really did provide a lovely seasonal winter theme park that really helped engage the holiday mood. Queen Mary Christmas is pleasant, but it’s definitely a step down from what came before. For whatever reasons Urban Commons has chosen to rein in their Christmas event—financial, logistical, or operational—the result is definitely something more understated.

One last note for those who plan on visiting this holiday season… parking may still be an issue despite the scaled back size and capacity. Those who’ve been to Dark Harbor and other Queen Mary events know that high-demand attractions have also caused a strain on the parking situation on site, to the point where parking off site and taking shuttles in have become the recommendation. Although I’d expect much more automotive turnover throughout the night, the parking operations still may feature delays. On Friday night, despite an abundance of parking available and relatively low crowds due to the rain, our vehicular wait to get through the parking attendant booth was still over ten minutes, for reasons not quite clear to us. Just keep that in mind and plan your time accordingly.

Queen Mary Christmas runs now through January 1st, running Thursday through Sunday this upcoming weekend before moving to daily operation starting Thursday, December 9th. Tickets can be purchased in advance online and start at $29 for an adult GA, $24 for children ages 4-11.