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Any news on QE2 ?


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Guest SilverHengroen

I’d also be interested to know, the last ‘concrete’ plans I heard were for her to go to South Africa, and that turned out to be very insubstantial concrete indeed... since then she’s just been sat there doing not a lot? Or have they been converting her for her hotel role this whole time? They could have rebuilt the whole decaying aluminium superstructure in the years that have passed so you do have to wonder what has been happening - I guess a total strip down to bare metal inside to remove any asbestos and reconfiguration? All but the top couple of dozen of her rooms would probably need knocking 2 or even 3 into one to compete as a luxury (or even mid-tier) hotel. Even a standard Britannia room on the newer fleet mates probably wouldn’t make the grade in Dubai!

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Over the years we have had so many of these plans that have never come to anything. This one could be the goer though, who knows. The question is though, does QE2 have the pulling power now after so many years to justify the expense of conversion to what would need to be a very high standard. Strip out all the interior and refit to modern standards and it would not be the ship I remember.

 

DAVID

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In My Honest Opinion the best thing to happen to the QE2 is to sail the QE2 back to the UK to be used as a floating hotel/convention center in the Port of Southampton. The reason why I think Southampton is the best location for the QE2 is that Cunard still uses Southampton as the homeport for its ships. The question I who lives in the USA am asking to Cruisecritic members who live in the Southampton area or in the UK is that Is there dock or berth space available in the Port of Southampton to permanently dock the QE2? Regards,Jerry

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Over the years we have had so many of these plans that have never come to anything. This one could be the goer though, who knows. The question is though, does QE2 have the pulling power now after so many years to justify the expense of conversion to what would need to be a very high standard. Strip out all the interior and refit to modern standards and it would not be the ship I remember.

 

DAVID

I agree completely. What market are they after? Us "old Cunarders" are unlikely to be attracted to a stripped out shell with a new Dubai type interior. As far as that goes, the only reason I might find myself in Dubai would be on some other ship as a port call. Might go see the "old girl" then as a visitor. Compared to the other places to stay in Dubai, this proposal sounds like a money loser for sure.

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In My Honest Opinion the best thing to happen to the QE2 is to sail the QE2 back to the UK to be used as a floating hotel/convention center in the Port of Southampton. The reason why I think Southampton is the best location for the QE2 is that Cunard still uses Southampton as the homeport for its ships. The question I who lives in the USA am asking to Cruisecritic members who live in the Southampton area or in the UK is that Is there dock or berth space available in the Port of Southampton to permanently dock the QE2? Regards,Jerry

 

Well first it wouldn’t be sail back it would be tow back and I can’t see it being a success in Southampton anyway. Time has moved on and to most people here QE2 is just a ship that they may be aware of or most probably are not. Ship enthusiasts and those of us who were lucky enough to have sailed aboard her are a steadily diminishing band. I certainly wouldn’t put any of my funds into the project.

 

David

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I live near Southampton and the only place they could realistically put her is at the redeveloped Mayflower Park/Town Quay area which hasn't even been given the full go ahead yet so I doubt it would happen. There were plans at one point to bring her to the Thames which had the backing of then London Mayor Boris Johnson but the Dubai owners said no.

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Guest SilverHengroen
In My Honest Opinion the best thing to happen to the QE2 is to sail the QE2 back to the UK to be used as a floating hotel/convention center in the Port of Southampton. The reason why I think Southampton is the best location for the QE2 is that Cunard still uses Southampton as the homeport for its ships. The question I who lives in the USA am asking to Cruisecritic members who live in the Southampton area or in the UK is that Is there dock or berth space available in the Port of Southampton to permanently dock the QE2? Regards,Jerry

I’m down in Lymington but visit Southampton semi regularly - I think the old King George V drydock is available as a wet berth though it would necessitate advertising the views as of scenic Southampton container berth! I think the cost and effort involved really put taking her anywhere else now out of the question, Dubai is to be her final resting place, for better or worse... if the QE2 London people couldn’t make it happen, I don’t think it’s going to unfortunately

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Conversion is well underway apparently. No one really knows what's happening on the inside but all the lifeboats have been removed and the lifeboat davits have been blowtorched off. The pool on the back of one deck has been possibly removed or paved over. A reception building has been built next to her.

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If this is the extent of the advance "publicity" for this misbegotten project and it's all supposed to suddenly materialize in two months time, one might be a tad cautious. Personally, I'd rather have had the old girl meet a dignified end at the breakers than being in the hands of complete and utter strangers like this. Hacking off the davits and lifeboats is indicative of their appreciation of "preserving" the ship.

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If this is the extent of the advance "publicity" for this misbegotten project and it's all supposed to suddenly materialize in two months time, one might be a tad cautious. Personally, I'd rather have had the old girl meet a dignified end at the breakers than being in the hands of complete and utter strangers like this. Hacking off the davits and lifeboats is indicative of their appreciation of "preserving" the ship.

