Member Reviews of visits on board QE2 Dubai

[Chris]

The ship is getting a bit of a bashing on Trip Advisor.


While there are more positive reviews than negative the theme events they are hosting aboard seem to be generating some 1 and 2 Star reviews giving her a 3.5 rating - down from 4 stars a few weeks back. It may be an idea for members here who have visited to share their informed thoughts on TripAdvisor to help balance the flavour of comments?

[Twynkle]

Bummer!

Didn't get onto QE2 at all. Rang the ship and was told that they didn't allow 'visitors' and tours before 1500 daily. We only had the mornings free, as we were already booked out early evening the days we were there, so the closest we got to QE2 was passing by about 700 yards away in a coach.
Skilly.

This is incredible, Skilly - as well as what must have been very disappointing for you.
I wonder whether this is because there is actually no-one on board before 1500 hrs.
Maybe she's only able to come to life in the evening, overnight and for breakfast...
What a poor impression this must give to anyone who is even remotely interested in the old girl.

[Louis De Sousa]

This is incredible, Skilly - as well as what must have been very disappointing for you.
I wonder whether this is because there is actually no-one on board before 1500 hrs.
Maybe she's only able to come to life in the evening, overnight and for breakfast...
What a poor impression this must give to anyone who is even remotely interested in the old girl.

Hotel guests and staff are onboard all day and night.Stranger that I am aware of other visitors
been able to get onboard well before 1500hrs...

[Conor]

I've never been aboard the QE2 before, but thanks to the reviews on here (and obviously my general interest in the ship), yesterday I booked a 3 night stay of New Year's Eve. Needless to say I am very excited!!

[Thomas Hypher]

I've never been aboard the QE2 before, but thanks to the reviews on here (and obviously my general interest in the ship), yesterday I booked a 3 night stay of New Year's Eve. Needless to say I am very excited!!

Hope you have a wonderful time! QE2 will work her magic on you even more after seeing her in person and being onboard - I suspect! She should be much more open if not as fully open as she'll be as a hotel by then as the "Grand Opening" (full opening) is in October from an official announcement the other month.

[Conor]

Hope you have a wonderful time! QE2 will work her magic on you even more after seeing her in person and being onboard - I suspect! She should be much more open if not as fully open as she'll be as a hotel by then as the "Grand Opening" (full opening) is in October from an official announcement the other month.

Yeah, we hope so - we could've gone before the grand opening but for my first experience I'd prefer to be able to see her in her full glory! According to the staff there the shuttle bus is not yet running either, so hopefully that's going by then.

[Conor]

Okay so, having just got back from an overnight flight home, and having not had time to go through photos just yet - thought some members may be interested in my initial thoughts.

Naturally I have to start by crediting Rob and everyone on this Forum who have shared their stories and kept the story of the ship alive - I know that I would never have visited her (or, perhaps, even remembered her!) without the forum.

Generally, I have to say, she is fantastic. Both as a ship and as a hotel. You really feel something as she comes in to view from a distance, and only get more excited the closer you get! The only thing I can equate the feeling to is approaching the Butlin's Skyline when I was much younger! And (as I mentioned in the other thread), no picture can really do her size and majesty justice! But as massive as she appears, I found her very cosy on the inside.

Our room (Superior Room with Sea View) was spacious and had a lovely view of HMS Dragon across the marina, and we were fortunately just 50 steps from the Lido for breakfast. The breakfast buffet had a lot of variance, though sometimes things felt a bit all over the place. In terms of food elsewhere, the Golden Lion, Yacht Club and Chart Room all serve nice food - though I couldn't help but notice their menus are almost identical! The food at Queen's Grill was very luxurious (at least to my standards, anyway), so it certainly lives up to its fine dining mantra.

Speaking of Queen's Grill, I had a lovely chat with one of the waiters after our food was presented on original Cunard plates, and he told us that the plan was to use all the old cutlery, plates and bowls that were left aboard. Following our conversation, when he gave us the bill, he also delivered a Queen's Grill menu from 2008 to take as memento! it was a lovely gesture and really topped off a great few nights. I also have to add that this was reflective of almost all of the staff I met, they were really helpful from the moment we arrived and were throughout our stay. I also spoke to a number of them who seemed to have a keen interest in the ship and her history, and really seemed to want the QE2 as a concept to be successful.

Naturally the big event on board was the NYE Royal Variety Show, followed by the 80s/90s retro disco. The performances were enjoyable, food was good, and the views of the distant fireworks were decent - if not a little far away! Admittedly by the end of the evening I had had a few too many G&Ts, but what can you do eh.

So overall a fantastic experience - I'll make another post a little later with photos and thoughts on how it can be improved, but in the meantime I'll be recovering from the flight 

[Rob Lightbody]

Thanks for the write up Conor, thanks for checking up on her for us all, I'm glad she had an impact on you, like so many in the past!  And thank you for the credits.

[frazscot]

Our visit to the QE2 hotel, January 2019.     Fraser & Doreen Ballantyne.

