People confusing Queen Elizabeth (3) with QE2

[Chris]

The night prior to my recent voyage aboard QM2 (Mediterranean Medley) we stayed at the Hotel Ibis Southampton (I wouldn't recommend it).

It's saving grace was a beautiful photograph of QE2's stern taken in what looked to be the Fjords in Norway. It was located in the dining room. She looked stunning and while admiring the image a staff member proceeded to advise me that everyone is excited as "The QE2 is coming here in October to be named by the Queen"... I tried to correct him and advise that the QE2 has sadly retired but he was adamant that the ship was returning to Southampton. He even got other staff members to back him up.

They were all under the impression that QE2 was RETURNING to Cunard... and that the Queen was to name her... (very confused!).

So my question is, with Queen Elizabeth's introduction into service, will this damage the QE2's chances of being remembered by the layperson who wouldn't know an Ocean Liner from a Cruise Ship?

[RMS Queen Elizabeth 2]

Shocking!

Caronia or a different name would have been better. Cunard are missing the point The Queen liners (QM, QE1, QE2 and QM2) are transatlantic liners. If Cunard wanted a new Queen then it shouldn't have been a Vista clone and built like a proper liner.

[Cruise_Princess]

Shocking doesn't cover it...good job I wasn't there...think I would have slapped him...!!

As said above A Queen HAS to be a liner....its making somewhat a mockery of the title don't you think....

Sadly QE2 is well out of the way....and folks have NO idea what she was or what she represented...and Cunard appear to be quite happy with that as its all about new ships, new money and new customers.  The glory is all in Cunards hands this week  as they take delivery of another new QUEEN regardless of what the ships name is ,where it was built , what it is or where she goes.  At the  end of the day she just looks like any other cruise ship...nothing special...which saddens me as she should be a true ocean liner to carry the name of our wonderful Monarch  Queen Elizabeth 11   and will act as an Ambassador for our country through the next 20 to 30 years ( if they last that long)....

In my personal opinion another smaller liner could have been built as Queen Elizabeth without the need for Queen Victoria....it would have been much better for Cunard as a Company who pride themselves on Ocean liners ....I'm sure a liner about the same tonnage  as QE2 could have been built for the cost of the 2 vista jobs.

[RMS Queen Elizabeth 2]

In thirty years time Cunard would be the same with QM2, QV and the QE. They would want to brush them off the carpet once they get old.

Brushing QE2 off like this is insulting to the people who built her.

[Matt]

In thirty years time Cunard would be the same with QM2, QV and the QE. They would want to brush them off the carpet once they get old.

Brushing QE2 off like this is insulting to the people who built her.

Exactly.

 I have came to respect that Queen Victoria is just a 'Cruise Ship', as it is the first time the name has been used, and its the start of an era for Cunard. However to call another clone the 'Queen Elizabeth' is an insult to the previous liners. This 'QE' could not perform the full time dutys that the liners did, the regular crossings. I agree with the comments that some of the previous, but great names should have been used, but not the 'Queen Elizabeth' brand.

[RMS Queen Elizabeth 2]

I'm giving the new QE a chance as there are some things I like about her, BUT she'll never be QE2.

[Cruise_Princess]

I like her name.....


Ill get back to you on the rest........

[Pat Curry]

I'm giving the new QE a chance as there are some things I like about her ....

Please tell us what??

Incidentally when the Queen launches her next week (and how do they get her to do it?) I guess most people will quickly forget there was ever a QE2 let alone the original ship arsoned in HK.  Ah me!!!

[Rob Lightbody]

I just dont get what everybody's remotely excited about.  As far as I can see from the interior shots, she is IDENTICAL to Queen Victoria.  I don't really understand the level of identical-ness.  Ok so the spaces are the same size & location, but why does the decor have to be identical?  They could have been completely different inside, even with the same basic metal structure.

[RMS Queen Elizabeth 2]

Please tell us what??
Incidentally when the Queen launches her next week (and how do they get her to do it?) I guess most people will quickly forget there was ever a QE2 let alone the original ship arsoned in HK.  Ah me!!!

The front of the ship looks alright. I like the interior but thats about it.

[highlander0108]

Ahh..you've learned not to comment on a ladies posterior! 

I am with you Rob.  I also want to know why they could not have altered the bridge area.  Why does the ship need floor to ceiling glass across the expansive "enclosed" bridge?  Why does the bridge level have to be located many floors lower than the top decks?  I know Stephen Payne was insistant that the bridge be high up on QM2.  I guess he lost that arguement on the Vistas.  I recall reading somewhere that he did have involvement with this design at some time, perhaps in the early incarnations.

While the interiors are stunning, I was hoping that there would have been more modifications to the Vista platform.

[RMS Queen Elizabeth 2]

I don't like the rest of the ship. I hate the flat look design. Its like lego and its certainly not clean when you compare her to QE2.

[Kindlychap]

I just dont get what everybody's remotely excited about.  As far as I can see from the interior shots, she is IDENTICAL to Queen Victoria.  I don't really understand the level of identical-ness.  Ok so the spaces are the same size & location, but why does the decor have to be identical?  They could have been completely different inside, even with the same basic metal structure.

They aren't the same, don't look the same and have a different aura.

But then I've seen both in real life.

Remember cookie cutter ships go back at least as far as Mauretania I.......

