QE2 Story’s June 2011 Newsletter

[Lynda Bradford]

Welcome to the QE2 Story’s June 2011 Newsletter

We hope you are enjoying these monthly updates of what is happening on the QE2 Story Forum, which is going from strength to strength with another record-breaking month. 

Our May statistics show that 197,835 pages had been viewed.  2,107 more than in April and the highest number of views in any month ever, since the start of the Forum in January 2009!

We had a fantastic response to the news of Rob’s visit to QE2 in Dubai and these statistics confirm that there are many people out there who are concerned about the QE2 who want to be kept informed about her current status and future plans.   

Pre-Order of Rob’s QE2 in Dubai DVD

We were amazed that within one week 16,000 people watched Rob's YouTube video footage of his visit to QE2 in Dubai   Members’ comments and enthusiasm for the videos has prompted Rob to produce a DVD that can be purchased through the Forum.

If you wish to pre-order a copy of this memorable item tell us how many copies you want to order in the “Coming soon - DVD containing video & exclusive photos from QE2 in Dubai” topic https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,3221.0.html

We anticipate the cost of the DVD to be around £15 plus post and package.  Members pre-ordering the DVD will help us to get the best price, particularly if we engage a company to reproduce the disk. 

 The DVD should be available in July but we will keep you informed with regular updates on progress.

Sea Shanties

The Sea Shanties topic boards have proved to be very popular with our members who have an interest in a wide range of ships.

This month we wanted to highlight the plight of the Paddle Steamer Waverley.  This ship, built on the Clyde in 1947, was purchased for £1 by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society in 1974.   It is as a result of the work and commitment of enthusiasts and supporters that the Waverley delights passengers around the country.   Passengers can experience the joy of sailing on a vessel that their parents and grandparents would have sailed on. 

Earlier this year we were made aware that a 60% increase in fuel costs, since the end of the 2010 season, could result in financial difficulties for the ship’s owners.  Then more recently we heard that sailings had to be cancelled because of work being carried out on her rudder.  Causing revenue problems. 

You can read more in the “PS Waverley the world’s last ocean-going paddle steamer” topic.   You may even think about booking a day excursion on the ship!
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,397.80.html

Topic of the Month

Each month we will highlight a particular topic that we think would be of interest to members.  The topic for this month is Restaurant Menu Covers.

There has been a long tradition of presenting beautifully designed menu covers to passengers at mealtimes.   These menus have delighted passengers particularly when they were designed to celebrate a special event such as a Royal Wedding, Independence Day or Valentine’s Day.  World Cruise menus were designed to reflect the culture of the countries visited. 

Louis gave us a taste for the beauty of these menus when he posted the “Restaurant Menu Covers’” topic with photos of the menu covers he has in his collection.  Have a look at this interesting topic. 
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,474.0.html

QE2 Story at the Tall Ships Race  (8 – 10 July 2011)

Regular updates on planning for The QE2 Story annual week-end event can be found here.
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,2756.0.html

If you are thinking of joining us for any part of this event please let us know.  We particularly need to know if you are planning to meet with us at the Tontine Hotel, Greenock for a meal on Saturday 9 July, as we have had to book this in advance.

Entertainment, street markets and the opportunity to go onboard a few of the tall ships has been planned by the Tall Ships organisers.  Take a look at the Tall Ships official web site for more information.
http://www.tallshipsracesgreenock.com/

QE2 Story on Queen Mary 2 (October 14 to 16)

Cunard have recently reduced the prices for the 2 nights cruise 14 to 16 October 2011.  If you are thinking about booking for this cruise, to join other members on “The QE2 Story on QM2” event, then have a look at the information posted by Myles. 
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,2685.0.html

Photo Competition

In May we launched the first part of the Photo Competition. 

We were particularly pleased with the participation from members.  We hope you all enjoyed taking part in the competition and viewing the photos posted by other members.

The winning photo each month will be included in the QE2 Story Calendar that we aim to have for sale in the shop later this year (in plenty of time for Christmas stockings)

Taking part is easy:

1.   Have a look at the easy to follow instructions
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,3250.0.html

2.   Post your photo for June in the Forum Gallery.  Topic for June 2011 is “QE2 Interiors”
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery

3.   Vote for up to three photos from those that members have posted in the Forum Gallery Photo Album for the previous month e.g.   “May 2011- QE2 in Port.   Poll and voting instructions have been posted here:
 https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,3234.0.html

Good luck.  We are sure you will enjoy taking part especially if one of your photos is chosen for The QE2 Story Calendar. 

Donations Button

You may have noticed that the Donations Button has been moved to a more prominent place on the Discussion Forum screen.  Members who had intimated that they would like to make a small donation, towards the running cost of the Forum, had contacted us to ask what the procedure was for making a donation.  This prompted us to move the donations button to nearer the top of the page. 

Membership of the Forum is free.  All donations are used for improvements to the Forum such as software and development tools.  Donations have also been used to purchase items such as the QE2 Story badges for resale in the QE2 Story shop.

A big thank-you to all members who have contributed to the running costs of the Forum.  We are grateful for all donations no matter how small.

QE2 Status

The latest status of QE2 topic is regularly updated.  See latest update following Rob’s visit to Dubai. 

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,1472.0.html


We are delighted that members continue to enjoy participating in the Forum.  It is your contributions that make the Forum a success.