Inside Dark Harbor: The Spirits Rise on The Queen Mary

The last time I attended The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor was in 2019 before it went dark for the proceeding four years. Experiencing its return this spooky season was exciting and overwhelming to the senses. Where do I begin? Since I’m an October baby, I celebrate my birthday by hitting up whatever Halloween events I can. Of course, Dark Harbor was at the top of that list. It was a night filled with frights and delights, and I’m eager to tell you all about it and share a ton of photos.

Creators behind the event had dropped some teasers at Midsummer Scream, so I had a vague idea of what to expect, but witnessing it was entirely different. On-site parking can get crazy, so the husband and I opted for rideshare as our mode of transportation. We were dropped off at a shuttle pickup spot and boarded, what I like to call, the bus to hell. The anticipation inside me was brewing.

When the historic ship was in sight, glowing in an eerie red light, it took everything in me to remain seated. The night I went was sold out and many people swarmed the grounds. Now, I’ve been back to The Queen Mary a few times when I’ve checked out their haunted tours. However, returning for Dark Harbor was surreal because the event has been absent for so long. I couldn’t believe I was actually going!

If you haven’t been to Dark Harbor, let me explain the set up a bit so you have a better idea of the layout. The majority of the event happens on the grounds surrounding the vessel. There were, however, three mazes that took place on the ship. It’s like an amusement park situated adjacent to The Queen Mary.

At the entrance is a photo op and attendees can pick up their picture before the end of the night if they choose. Once I got my picture taken, the time had arrived to enter Dark Harbor: The Spirits Rise. Mist filled the air, neon lights glowed everywhere, and haunting music played. Before heading to the main grounds, there was a discreet section that veered off the main path where guests could purchase tokens to access the secret speakeasies. That’s what we did. While there, a Voodoo Priestess greeted visitors, urging us to go forward into Dark Harbor.

I missed the Maiden Voyage Launch Party by a few minutes. During the ceremony, the Captain welcomes guests and officially marks the commencement of the Halloween festivities. Despite that, throngs of people were already inside the main grounds. When I stepped through the ominous archway, I was struck by all the lively energy. Because there was so much going on, it was easy to get distracted and confused about where to go. The main priority for me was to make sure I walked through every haunted maze. There were five, and the first one we came across was Breakout! and On the Run.

Breakout! and On the Run reveals the story of the ruthless criminal Samuel the Savage who committed a gruesome murder in stateroom B340 aboard The Queen Mary. The attraction was in the seaside village portion of the grounds. These small buildings are typically off limits to the public, so it was neat to see how they incorporated them into the event.

Every maze had a hidden speakeasy and fortunately we discovered the one inside this haunt. The bar was housed in a gothic cathedral and was serving up a few different spirits. My poison of choice was The Monster Mash mocktail, and the husband ordered the Cryptkeeper cocktail. It was quite refreshing after our brisk walk through the first half of the maze. After a brief respite to imbibe in our beverages in the graveyard, it was time to continue our treacherous journey through the rest of Breakout! and On the Run.

I was impressed by how long the maze was. I later learned it’s a double maze! Most haunted mazes at theme parks aren’t very long, but this one took you on quite a trek that lasted several minutes, even longer since we stopped at the speakeasy. While the special effects throughout were great, my favorite spot was a scene that had menacing, erect cloaked figures surrounded by candles.

After that sinister experience, we decided to take a quick tour of the grounds to see all the offerings on display and better organize how to proceed for the rest of the night. When you go to events like these, it’s good to have a plan in place so you can stay organized. Time flies, so it helps to know what you want to check off your list.

Let me give you a brief rundown of the other haunted mazes since we’re on that topic.

Next, we did Feast, which has been featured at Dark Harbor in the past and was reimagined for its comeback. The storyline follows a young butcher who aspired to be the head chef on the ocean liner. After being mistreated by first class passengers, he begins to despise them. Let’s just say things turn bloody and he starts to add a mystery ingredient to his dishes. This was one of the attractions on the ship. Much of the lower parts of the vessel aren’t accessible, but Feast took guests to forbidden areas that showed signs of their age.

Lullaby was another attraction that transpired inside the vessel. It’s inspired by one of the most notorious spirits believed to haunt the ship, the little girl who drowned in the first-class swimming pool. She’s called Scary Mary, and this haunt incorporated the infamous pool.

Then we descended into the bowels of The Queen Mary as we ventured into Infirmary. When a storyline involves a demented surgeon and a bloodthirsty accomplice named Graceful Gale, how can you not be creeped out? Graceful Gale was crooning a tune in one part of the attraction, looking as deadly as ever. We also encountered a trio of bloodstained musicians. We managed to find the hidden speakeasy in this maze, but unfortunately the bar started having technical issues with their payment system, so we and other guests didn’t have the chance to quench our thirst.

Big Top Terror was our final haunted attraction of the night and was set up outside of the ship. The Ringmaster was the star of this maze and beckoned victims, I mean attendees, to experience their twisted circus. There were sideshow characters, a hall of mirrors and a giant pumpkin that we got to walk through.

Overall, I was impressed by the length of the attractions. When mazes are too short, you feel like you’re in and out and don’t have a chance to soak in the setting. The producers also made great use of animatronics. There was so much to look at, which is why I didn’t get many photos inside the mazes. I wanted to experience them with my eyes, plus I didn’t want to hold up the line of people following behind. I couldn’t figure out where the concealed speakeasies were in some of the mazes, so I was disappointed to miss out on those.

Access to the Observation Deck was included with Evil Express and VIP admission. It was situated on the ship’s T-bridge and offered fantastic views of the entire event. I witnessed a lively, neon landscape of spooky revelry. The area contained a full bar and a comfortable place to lounge and enjoy the scenery.

There were many other types of attractions and entertainment happening. The Spirits of Dark Harbor was located inside the ship and was where an interactive séance took place called Lady Mabel Presents The Summoning of Samuel. There were also fire dance performances, a DJ in the ShipYard, games, carnival rides, and lots of tasty food and beverage options. Did I manage to do everything in a single night? Definitely not, but I still had a fun time checking out what I could.

For its grand return from the depths of the ocean, Dark Harbor did not disappoint me. Although it was sold out, it never felt overly crowded. Everything was sprawled across the property nicely, so it wasn’t too challenging to move around.

With these types of events, I opt for VIP or fast pass tickets because lines for general admission can be long. If you want to get to every maze and not spend a majority of your time in lengthy lines, I recommend purchasing an upgraded admission tier. Also, for Dark Harbor, the rides and certain attractions were not included with a ticket purchase. These needed to be bought separately either online or at the event. I like to let people know these things in case, like me, you have a budget and want to set extra funds aside.

By the end of it all, I was happily fatigued and so grateful that I had the opportunity to attend The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor again after all these years. It’s nice to know that it will be back next year.

Where to Stalk

Dark Harbor

The Queen Mary