There is a respect for QE2 on board both ships. She lives on in the people who sailed on her, and now sail on QV or QE

Matthew

[Chris]

Great to hear from you and that Elizabeth has her own personality.

Near identical sister ships is almost as old as shipping.

From Cunard's perspective there were the original 4, all modelled closely on the same design by Napier. Also Umbria and Etruria, Campania and Lucania, Ivernia and Saxonia... Later Mauretania and Lusitania were built off the same general schematic, although the two shipyards produced very different ships as a result of the split build. Later on the four Saxonia sisters were almost indistinguishable from eachoher from the outside.

Cunard aren't alone of course. White Stars Olympic Class were all very similar exterior wise. Bremen and Europa were almost identical. Rex and Conte di Savoia. Had it not been for the Great Depression QE(1) would have looked far closer to QM(1).

The Vista's work. Queen Victoria works. And Queen Elizabeh will work. What we should be focusing on is how to use QE's doubtless success to help showcase the magnificence that was and is QE2 and leverage that to help save her / build interest in her. My concern was that QE might be confused for QE2, which may seem crazy to us, but to the laypersons in the street is an easy mistake to make given the similarity of the name. 

[Twynkle]

Great to hear from you ...
My concern was that QE might be confused for QE2, which may seem crazy to us, but to the laypersons in the street is an easy mistake to make given the similarity of the name.  

Chris  - This is happening considerably more and more.
Particularly at the moment, probably because of the publicity relating to her arrival, launch and Maiden Voyage 'stuff'!
For example -  google alerts for data re. QE2 bring up anything related to QE, comments regarding newspaper articles etc etc
People are writing about QE2, when they mean QE!
If we drove round now with car stickers for QE2 - worryingly, people would 'know' exactly what we were meaning; one thing, and one thing only - QE.

Wish we could get her home so they could appreciate the difference!
 

[Conor]

Found this while browsing the webz: http://www.shipcruise.org/cunard/343-queen-elizabeth-itinerary-schedule

While I wish this were the case, I think someone's made a big mistake...

[Peter Mugridge]

Not as big an error as this one by Cunard themselves in 2010...

[Rob Lightbody]

Yesterday I was following twitter as Cunard celebrated 100 years of the Cunard building under the hashtag #cunard100.

It looks like it was a superb, well organised event, that really engaged with the public.  Cunard's PR people really do create something with these events, that otherwise would, I'm sure, go largely un-noticed.

The point of this post - on Twitter, people repeatedly referred to Queen Elizabeth as "the QE2".  This included a post from the Royal Navy!!!  Twitter shows what people are actually saying/thinking and so I am certain that around Liverpoool, including lots of local people helping organising things, the visiting ship was referred to as the QE2.

I firmly believe its our job to educate people - especially younger people - about what QE2 was, why she was special, why she was so famous, and what is different about the modern ships.   Unfortunately, people often take offence to this, calling it a pedantic correction, but its important or QE2's Legend really will die.

[cunardqueen]

The same could be said of Queen Mary and the other Queen Mary 2 One is a Grand Ocean liner retired to Long Beach A grande dame of the high seas. The other is a new build ship, and given the latest fuss over her remastering or whever you wish to call it. When l speak of Queen Mary l speak of the former and never the latter, trouble is a great many speak of the latter and never the former.
Pop yourself in Long Beach or even the West coast and a great many dont know of Queen Mary 2.

When it does happen and people get mixed up, l do correct them, to the extent a great many friends dare not use the phrase boat when speaking of ships.

[Rob Lightbody]

Everyone under the age of 40 in Liverpool tonight, thinks QE2 has visited.

[Brandon Sterkel]

I see what you mean, Rob. It really annoys me that people are thinking the QE2 is in Liverpool when its really the Queen Elizabeth.

[cunardqueen]

Everyone under the age of 40 in Liverpool tonight, thinks QE2 has visited.   

There are still some folks out there who think shes a luxury hotel in Dubai..
Im at the stage with some people when lm regaling tails l gently ask if they know what QE2 is...if they say no 

[QE2forever]

Another recent example... 

https://www.paris-normandie.fr/le-havre/coup-de-tabac-en-manche--escale-surprise-du-queen-elizabeth-2-OE15440718

"This was an opportunity for Le Havre people to enjoy for a few hours her beautiful silhouette that is rarely seen on the Channel coast." 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Interesting that she had to seek shelter from the storm. I doubt the real QE2 would have had to do that... but the Captain no doubt took the right decision for this particular ship. And the people of Le Havre got an opportunity to have a look!

And normally she circulates between Alaska and Asia... really?

[Thomas Hypher]

I have sometimes seen the current QE tagged as QE2 on Instagram. The cynic in me thinks it's to gain extra likes and traffic from the ignorant masses

[Rob Lightbody]

Here's none other than BBC radio Solent at it, which is disappointing. How soon they forget...

https://twitter.com/BBCRadioSolent/status/1185850992019030016

[Chris Thompson]

I told somebody recently that I had worked on the QE2, the reply....
"I didn't know there was a ship called Quantative Easing".........

[Chris]

I have a lecture last night and several members of the audience were adamant they had just sailed on the QE2 from Cape Town to Australia. Of course they meant QE(3).

[Peter Mugridge]

I have a lecture last night and several members of the audience were adamant they had just sailed on the QE2 from Cape Town to Australia. Of course they meant QE(3).

I saw one such person responding to a tweet of yours last week who seemed to think QM2 was QE2...