LONG BEACH : Council Advises Against Closing Queen Mary
The historic Queen Mary cruise ship in Long Beach received a symbolic boost Tuesday when the City Council recommended the attraction remain open until another operator can be found for the seaside attraction.
But the fate of the ship and its nearly 1,000 employees remains in the hands of the Board of Harbor Commissioners, which will vote next Monday on the future of the liner.
The Walt Disney Co., which manages the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose attractions, wants to drop its lease by the end of September. At least two harbor commissioners, Joel Friedland and David L. Hauser, said Tuesday afternoon that they are not optimistic about finding another operator to replace Disney.
Nonetheless, the council’s recommendation raised the hopes of the nearly 100 Queen Mary workers and supporters who attended the council meeting. “Our next battle is going before the Harbor Commission and convincing them,” said David Rubin of the Queen Mary Foundation.
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