LOS ANGELES — The Queen Mary is back in business.
Fans of the aging Long Beach tourist attraction will be able to tour sections of the vessel for the first time since March 2020, the city of Long Beach announced. To celebrate, the city is offering free guided tours for a limited time.
The hourlong tours include biographical lessons, including some haunted history, about the Queen Mary and access to select areas of its promenade deck, all led by a docent. Tours were full by Tuesday morning, according to the city's website.
The hotel, restaurants, bar and other amenities will remain closed until plumbing and other repair work are completed in early 2023, according to the city.
The occasion comes after the pandemic shuttered the converted British ocean liner to the public and a series of renovations, including critical structural repair work, delayed its reopening. Several studies have estimated the vessel needs hundreds of millions of dollars of upgrades to continue operating. A 2021 report called for $23 million in immediate repairs to prevent the ship from capsizing.
The city has previously said that about 75% of the process — largely plumbing, mechanical and other metalwork — should be completed by the end of the year. All internal repairs should be wrapped up in early 2023, allowing the city to work on aesthetic projects, like painting and flooring.
"The Queen Mary has been an icon of our Long Beach shoreline for 55 years," Councilmember Mary Zendejas said. "We remain dedicated in our efforts to preserve the ship's history and structural safety. I look forward to welcoming the community back on board!"
Over the last 50 years, Long Beach has brought in several firms — including Walt Disney Co. — to try to convert the former ocean liner-turned-floating hotel into a profitable tourist attraction, with mixed results. Disney planned in 1990 to incorporate the ship into a $3 billion sea-themed amusement park but ditched the idea a few years later.
Long Beach had considered sinking the 86-year-old ship after taking control of the vessel last year from the previous lease operator, Eagle Hospitality Trust, which filed for bankruptcy and defaulted on lease agreements. But even scuttling or scrapping it brought an estimated $190 million price tag, officials learned.
Keeping the Queen Mary afloat has cost an estimated $6 million since the restoration project got underway earlier this year. But officials say the price tag is offset because the ship generates revenue through special events and filming opportunities, including a popular Halloween celebration.
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