The Queen Mary has become one of my favorite places to explore in Southern California. Whether it’s during the Halloween season with Dark Harbor, or the many events that are sprinkled throughout the year that promise tales of paranormal activity, The Queen Mary has become my home away from home. In celebration of this past Friday, the 13th, which landed on April 13th, I had the chance to once again return to The Queen Mary to get a sneak peek into their infamous B340 Stateroom which would be opening to the public for the first time in three decades and let me tell you, it was one hell of an experience.

For those not familiar with Stateroom B340, it’s considered to be one of the most haunted rooms aboard The Queen Mary. Now, as many of you have told me over the course of the last couple weeks, there are theories that the history surrounding B340 was fabricated by not only The Queen Mary but by the Disney corporation which owned ship from 1988-1992. There are many articles that go into these theories and allegations surrounding the truth behind B340 and I think it’s important for each person to do their own research into the notorious stateroom. My experience is coming from a place of being open minded so as to experience as much of The Queen Mary as authentically as possible. With that said, the following is my account as it happened. Regardless of if you believe in the hauntings surrounding The Queen Mary or not, what I experienced was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

When I arrived that Thursday, April 12th, I met with my group and got situated. Before the tour began I decided it was best if I used the restroom as I knew the tour would be a few hours. While in the stall, I was able to see out the crack of the stall doors where I saw someone come in and leave, followed by the door opening and closing on its own about 45 seconds later. I brushed it off, not knowing what could have caused that to happen, but still feeling a bit uncomfortable over the fact that the entrance door seemed to open and close on its own. I finished up, returned back to my group, and hoped that would be the end of my paranormal experiences for the night… I was wrong.

My group was the first that got to enter Stateroom B340 and to be honest, it was beautiful. The room was designed to be comforting and inviting even with quotes throughout the space of paranormal encounters that crew members have experienced in that room. Situated on the spacious bed was a chest with items such as an Ouija board, tarot cards, crystal ball, and more for guests to conduct their own ghost hunting experience. As someone who doesn’t trust Ouija boards AT ALL, I stayed far away from that, while others took turns communing with the dead through the board and tarot cards. One thing I did notice upon entering was the feeling of vertigo which hit me like a wave followed by a sharp pain in my left temple that lasted about 10-15 seconds. Because of this, I spent most of my time sitting on the bed, listening to the stories that the Captain relayed as I didn’t feel particularly steady on my legs. One of my favorite parts of the room was the bathroom, which housed it’s own tales of paranormal activity that included faucets turning on by themselves. Adjacent to the bathroom mirror was the famous “Bloody Mary” poem that those who are fearless could recite in hopes of conjuring up the infamous Urban Legend.

My only caveat was that I wish I could have heard more stories as to why Stateroom B340 is considered to be so haunted. There didn’t seem to be a straight answer as to why this room was so notoriously haunted though there were a few theories that surrounded POW being tortured in that room. With all that said, do I consider this room to be haunted? My answer is simple, yes. Because I do believe The Queen Mary is haunted, I do think that restless spirits wander in and out of the staterooms which leads me to believe that at some point this room has been/is haunted. Upon exiting the room, the feeling of vertigo immediately went away and I didn’t experience any additional pains in my head. There is definitely something oppressive in that room, but I will say, it is not the most haunted space on the ship. That is yet to come.

After touring Stateroom B340 we then went on a short tour of the ship which brought us to the some areas of The Queen Mary that I’ve never been to. Our tour guide, David Tennant (who deserves all the praises and is one of the best tour guides I’ve ever had, period), brought us to some of the most active places within the ship where he relayed ghost stories from crew members and guests. Some of these stops included the bow of the ship (which is pretty terrifying) and the first class pool deck (though it’s closed at the moment from guests entering it). I love hearing a good ghost tale so this was one of my favorite moments aboard The Queen Mary and something I look forward to returning to in the future.

Following this experience, was the last tour of the night, where we got to accompany paranormal investigator Matthew Schulz of the ParaXplorer Project for a ghost hunting experience in the bowels of the ship. Located 45 feet below the water’s surface in the boiler room, we joined Schulz as he went over the type of equipment he used during an investigation and some of the haunting footage he has acquired during his time investigating The Queen Mary. It was at this time when I realized just how terrified I was to be this far beneath the water and how claustrophobic it felt. It was also during this time, when Schultz was explaining how he uses his equipment to investigate, that I heard a growl come from outside the room we were in. I didn’t say anything at the time because I was so thrown off, but I eventually spoke to Schultz after the fact and he corroborated that he had heard the growl before during his time investigating the boiler room.

Though we didn’t pick up any EVP’s (electronic voice phenomenons) nor did we necessarily see anything, I know for myself, I experienced a hell of a lot of unexplainable things aboard The Queen Mary. So much so, that I was left shaken for days afterwards which is very unlike me. Guests have the opportunity to stay in Stateroom B340, with pricing starting at $499 per night, and though I have no desire to do so, I’m interested in hearing the experiences that other guests have there. There’s a lot to do on The Queen Mary besides staying in B340, such as the paranormal investigations and the re-launch of their Ghosts and Legends Tour (which I HIGHLY suggest doing). Whatever the case may be, The Queen Mary once again did not disappoint and I left that evening with a head full of experiences to share with all of you. Fans of history, ghost hunting and stories of the paranormal will find a lot to love with any of the experiences that I have mentioned above. If you are looking for that Halloween and/or horror fix, make sure to visit The Queen Mary… who knows what you will encounter…

• Author
• Recent Posts

Follow Me

Shannon McGrew

Founder/Co-Owner at Nightmarish Conjurings

Shannon is the Founder of Nightmarish Conjurings and a lover of all things horror and haunt related. When she's not obsessively collecting all things "Trick 'R Treat" related, or trying to convince everyone that "Hereditary" is one of the greatest horror films ever made, you can find her designing interiors for commercial restaurants. An avid haunt fan, Shannon spends the entire year visiting haunts and immersive experiences throughout the Southern California area and hopes to one day design her own haunted attraction.

Follow Me

Latest posts by Shannon McGrew (see all)

• [Interview] Sean Konrad for MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS - November 29, 2023
• [Interview] Matt Shakman for MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS - November 28, 2023
• [Interview] Eli Roth for THANKSGIVING (2023) - November 16, 2023