Author Topic: The Midships Bar  (Read 9543 times)

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Online Isabelle Prondzynski

Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #15 on: Apr 15, 2018, 08:42 AM »
The horse racing took placed in the Double Room / Grand Lounge and the Queens Room.

Have a read of Waverley's excellent report on a fictional horse race on QE2 during her fictional 2009 World Cruise, complete with "photograph"!

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,88.msg4837.html#msg4837

Online Michael Gallagher

Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #16 on: Oct 13, 2018, 12:02 PM »
These are for you, Rob!

Offline Louis De Sousa

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Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #17 on: Oct 13, 2018, 12:04 PM »
I t was a lovely bar to work in

Online Rob Lightbody

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Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #18 on: Oct 13, 2018, 12:28 PM »
How FABULOUS!

There's my table!

And oh that ceiling - wow!

And again - lighting, lighting, lighting - the room - and it is a room - is deliberately kept dark, so the colours and table lamps, and that funky bar work together.

As an adult, I was never in the midships bar, but its layout is identical to the Chart Room, and Michael's photos are so good, that I feel I was there.

I don't like talking about Dubai in this area of the forum, BUT some of what they've done in the revamp, makes you appreciate more how it was before.  How to make a space interesting.
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Online Michael Gallagher

Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #19 on: Oct 13, 2018, 02:27 PM »
It is interesting what you say about lighting Rob because that is how Project Lifestyle came about! Cunard asked MET Studio to conduct a lighting survey of the passenger arseas as the company realised lighting played an important role in the look and ambience. MET Studio did that survey but also persuaded Cunard that other things needed to be done and so Project Lifestyle was born with MET taking a leading role.

I think Cunard would have continued using Graham Faye who did the 1990 and 1992 refits were the spaces started to look traditional - like what Faye achieved with the Casino and Royal Promenade.
« Last Edit: Oct 13, 2018, 02:30 PM by Michael Gallagher »

Online Michael Gallagher

Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #20 on: Oct 13, 2018, 03:12 PM »
Don’t shout Rob but an interesting comparison with the Midships Bar and the Chart Room today...

Online Rob Lightbody

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Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #21 on: Oct 13, 2018, 05:24 PM »
Beige carpet and white emulsioned roof, with apparently undimmable lighting, what a contrast.
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Online cunardqueen

Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #22 on: Oct 13, 2018, 06:03 PM »
I was only once ever in the Midships bar as it was First Class passengers only, and then it was with Ted Scull one night. and a very long time ago.It was him that reminded me that we were there.
From the moment you first glimpsed the Queen,
 you just knew you were in for a very special time ahead.!

Online Michael Gallagher

Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #23 on: Oct 14, 2018, 10:13 AM »
The Midships Bar had a four-year reprieve as plans in the 1990 refit called to totally redesign the Midships Bar which was then the most unchanged main public room on the ship.

The space was to be re-configured by opening up the dark interior two-section bar and lounge and connect it better to the tables placed along the enclosed promenade.

This is exactly what was done in 1994.

Online Lynda Bradford

Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #24 on: Oct 14, 2018, 11:08 AM »
Fantastic to see these pictures, thanks for sharing Michael. 

Everyone has different opinions on the decor, but I prefer the new look that Dubai has achieved and not keen on the dark green with gold carpets. Of course people's memories play a big part in what decor choices everyone likes and if you have memories of the a particular time period onboard the ship then the can influence opinion. 

But I will look forward  to experiencing cocktails in the new look Chart Room in Dubai and only then be able to comment on how I find the room's atmosphere.  I like that the big chairs have been retained. 
I was proud to be involved with planning QE2's 50 year conference in September 2017 in Clydebank
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Offline Thomas Hypher

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Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #25 on: Oct 14, 2018, 02:17 PM »
I like that the big chairs have been retained.

From Queens Room but reupholstered (the high backed ones and normal ones). It's not known where the chairs in the Chart Room in the end with Cunard and into the warm layup have ended up now.
First sailed on QE2 in August 2003 aged 6 years old. Last sailed on QE2 in July 2008. Last saw the seagoing QE2 in person from the decks of QM2, on QE2's last Transatlantic crossing (Eastbound tandem) in October 2008. Visited QE2 in her new life, in Dubai, in January 2020 and August 2022.

Offline Thomas Hypher

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Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #26 on: Apr 29, 2021, 10:44 PM »
Looking at reply #7 (Michael's post with photos from 1969) has the bar itself remained in the same location in the space since 1969 and through the conversion into the Chart Room?

I have happy memories of spending evenings in the Chart Room with my parents and shipping/family friends, and can remember exactly where we were sitting on one such occasion. The lighting added to the relaxed, evening ambience of the room in my opinion, something that isn't same in the Chart Room in Dubai, unlike in the Lido in Dubai where they use table candles (not real ones like the old days) and dim the lights for dinner recreating the same ambience we loved in the Lido in the old days. However I digress!
First sailed on QE2 in August 2003 aged 6 years old. Last sailed on QE2 in July 2008. Last saw the seagoing QE2 in person from the decks of QM2, on QE2's last Transatlantic crossing (Eastbound tandem) in October 2008. Visited QE2 in her new life, in Dubai, in January 2020 and August 2022.

Online Michael Gallagher

Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #27 on: Apr 30, 2021, 07:13 AM »
The bar has remained in the same location and the physical layout of the room remained unchanged. The only real changes occurred in 1994 when the room was opened up to connect with the Promenade in 1994 (something that was planned to be done in 1990 but cancelled) and at one point - I think again 1994 - the room was connected to E Stairway as access from E was not possible when QE2 was built.

Online Chris Thompson

Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #28 on: May 01, 2021, 01:09 PM »
I remember looking in there a few times in 1988 but not staying as it was off limits to staff. Apparently it once had a gold leaf ceiling that somebody had decided to cover with black paint! You could still see the leaf pattern underneath....

Online Rob Lightbody

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Re: The Midships Bar
« Reply #29 on: May 01, 2021, 03:30 PM »
It still had what looked like gold leaf on the ceiling in its incarnation as the chart room, unfortunately now no longer visible in Dubai.
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

 

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