57 Ghosts Séance Aboard The Queen Mary

Would you attend a séance on a haunted historic ship? The Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA, gives guests the chance to do just that with 57 Ghosts. The attraction is a theatrical experience that taps into the occult and supernatural, conjuring all sorts of mysteries. I was definitely eager to straddle the line between the living and the dead.

I have a fascination with the Victorian period and seances were all the rage during the 19^th century. Apparitionist Michael Rangel provided a bit of insight into this fact, talking about their popularity in society during this time. While there were many frauds out to make a pretty penny off the bereaved, there were also sincere attempts to interact with the other side. Before initiating the séance, our host gave a few personal accounts of what drew him to esotericism.  One experience he had, which I won’t spoil and share here, is actually connected to an infamous serial killer of the 1980s…the Night Stalker.

The ceremony took place in a room I’ve never noticed or been in. The crimson velvet carpet and chairs made quite an impression, and there was a sizable round table in the middle of the chamber. Situated in a corner was a mannequin figure donning an ivory wedding gown. One wall contained portraits of every known soul that had perished on the vessel, while the opposite wall was adorned with occult relics.

Rangel explained that the séance would consist of two parts, a light séance and a dark séance. The former was to build a connection among us living participants of the group; the latter was to connect us with the dead. The main ghost we summoned that evening is one of the most notorious spirits that’s believed to haunt The Queen Mary—Jackie. It’s said this little girl drowned in the swimming pool sometime during the 1930s and there are several reports of guests seeing her on the ship.

The experience is immersive, so everyone had an opportunity to participate in some form. During the light séance, a couple of guests were chosen to take part in the key test where Jackie was called upon to turn the key. Another activity was the Tarot card pull.  A few individuals were each given a group of Tarot cards and told to select one that spoke to them the strongest. The cards were gathered and shuffled by another person in the group, and the apparitionist got to work matching each person with their card. I must say he possessed an uncanny ability to pair each Tarot card with its rightful owner.

For the dark séance, the room was bathed in red light, signaling it was time to tap into the afterlife. Various intriguing mystical practices were performed, including one I participated in. Allow me to briefly  backtrack. Before we descended to the séance room, Michael selected me to write down a secret place that holds special significance to me on a piece of paper. I was to fold and keep the paper with me until called upon to reference it.

When the time came, our host laid a pendulum and spirit board on the table. For the pendulum, he used a ring that was very meaningful to him and attached it to a string. I stood up to hold the pendulum by the tip of the string over the board. He proceeded to ask yes and no questions for the spirit to answer so he could discover what my secret place was. The process was fascinating and eventually he came to the correct conclusion, which was The Queen Mary.

The historic ship is indeed quite important to me for a few reasons. My grandfather was one the troops that sailed aboard the ship during World War II and my husband proposed to me on the vessel. In a way, I feel visiting the ship helps me reconnect with my grandpa, and so it holds a special place in my heart. And, of course, I love its haunted history!

There were many things that transpired over the course of the evening, and while it would be challenging to divulge every detail, I will share some interesting observations made by some of the participants toward the end. There were two dolls propped up on shelves that were facing each other at the commencement of the séance; at the conclusion, their heads were turned toward us. Then, earlier in the evening, Rangel used one of the guest’s phones to record the room. When the woman whose phone he used revisited the footage, she caught a glimpse of a little girl’s face in the black glass mirror that was on the table.

Several curious occurrences took place and you really need to attend the séance to experience the magic. Our apparitionist, Michael Rangel, was an excellent host with a keen intuition and magnetic aura.

57 Ghosts happens aboard The Queen Mary in the evening from Friday through Sunday.  Space is limited to keep the experience intimate. If you attend, I wish you a ghostly good time.

Where to Stalk

57 Ghosts official website

The Queen Mary