 

 

 

I saw her recently in the distance from

Burj Kalifa in Dubai and sadly she is languishing with all air con having been switched off a few years ago. I would be surprised if she is restored to some sort of glory, which is a sad end for a maritime great. On another note, I understand that a drunken crew party after her last voyage resulted in some of her fine artwork being thrown overboard in to the sea. This included a wonderful woollen tapestry that hung in a main stairwell showing the Queen launching her in the Clyde. I recall this piece of art well from a tour of QE2 and was sad to hear of Its demise.

 

 

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I saw her recently in the distance from

Burj Kalifa in Dubai and sadly she is languishing with all air con having been switched off a few years ago. I would be surprised if she is restored to some sort of glory, which is a sad end for a maritime great. On another note, I understand that a drunken crew party after her last voyage resulted in some of her fine artwork being thrown overboard in to the sea. This included a wonderful woollen tapestry that hung in a main stairwell showing the Queen launching her in the Clyde. I recall this piece of art well from a tour of QE2 and was sad to hear of Its demise.

 

 

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yes...that was quite a party, the tapestry was recovered, they found it rolled up in the one of the air-conditioning ducts. ;p

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I saw her recently in the distance from

Burj Kalifa in Dubai and sadly she is languishing with all air con having been switched off a few years ago. I would be surprised if she is restored to some sort of glory, which is a sad end for a maritime great. On another note, I understand that a drunken crew party after her last voyage resulted in some of her fine artwork being thrown overboard in to the sea. This included a wonderful woollen tapestry that hung in a main stairwell showing the Queen launching her in the Clyde. I recall this piece of art well from a tour of QE2 and was sad to hear of Its demise.

 

 

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I'm not sure how recently that was but she is reportedly being worked on ready for opening next month.

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She’s not languishing but has been fitted out inside and out and will open as a hotel in the new marina next month. I’m on a Facebook group where people who are in Dubai have put up pictures. The pool has been covered up with wooden decking and the terminal with pictures of her Cunard past is ready. Still waiting for pics of her inside but it’s top secret until opening. Pictures of her in the marina look lovely , like she used to minus the lifeboats which are placed on the entrance to the drive to the terminal. I’m pleased the new owners have done something with her and she hasn’t been broken up or allowed to decay.

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She’s not languishing but has been fitted out inside and out and will open as a hotel in the new marina next month. I’m on a Facebook group where people who are in Dubai have put up pictures. The pool has been covered up with wooden decking and the terminal with pictures of her Cunard past is ready. Still waiting for pics of her inside but it’s top secret until opening. Pictures of her in the marina look lovely , like she used to minus the lifeboats which are placed on the entrance to the drive to the terminal. I’m pleased the new owners have done something with her and she hasn’t been broken up or allowed to decay.

 

Thank you so very much for the update, and I stand corrected! This is the first positive news I've heard about the project in a long time! Thank you.

 

I found this link from recent weeks: https://www.thenational.ae/uae/government/qe2-undergoes-major-facelift-in-dubai-as-anticipation-for-her-next-chapter-builds-1.630638

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Thank you so very much for the update, and I stand corrected! This is the first positive news I've heard about the project in a long time! Thank you.

 

I found this link from recent weeks: https://www.thenational.ae/uae/government/qe2-undergoes-major-facelift-in-dubai-as-anticipation-for-her-next-chapter-builds-1.630638

That's the link I posted in the first post on this thread !

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Guest SilverHengroen
She’s not languishing but has been fitted out inside and out and will open as a hotel in the new marina next month. I’m on a Facebook group where people who are in Dubai have put up pictures. The pool has been covered up with wooden decking and the terminal with pictures of her Cunard past is ready. Still waiting for pics of her inside but it’s top secret until opening. Pictures of her in the marina look lovely , like she used to minus the lifeboats which are placed on the entrance to the drive to the terminal. I’m pleased the new owners have done something with her and she hasn’t been broken up or allowed to decay.

So the lifeboats have been removed - that’s quite a drastic change but unlike the QM(1) and QM2 (and even QV and QE) her boat deck was very narrow with the crenellations around the boat equipment so an improvement now they’re not needed perhaps? With the heat in Dubai I wonder if they will be replaced with a raised shade to keep things a bit cooler - might then look like one of the sheltered promenades from the Edwardian era liners! With how long they have been doing this conversion (9 years this month!) she must look $1,000,000 inside. I guess as there’s been no reports they won’t have restored the front facing lookout bar and chopped off that lump they grafted to her bridge front in 72 though?

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Sorry but ripping off the davits and the lifeboats of an ocean liner isn't "an improvement", it's a material alteration of the ship's appearance and character. One could also say that the ship's masts and funnel, too, are "no longer needed" and could be removed, too. Indeed, I think QE2's present owners were indeed going to rip off the funnel. I don't know of any other preserved liners, QUEEN MARY and ROTTERDAM coming to mind, where this has been done or even muted.

