Do the Math: Have Yourself a SteamPunk Christmas

Hey everyone! You have the chance to check out an amazing piece of history AND celebrate Christmas at the same time! The Queen Mary is opening its Engine Room to all travelers and visitors to the ship who participate in the Queen Mary's Christmas!

There are upgrades and packages for an even more immersive experience! But... for less than the regular cost of visiting the ship, you get seasonal fun and you get to see the amazing Engine Room! Buy tickets here!

The Deets

The Queen Mary Christmas kicks off on November 23 and festivities will continue until January 6th. Prices range from $16-$70 depending upon the ages of your group and what you want to do.

Taking a Large Group? You can visit for as little as $22 per person for those 12 and up, and $16 for those 4-11. Under 4 is free!

All Aboard!

The big difference this year, is that it all happens on-board. Your holiday photos will be taken from a different perspective. You can finally get to see what is arguably the most impressive part of the ship, the Engine room. You can see a special Polar Express showing in the 4D showing room and visit the ship's model gallery where you will visit models of the Queen Mary and many of her sister ships!

Other activities are included with every holiday season ticket: Strolling onboard the ship which is decked out with trees, garlands and holiday decor; a visit with Santa at his Captain's Quarters; Storytime with Mrs. C; other special entertainment and a tree lighting ceremony every evening!

If you would like to do other special seasonal activities, such as ice skate on the North deck or decorate a stocking or a gingerbread house, you may wish to purchase a First Class passport, or a VIP Grand Passport for a few more dollars.

But the best part of the show has been there all the time. You just haven't known it.

Be Inside the Machine - The Queen Mary's Engine Room

If you saw my videos of the Queen Mary's Broken Compass Secret Bar that was part of the Dark Harbor celebration this Halloween, you got a glimpse of the Queen Mary's engine room. Walking around the engine room, you are inside the machine. Usually we observe engines from outside. I've seen a few steam engines in my life. I was at Disneyland, and there are several steam engine trains that carry folks around the park. I saw a steam tractor, steam letterpress machine and steam dragon at the Bay Area Maker Faire. The Queen Mary's Engine Room takes the cake.

The Queen Mary's engine no longer carries you physically from one destination to the next, but it certainly can transport you back to a time when steam engines ruled the world. Massive condensers, pumps and valves surround you in the Engine Room. I imagine it was very noisy, with steam hissing as it escaped. Certainly, it is an incredible sight and not to be missed by history enthusiasts, steam punk fans and even just the curious.

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Christmas + Steam Engine = SteamPunk Christmas!

Trish Tsoiasue is a community builder based in Long Beach, California . She builds socially responsible, grassroots communities, believes in the power of play, has many hobbies and interests, and lots and lots of ideas. She is trained in LEGO(r) Serious Play and the Creative Problem Solving Institute's methods of intentional creativity. She has created a portfolio of socially responsible groups and projects: the Long Beach LEGO User Group, Makersville and the Leading Edge Multi-National Games, Spectrum Works, and the Community Lemonade Game, a mechanism for path finding and problem solving that she plays. She's convinced that one day you will play it too. You can find her experiential videos on her Squigglemom YouTube channel (please subscribe!), and when she's not blogging on the Patch, she's blogging on Squigglemom.net.