The encounter was the first between the two vessels since 1967, when the Queen Mary made its final transatlantic crossing and passed by its sister ship amid a display of pageantry.
The two queens exchanged whistle blasts in a mutual salute at 7 p.m., followed by a fireworks show at 7:30 p.m. Then the Queen Elizabeth was set to dock overnight alongside its much older sister ship, the Queen Mary, which has been retired for 45 years.
The public was given free admission to the Queen Mary so they can witness the maritime meeting from the older ship's decks.
The Queen Elizabeth will head to Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday.
The Queen Mary was visited in Long Beach by the Queen Mary 2 in 2006 and by another Cunard liner, the Queen Victoria, in 2011.
City News Service contributed to this report.