When you arrive at the reception building it is a well designed museum come hotel check-in and very good coffee shop.      There are many very comfortable seats and all the books from the QE2 library have been arranged on low shelves.
Check in was friendly but lacking in efficiency. I had to tell them what stateroom I had booked as much rattling about with computer keys was not supplying the required information.   After about ten minutes it was sorted out but I was told that the room was not ready so we had some time in the comfy seats.
The Stateroom we had booked was 1049 as we had stayed in her in 2008 so it was going to be a great and memorable return and also celebrate my birthday.    We also had booked dinner in the Queens Grill at the same table we had in 2008. However, this was canceled by the hotel a few days before our arrival with them giving the reason that the Grill would be closed to the public on that evening.   They said that because this booking had been confirmed they would like to invite us to afternoon tea instead of dinner.     Although they made it sound like complimentary this was not so we turned that down and went elsewhere for our little celebration.
Our room had received some changes although we were delighted to see that the bathroom hahardly charged and the room itself seemed larger that we remembered and there was even the same painting on the wall.                    Unfortunately from then on it started to go downhill a bit.                 The room was very bare with only a small leaflet about the spa and another about some future event laid out      No flowers, guest information book etc. There was a notepad beside the bed but no pen !!                   It seems that the television info system has replaced the written word.
In the bathroom there was a very small collection of toiletries of an unknown brand but the joy of the great walk in wardrobe brought back some super memories.
As I had been involved with the ship since the first plate was laid in John Brown’s yard and my last, I must admit, tearful  goodbye in 2008 this visit was very exciting  but, and it’s a big but,
It was like visiting the Marie Celeste.                Now I know that the new owners can do what they like with the ship and I understand that but I don’t think that they are doing it very well. They are going after the corporate / conference market and this, of course, very much alters the way in which we remember her.      The Grand Lounge was a no go area and curtained off to suit a shipping company conference although the Royal Promenade shopping area , which has been extended, was open.          One of the staff told us that he had not sold a thing since he started the job !   The swimming pool on deck six is now open but the lift isn’t working so if you want a swim you have to cope with six sets of stairs twice !!!!
The Queens Room was bare, gone were the planters and chairs so no atmosphere here. The Yacht Club bar was open but but bare with no customers although a few gathered outside to see the departure go QM2.    However, because so much deck areawas taped off we were restricted to about 15 feet of open railing and even that needed a lot of repair work.
Lots of tables and chairs were being stored in the Mauritania Restaurant as we found out during our wanderings.           The Queens Grill lounge has received a lot of attention and looks good and the bar brought back many more memories.   A door has now been cut here to allow access to the deck but that was just a bare area with no chairs and no atmosphere.      One area that I saw for the first time was the Queens Grill galley and that was interesting to see where all those lobsters came from/
Was the visit good ?         Yes,.    But if you are visiting on a walk down memory lane just go for the day, maybe have lunch but longer than that is not necessary.      They talk about a soft opening but don’t have soft opening prices and their rolling video in the reception area give an impression of lively bars, singing, entertainment etc. but that is cut from a compilation of corporate events and nothing like what you get.
I made the trip and saw the old lady…………..I will remember her for what she was, not I am afraid for what she now is.

[Rob Lightbody]

Thank you Fraser.

Much of what you write tallies closely with some other members who've visited recently, although at this time they've chosen not to write a review.

I don't think there's much for me there, sadly. I'll treasure my memories of her in service (via this website) and of my 2011 visit and final farewell to the sleeping beauty.

[Chris Thompson]

The details of Fraser's visit brings back some comments I made several years ago. Those of you who worked on-board anticipating a visit with family and friends and wanting to take them to the areas you worked in may be very disappointed, she is no longer a ship, she is more akin to a floating building and hence certain areas may well have disappeared altogether, as in the Queen Mary.
Also as pointed out the room you wanted to see may be closed! Would really anger me after making the long trip to Dubai..... hence I won't be going!

[frazscot]

Here are some of the pix I took on board.   The pictures that they have used in the museum of her before the launch was one that I took.              I though I had loaded them but it seems that that didn't work so I'll try again.

[June Ingram]

Thanks very much, Fraser ! 

[cunardqueen]

  Much of what you write tallies closely with some other members who've visited recently, although at this time they've chosen not to write a review.
 

Perhaps such visitors are completely dismayed at the experience ?.

It makes you wonder how people who have never sailed on the ship and what experience they have encountered when they visit Hotel QE2.

A pet hate of mine is when you present yourself at hotel checkin is sometimes you do wonder if they are doing an online shop  with the length of time spent on the keyboard. On the other hand is does allow for more interaction and the hopes of an upgrade. One checkin agent confided that it took longer to input your name to be displayed on the room TV than the acutal checkin process its self.
Then again there are those places that allow you to pick and choose your room via your mobile phone and totally bypass hotel reception , using your phone as a digital key.

The best checkin l had was recently in Las Vegas, At Caesars Palace l was able to bypass the regular checkin with the masses and use the Diamond Lounge , first time l have ever had to sit down to complete the process,in an oasis of calm, but boy do those guys have it down to a fine art, and a drink in hand.  It was an experience.       

[Rob Lightbody]

Frazer has put the rest of his photos into the Gallery.

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastupby&uid=1538