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Dubai Is Turning the 'Queen Elizabeth II' into a Floating Hotel and Museum

 

February 7, 2018

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Since 2008, the ship has been docked in Port Rashid.

 

 

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The renovation has been 10 years in the making.

Just when you thought Dubai was done opening tourist attractions at a breakneck pace, there's another one slated for 2018. The Queen Elizabeth II, which has been docked in Port Rashid since 2008, is getting a glamorous makeover as a floating hotel and museum. Not much other information has been released; however, a recently launched QEII website shows pictures of a woman dancing in confetti and people holding sparklers, so it's bound to be fun, right?

The renovation of the Queen Elizabeth II has been a long time coming. After 39 years of service, the ship took her last journey from Southhampton, England, to Port Rashid, Dubai, in 2008—and has been there ever since, unused. Initially, there were plans to immediately begin remodeling the QEII into a floating luxury hotel, according to a Telegraph article. Initial plans put the renovated ship alongside Palm Jumeirah—an artificial island built off the Dubai coast—as part of a larger marina complex with restaurants, private homes, other hotels, theaters, and a heritage museum dedicated to the QEII.

A global recession didn't help those plans, reports Lonely Planet. The engine was permanently turned off in 2013, and since then, Dubai's hot, humid conditions have taken a toll on the ship. (We're talking mold in the cabins—not exactly a warm welcome.) But recently, construction and cleaning crews were spotted at the ship, and the refurbishment appears to be under way.

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Guest SilverHengroen

Will be interesting to see what they have done inside, especially as regards the cabins - as almost every one was different perhaps they could keep that theme going and give each room over to an individual interior designer to decorate? I believe they do that with the yearly ice hotel in the Swedish town Jukkasjärvi. Obviously they’d probably need to amalgamate them into suites of rooms, and in some cases probably knock two or three together due to the tiny sizes below two deck. I had been hoping the signal deck suites would be removed so the ship could be returned to closer to her original sleek appearance but that doesn’t look to be happening.

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The appeal of staying onboard Queen Mary in Long Beach includes staying in a stateroom that's (mostly*) outfitted as it was when the ship was operating. I don't know what appeal there would be in QE2 stateroom that had received a modern makeover.

 

*My biggest issue was in finding an in-room outlet to charge my phone. There was only a power strip that was scarily overloaded.

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The appeal of staying onboard Queen Mary in Long Beach includes staying in a stateroom that's (mostly*) outfitted as it was when the ship was operating. I don't know what appeal there would be in QE2 stateroom that had received a modern makeover.

 

*My biggest issue was in finding an in-room outlet to charge my phone. There was only a power strip that was scarily overloaded.

 

On the wonderful SS Rotterdam Cruise Hotel, they demolished almost all the original staterooms, and built entirely new ones but in the style of the old. It worked well, and satisfied hotel guests who wanted space and modern amenities. They kept a small number of original cabins intact and I believe and hope this will be Dubai's approach to.

 

If it had been down to me, I'd have merged cabins, and left some indicator of where the original rooms were - perhaps using the pattern on the ceiling and floor to show where partitions were, and to allow past passengers to revisit where they'd slept.

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Guest SilverHengroen
The appeal of staying onboard Queen Mary in Long Beach includes staying in a stateroom that's (mostly*) outfitted as it was when the ship was operating. I don't know what appeal there would be in QE2 stateroom that had received a modern makeover.

 

*My biggest issue was in finding an in-room outlet to charge my phone. There was only a power strip that was scarily overloaded.

I disagree with the sentiment, look how much QE2 changed over the course of her service life, being reinvented to stay relevant is a fundamental aspect of her. The only reason more radical changes to her accommodation weren’t made was practicality and cost of doing it. Merging rooms would have meant reducing passenger numbers and becoming economically unviable to operate, now that is no longer an issue, improving the standards of accommodation should be a priority.

 

On a more basic level, QE2 will be operating against stiff competition. If the ship is to compete in the luxury segment, rather than being a bargain basement option (I’m sure nobody would want to see that) then the level of accommodation must be competitive, which most rooms as are (or were) are not.

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Certainly the QE2's cabins that were originally Tourist Class would have to be rebuilt to appeal to today's travellers, but most of the former First Class and Grills cabins would be fine as they are. The first time we crossed in First Class (1979) we had a Three Deck cabin. It was the size of a hotel room and had a full bathroom, a walk-in closet and real wood panelling on at least one bulkhead. That cabin was later "promoted" to the Princess Grill category.

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I disagree with the sentiment, look how much QE2 changed over the course of her service life, being reinvented to stay relevant is a fundamental aspect of her. The only reason more radical changes to her accommodation weren’t made was practicality and cost of doing it. Merging rooms would have meant reducing passenger numbers and becoming economically unviable to operate, now that is no longer an issue, improving the standards of accommodation should be a priority.

 

On a more basic level, QE2 will be operating against stiff competition. If the ship is to compete in the luxury segment, rather than being a bargain basement option (I’m sure nobody would want to see that) then the level of accommodation must be competitive, which most rooms as are (or were) are not.

I don't know why anyone would choose QE2 as accommodation unless it evoked the era of when she was making regular voyages. If the rooms resemble any other city hotel, why bother?

 

There's also the consideration that reducing the number of rooms of suitable size, quality and location (Queen Mary doesn't put anyone in a shared-bath inside room today) would cut into QE2s bottom line as a viable hotel. So smaller outside rooms may not be combined into larger rooms.

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  • 1 month later...

Why did they

- paint over some of the wood paneling

- AND - Why in the heck did they design those headboards like that. They look nothing like the original, sleek, jet age furnishings (what are those corner-post-like extensions on the sides, and those old-timey bedside lamps just look cheap)

 

Sleek, mid-century design is all the rage right now. It would be easy to respect the original style and be attractive to today's customers.

 

- Mark

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Saw this online recently and thought those of you following this thread may find it interesting...

 

https://cruisearabiaonline.com/2018/03/28/qe2-returns-to-port-rashid-after-shower-and-a-shave-drydock-and-propeller-removal/

 

https://cruisearabiaonline.com/2018/04/04/when-will-the-qe2-hotel-in-dubai-open/

 

Anne..

Edited by Jayayeff
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Interesting, thank you.

It's the first time I have seen a suggested opening date.

 

I live in Dubai and haven’t heard of one yet either!!! However, linking it in to the QM2 being in Dubai makes sense - especially as she is bringing back the items that were on loan to Cunard and onboard the Queen Elizabeth until recently....

 

Anne..

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Oh dear. Looking at the photos of QE2 denuded of her lifeboats and that photo of one of the cabins denuded of every original element makes me just more content that I said my farewells to the ship when she was retired and prefer to treasure my memories of her. It's ever so more satisfying that trying to squint hard enough to call any of this "restoration" or "preservation". ROTTERDAM shows how it's done and alas Dubai isn't interested in that.

 

Me, I've been delighted to get original copies of most of the British architectural and design magazines c. May-June 1969 with full issue special numbers on QE2 when brand new and, to me, breathtaking and flawless as originally decorated.

 

All gone now but the memories..... sigh..

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