QE2 Documentary.

[hansol1966]

Sorry if this has been posted before.

There is a documentary on the QE2 hotel conversion this coming Friday 24th on channel 5 at 9.00 PM.

“QE2 The worlds most luxurious hotel” first hour long episode of three.

[Monorail Orange]

Thanks - I'll look out for it.

 

I wonder how long they've been following the project - the ships been there years IIRC.

[Selbourne]

Having never cruised on QE2 I suspect that we will find it interesting, rather than sad, as would have been the case if it were, say, Oriana. I saw a programme about the original Queen Mary as a hotel in California and, in a typically American way, the staff running it made it more a theme park type of ‘attraction’ rather than a homage to the splendour of yesteryear, which was a real shame IMO, but probably suits their customer base! I should imagine that over the coming years there will be a reasonable supply of ‘donor vessels’ should anyone else wish to convert a cruise ship to a static hotel!

[Son of Anarchy]

We had booked Oceana for one of 19/20 Dubai cruises and were hoping to do the tour onboard QE2 whilst in Dubai.  Particularly as FIL worked on her when she was originally fitted out.  Oh, well, the Iranians put a stop to that.

 

Will have to watch the documentary instead!

[Britboys]

24 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Having never cruised on QE2 I suspect that we will find it interesting, rather than sad, as would have been the case if it were, say, Oriana. I saw a programme about the original Queen Mary as a hotel in California and, in a typically American way, the staff running it made it more a theme park type of ‘attraction’ rather than a homage to the splendour of yesteryear, which was a real shame IMO, but probably suits their customer base! I should imagine that over the coming years there will be a reasonable supply of ‘donor vessels’ should anyone else wish to convert a cruise ship to a static hotel!

I was lucky enough to sail on the QE2 in 1995 when we did a fantastic Eastbound transatlantic crossing. I have such fond memories of that and so don't really want to watch this series. Apart from anything else, I am sure there will be a lot of subtle self-promotion of Dubai and I have no desire to sit through that.

 

I was also lucky enough to visit Queen Mary at Long Beach back in the late eighties/early nineties whilst on a holiday in California. In those days, it wasn't too 'disneyfied', although of course the tour guide was very enthusiastic. They had preserved quite a bit of it including some cabins. One specific thing that has stayed with me is that the higher grade cabins had two sets of taps in the baths - one for fresh water and one for salt water!

[tring]

Thanks for the heads up on this.

 

We were in a hotel fairly near the port where it is docked in February and I wanted to see her.  Even going for lunch and a quick look round was very pricey though and no cheaper alternative, so we skipped it, but would like to see the program.

[AnnieC]

24 minutes ago, Britboys said:

I was lucky enough to sail on the QE2 in 1995 when we did a fantastic Eastbound transatlantic crossing. I have such fond memories of that and so don't really want to watch this series. Apart from anything else, I am sure there will be a lot of subtle self-promotion of Dubai and I have no desire to sit through that.

 

 

Well said - I feel the same.

[Monorail Orange]

Having seen some of the photos of the QE2 when she launched, it'd be great if they returned some of the areas to their mid-century style.

[majortom10]

Having sailed on QE2 4 times and looked at QE2 hotel website and the pictures on there I didnt recognise anywhere or anything that jogged memories.

[Denarius]

4 hours ago, Britboys said:

I was also lucky enough to visit Queen Mary at Long Beach back in the late eighties/early nineties whilst on a holiday in California. In those days, it wasn't too 'disneyfied', although of course the tour guide was very enthusiastic. They had preserved quite a bit of it including some cabins. One specific thing that has stayed with me is that the higher grade cabins had two sets of taps in the baths - one for fresh water and one for salt water!

I visited her in 2013. Standing next to her on the quay, the first thing which struck me was how small she seemed compared with present day mega ships. in fact, at 81,000 GRT and carrying 2100 passengers, she would now be classed as a mid size ship.

[Monorail Orange]

Funny how people mention the Mary being like a themed attraction.

 

She nearly became part of a theme park, if Port Disney in Long Beach had gone ahead in the '90s. (Disney owned her at the time).

The idea remains today at Tokyo DisneySea with the S.S. Columbia.

 

Edited July 20, 2020 by Monorail Orange

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

Having sailed on QE2 4 times and looked at QE2 hotel website and the pictures on there I didnt recognise anywhere or anything that jogged memories.

They probably wanted the name more than the heritage...☹️

[emam]

There's a good program on now on C4. The Golden age of liners.

[Thejuggler]

All I can say is they have done a great job in making this a hotel I will happily avoid.

 

I've been fortunate to stay in some truly top class hotels and I'm afraid they have turned it into a cruise ship for the masses experience, but ideal for anyone who gets seasickness!

 

A top class hotel is more than the premises. When all is said and done a hotel is a room in a building, the service is what makes the difference.

 

 I can see this being towed for scrap within 10 years if they don't make some serious changes as anyone who remembers QE2 and visits for nostalgia for what it was won't be around by that time,

[Selbourne]

47 minutes ago, Thejuggler said:

All I can say is they have done a great job in making this a hotel I will happily avoid.

 

I've been fortunate to stay in some truly top class hotels and I'm afraid they have turned it into a cruise ship for the masses experience, but ideal for anyone who gets seasickness!

 

A top class hotel is more than the premises. When all is said and done a hotel is a room in a building, the service is what makes the difference.

 

 I can see this being towed for scrap within 10 years if they don't make some serious changes as anyone who remembers QE2 and visits for nostalgia for what it was won't be around by that time,

I agree. In a place that is full of five, six and, I believe, seven star hotels, this looks like a budget hotel. Furthermore, it appears to embrace the aspects of cruising that many see as ‘tacky’ and I will be surprised if they get repeat custom once people have experienced the ship (if that is their desire). 
 

Sadly, this is yet another TV programme that presents the whole cruise ship experience as being naff. We were first drawn to cruising by watching a really interesting documentary series in the mid 90’s on the commissioning, design, construction, fit out, sea trials and entry into service of Oriana. It was a serious series (called Supership Oriana) which painted it as an aspirational experience. Nowadays, everything is about ‘human interest’ stories, with OTT individuals who become the story more than the subject matter. Had we not already experienced cruising, I think that all the TV series that we have seen over the last 10 years would have convinced us that it is the last thing on earth that we would want to spend our money on!