 

You either are sympathetic and respectful of something that is of significant historical importance. Or you are not. So far, the owners of the former RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 have indicated they are... not.

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Many of the davits and lifeboats obscured the major staterooms so as a hotel which she now is , not a ship I can see the point of then being taken off and put on display. They also have to be maintained which is not worth it. From what I heard , as she is opening in a month , they are definitely not going to rip out the funnel or any other major external work. Picture of the terminal where paintings from the QE2 and some of her models sit indicate the owners are well aware of her history and meaning. The new marina looks lovely too with her in pride of place. I suggest you join the Facebook group if you want to see pictures. They could have scrapped her but they didn’t and as a hotel I hope she thrives.

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Many of the davits and lifeboats obscured the major staterooms so as a hotel which she now is , not a ship I can see the point of then being taken off and put on display. They also have to be maintained which is not worth it. From what I heard , as she is opening in a month , they are definitely not going to rip out the funnel or any other major external work. Picture of the terminal where paintings from the QE2 and some of her models sit indicate the owners are well aware of her history and meaning. The new marina looks lovely too with her in pride of place. I suggest you join the Facebook group if you want to see pictures. They could have scrapped her but they didn’t and as a hotel I hope she thrives.

 

 

 

It's a slippery argument- there are a lot of things onboard now that she's a static hotel that aren't necessary for operations or safety. You could rip out the engines, the bridge, etc but what would you have left? A hunk of steel with some hotel rooms in it. The lifeboats were a very visible historical context to her past and they very much should have been retained. If you want a great view from the Signal Deck penthouses there are plenty of other hotels in Dubai that have much fancier, much larger rooms on much higher floors. This is a ship- why even bother if you're going to try and erase a lot of what makes her a ship? This smacks very much of Long Beach's mismanagement of Queen Mary during her conversion. Rotterdam on the other hand is a textbook case of how to handle this- she is preserved and very much intact.

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Guest SilverHengroen
It's a slippery argument- there are a lot of things onboard now that she's a static hotel that aren't necessary for operations or safety. You could rip out the engines, the bridge, etc but what would you have left? A hunk of steel with some hotel rooms in it. The lifeboats were a very visible historical context to her past and they very much should have been retained. If you want a great view from the Signal Deck penthouses there are plenty of other hotels in Dubai that have much fancier, much larger rooms on much higher floors. This is a ship- why even bother if you're going to try and erase a lot of what makes her a ship? This smacks very much of Long Beach's mismanagement of Queen Mary during her conversion. Rotterdam on the other hand is a textbook case of how to handle this- she is preserved and very much intact.

Well there is a difference between removing the lifeboats and the bridge, funnel, engines etc and that is that there is a material gain from removing them whereas what do you get for removing the other things you mentioned? Not only did the boats block the views from the large suites onboard, but they were taking up an enormous amount of space on the boat deck. I remember reading in one book about QE2’s construction that James Gardner stressed over their placement as he felt they ruined the ship’s sleek lines so if that’s the original designer’s opinion then i don’t see how their removal ruins the outward appearance of the ship, just makes it look different to how people might remember it. You can’t expect everything to remain exactly the same between QE2 as an ocean going liner and QE2 as a static hotel, if the boats are the only thing lost then I think that’s a trade off worth making to see the ship survive and continue to welcome guests for decades to come.

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QE2, though my favorite ship ever, is an old ship. The vast majority of visitors to Dubai will have never sailed on her. Will she be unique enough to compete with all the spectacular hotels in Dubai? Time will tell. Glad I am not an investor in this project. ;p

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Well there is a difference between removing the lifeboats and the bridge, funnel, engines etc and that is that there is a material gain from removing them whereas what do you get for removing the other things you mentioned? Not only did the boats block the views from the large suites onboard, but they were taking up an enormous amount of space on the boat deck. I remember reading in one book about QE2’s construction that James Gardner stressed over their placement as he felt they ruined the ship’s sleek lines so if that’s the original designer’s opinion then i don’t see how their removal ruins the outward appearance of the ship, just makes it look different to how people might remember it. You can’t expect everything to remain exactly the same between QE2 as an ocean going liner and QE2 as a static hotel, if the boats are the only thing lost then I think that’s a trade off worth making to see the ship survive and continue to welcome guests for decades to come.

 

 

 

I've sailed in those penthouses many times- the views weren't terrible, but you never booked them for the views (I always much preferred the Q3's on One Deck with the oval portholes). Regardless, we're talking about slightly improving the views from what amounts to a 5 story building (in a city with the tallest building in the world and 88 buildings over 600ft tall). I just don't buy that marginally improving the view from 30 1970's prefab suites is worth sacrificing the ships historical integrity.

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