Since I told you I was going to celebrate Independence Day on The Queen Mary I figured I’d share with you how it went. Not gonna lie…it was pretty great.

I must admit, at first it didn’t look that way. We got to the ship in the late afternoon and the place was jumping. There were lots of people on board but it never felt too crowded. We first headed into the 1930’s room which was labeled as a speakeasy. Well…a few decorative barrels do not a speakeasy make. I was disappointed to find a makeshift bar serving beer, wine, and well drinks – not a sidecar or manhattan in site. There was hardly any seating and not much atmosphere. We did enjoy a short dance recital by some amazing swing dancers but left disappointed.

We started to wander the ship and found that the 1940’s and 1950’s area were VIP only and we only had general admission badges. There was an opportunity to pay an extra fee for a VIP upgrade but it didn’t seem worth it – it was crowded and we could hear nothing but Katy Perry blasting from another section. So we kept wandering and found the deck crowded with people staking their claims for the fireworks that were over 2 hours away.

I was starting to regret coming when we stumbled into the 1960’s room. That’s when things started to turn around. The entertainment included Beatles tribute band, Abbey Road, and a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. Both acts were fantastic. “Marilyn” was spot on and the band was amazing! The entire room turned into one big party with everyone dancing and having a wonderful time. There was also a tiki bar inside and they served a mean pina colada. We were having such fun that before we knew it, it was time for the fireworks.

Wow. Just wow. It was one of the best fireworks display I had ever seen. They were launched from the bow of the ship and were directly overhead. It was such an incredible sight.

When the night was over I came to the conclusion that The Queen Mary is THE place to be on the 4th of July. I can’t wait until next year!