Free Admission to the Queen Mary

by Julie Gentry | More from this Blogger

Do you live in Southern California? Through April 30, California residents get free admission to the Queen Mary. If you don't have plans for Sunday or Monday, it's a nice outing. The normal price is $22.95. For what it is, that's pretty steep. But FREE is a fantastic price. When it's a freebie, I usually print out the press release in case the ticket taker hasn't seen it.

The Queen Mary tour is self-guided. In other words, you go at your own pace, spend as much or as little time as you want in each part of the ship. If you have children coming with you, you might want to read about the ship before going. There's a lot of great information on the Queen Mary page. It should hold their interest better with a frame of reference.

Back in college, we had our winter formal on the QM. It was lovely and so full of history. It was, however, overpriced. Food on the Queen Mary is going to cost you about $4 for a drink and $6 for a small burger. Better to either eat before you go, or stop at a restaurant or fast food when you're finished. Parking is also expensive. $10 per vehicle. If you go on Sunday, you might be able to find a spot for free outside the gates. But you shouldn't count on it.

If you haven't been on a submarine before, there's a Russian sub tied alongside. It's another $10 to view. My son, David, loved the tour. It was a little low-key for my tastes, but still interesting. The sub tour is something to do once. They're also having a SPY-FI exhibit. This seems more interesting! It's props from Hollywood that depict how they've shown spies over the years. From Maxwell Smart's shoe phone to the self-destruction tape reel of Mission Impossible, SPY-FI has over 400 exhibits.

Whether you go for just the free tour, or make a complete day of it, the Queen Mary has something for everyone. Link to press release

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Julie is affectionately known as GoGo Mama to her friends since she seems to always be out and about.

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