Having had a close look at the QE2 in Dubai and having spoken with several members of her team I must say that I am amazed at the condition she is in, she currently has a permanent crew of 30/35 and following the dry-dock she looks better now than she did during the last 10 years of her service life (externally at least)
The most surprising thing to learn from the project manager is that is virtually unchanged internally, all the cabins are just as they were, the restaurants look ready for service with just the table cloths missing, all the ally ways - everything is 'ready to go' the Lido is being used as a recreation room for the crew onboard.
Perhaps the odd thing is that not all of the lights are switched off, so as you see her in the night about 5-10% of the cabins are lit up, as are all the public rooms giving her the impression that she is just on a normal overnight.
I got the impression that her assigned crew are really proud to be onboard her, and maintenance is still ongoing.
I may have to withdraw some of my earlier comments about her readiness for service as I have been reliably informed that she could be underway in just a few days if required. (from a technical point of view)
On the whole I would say that she seems to be enjoying retirement.. in a strange way she almost seemed relieved to be staying behind as we set off.... (and it was great to hear the whistles again, she still has her voice!)
