I loved Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor more last year. Is it still worth it? Yes. Is there anything new this year? Yep.
Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor is unique because many of the mazes here are based on stories about the Ship. The storylines make the mazes much more interesting, in my opinion. One of my favorite scenes this year is in the Lullaby maze, “inside the pool” where you see Scary Mary floating above you.
New this year is Rogue. The story here is that a wave has capsized the ship. There are some fun FX here where you see the waves coming at you as you walk through the off-kilter and upside-down halls. You see the bodies floating around you and there are even some bubbles involved. It’s a unique theme and a fun experience. This maze has one of the only two hidden bars.
Lots of bars and drinks for all!
There are plenty of bars this year but we certainly wished there were more hidden ones. (The hidden bars are SO much fun!) All of the bartenders were fantastic and the drinks are great, but they do lack the theme-matching whimsical character of last year’s drinks. At this year’s event, I watched circus performers, rode the famous swings, hung out at the hookah bar, along with eating and drinking more than I needed. All of these experiences were great!
Top-notch performances!
I want to especially commend the performers; they are truly amazing… all of them. The maze performers, the circus entertainment, ALL OF THEM are great! I also enjoyed the swings from Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. Their creepy green glow adds such an amazing atmosphere to the event. The hookah bar has a nice Moroccan style and the menu has plenty to choose from.
Dark Harbor drowned a little with their logistics
Although it didn’t ruin my great time at the event, I was confronted with a barrage of issues that I really shouldn’t have had to deal with. There were several technical difficulties that prevented me from getting a VIP lounge pass which is a great add-on if you can get it… which I couldn’t. When I went to buy a drink from one of the various food vendors there, their soda fountain only had Sprite. I was handed a cup with Sprite and a bug floating on top! (Gross.) When I asked for another one, they couldn’t give me another because their soda fountain just broke. I tried to order chicken & waffles but they were out of that too, even though a giant sign said they sold them, and this was at the beginning of the night. Luckily, after things were sorted out, the food I got was quite delicious!
Towards the end of the night, the handwashing stations by the porta-potties near the exit (and entrance) were out of water. This led me on an adventure to rinse the soap off my hands. Trying to find a place to remove the dried soapy film from my hands, I asked a nearby bar attendant who couldn’t help because the bars DO NOT have running water and apparently NO hand sanitizer! This led me to realize that the bartenders are not able to wash or sanitize their hands after handling money.
I had a ‘beef’ with this one…
I found a beef stick laying on top of a button switch box that is for the patrons of the hidden bar. You can push this button to activate a scare for the others, going through the maze (which is really fun, by the way). How do I know the stick was from last year? Because the drinks we got in this exact same hidden bar, which was also in the exact same place on the ship, had a drink last year that included a beef stick in the drink. (Ewww!)
Suffice it to say, I have some communal health concerns. I suggest you bring your own hand sanitizer, take your vitamins, and brave the mazes! It’s definitely worthwhile!
