Member Reviews of visits on board QE2 Dubai

[Thomas Hypher]

Is there a charge for a day visitor? And how about the performances, is there an entry charge?

If the answer is no to both, they must surely be hoping to cover their costs with dining bills, drinks and with overnight guests. Presumably they will also go in for souvenir sales. Just no casino revenue!

QE2 is free to visit (like a day visit sort of thing), not sure about other costs however...

[June Ingram]

Many thanks, Liam, for your wonderful documentary and for all of the information you have given us.

It is so good to hear that our beloved ship is now well cared for and that her essence is being kept.

I can't wait to visit her !   

[cunardqueen]

   Is there a charge for a day visitor? And how about the performances, is there an entry charge?

If the answer is no to both, they must surely be hoping to cover their costs with dining bills, drinks and with overnight guests. Presumably they will also go in for souvenir sales. Just no casino revenue!   

Given that the "attraction" in not yet complete they could be forgiven for not charging a fee, but surely in time to bring in revenue they might charge something. Is that not good business policy
Then again is QE2 an attraction or a hotel or both..? 

[Liam Fjellstedt]

Is there a charge for a day visitor? And how about the performances, is there an entry charge?

If the answer is no to both, they must surely be hoping to cover their costs with dining bills, drinks and with overnight guests. Presumably they will also go in for souvenir sales. Just no casino revenue!

No charge to both for now for both, there will be a special QE2 souvenir shop open by October !

[Liam Fjellstedt]

Given that the "attraction" in not yet complete they could be forgiven for not charging a fee, but surely in time to bring in revenue they might charge something. Is that not good business policy
Then again is QE2 an attraction or a hotel or both..?

What the CEO has said is "Foremost she will always be an Ocean Liner, that is who she is. Secondly, she will be a museum to keep her story and character alive. Lastly, she will be a hotel for 600 guests".

I agree with him 100%.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

On the day of the opening, our Forum member Linda Bratcher was one of the QM2 passengers to venture on board QE2. This is what she sent to us via the Admin mailbox :

Hello,
I thought you would be interested to see the attached photos taken on Wednesday. We were on the QM2 in Dubai and were invited on to the QE2 to see what they have done. As you can imagine we signed up at once!
We did not have a tour of the whole ship as there were lots of small tours on that day. (We could have had dinner on board but at a cost!!)

As you can see a great deal has been left as it was. The Grand Lounge, The Yacht club, the Casino, the Theatre (sorry about the quality of the photo). As you can see the Mauretania restaurant still has the horses. The lifts still come out on the narrow landing and the suites on deck 2 have been largely untouched even down to the original washbasin surrounds. As you can see part of the corridor on deck 2 has been narrowed to allow larger suites.

The entrance to the Yacht Club is still the same, but without the ship models and plants. It even has the photo frame (empty) with the spaces for the QE2 officers.

All in all it is much the same shell but without the soul! Still it was great to go back on board this once great ship... something that I never thought we would do.
Linda Bratcher

The photos are all in the Gallery Album, here :

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=181

They are copied below :

[Peter Mugridge]

Let's test my memory of her interior after nearly 16 years:  This one is roughly amidships, just slightly astern, and there's one on each side of her...?

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/albums/userpics/10003/normal_DSCN2064.jpg

[QE2 whistle]

Hello everybody,
This is our view on our quick visit to QE2.  We were not sure we would be able to afford to stay on board when she opened, so when we realised it was within reach we suddenly decided just to do it. You only live once they say .  We worried that she may become more expensive when she fully opens so at least we got to sleep on her again!!!

We asked for the cabin we had on our honeymoon in 1983 (2019)but it was not available so the girls upgraded us to 2074 which was amazing. We had three portholes which we had never had over the years we travelled. The mattress was so comfortable and there were lots of lovely pillows.  On arrival at reception we were greeted with 'Welcome aboard' which was lovely. When entering the ship at Midships Lobby it was just like coming home again. She was so familiar.  We even realised she had a familiar smell to her.  The staff told us they had seen a few emotions when people from Queen Mary 2 visited and I could really understand that.  I am sure our faces just lit up.

We had breakfast in the Queen's Grill which was a 'first' for us.  The food was really good and the staff could not do enough for us.  We had the buffet dinner in the Mauretania Restaurant as our favourite haunt the Lido was not ready.  Again, the food was lovely but because it was quiet it lacked atmosphere.  We spent most of our time out on the open deck at the Yacht Club listening to the music and just enjoying being there.

To summarise our stay it was absolutely amazing to be back on our ship again (something we thought we might never do again).  The memories it brought back were everywhere.  We saw the little table in the Yacht Club where we wrote our Christmas cards all those years ago heading to the Canaries.  The nights we sat in the Yacht Club till the early hours.  The time we sat there watching the height of the waves in a storm in 1992.  It all came back.  It really is a must do for everybody who has been there.

The staff are all so friendly and helpful and they are so enthusiastic about the ship.  When we told them we first stepped on board in 1983 none of them had been born then but they still wanted to hear about our trips.  The down side was not being able to access our other favourite places like the Lido.  We really missed all the creaking and vibration that we were used to.  Those things were so much a part of her.  Especially crossing the Atlantic.

There were lots of people touring the ship while we were there and we got speaking to some locals who were really interested in how the ship was.  They explained that their history is nothing like ours and they found it all fascinating to hear about how we saw Rod Stewart playing in the casino one time, and how we used to enjoy seeing everybody dressed up in their finery for the Captain's Cocktail Party.

We so hope she is a success and are so grateful that she is being cared for and hope her new life is a long and successful one.  Hopefully we will get back again somehow.

[QE2forever]

Thanks for this lovely report.

I love your references to her special smell and your description of how she's not just a ship, but a place which connects with so many memories of ours.

Your review is the very first that makes me want to go there and visit her.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise on QM2!

[Cunarder Man]

Excellent report QE2 Whistle! SO ENVIOUS
Amazing visit - we look forward to more details. You could be tour guides!
You whet my appetite and are likely to cost me a lot of money - I cannot wait to go!
Did the whistle blow for QM2's departure?
Cheers

[Thomas Hypher]

Lovely review from true QE2 fans, and former passengers. Loved the bit about her smell too, it has lasted all this time through thick and thin when I for one thought it would've been lost given the conversion work done and the fact she's not been an active ship for so long...makes me even more eager to visit her sometime next year when hopefully in a position to do so and be onboard plus see the ship in the flesh once again after around a decade since last doing so. Onwards and upwards (hopefully)!

[Thomas Hypher]

Did the whistle blow for QM2's departure?

They didn't due to technical work still needed/ongoing (re-wiring due to shore power and the re-wiring done onboard anyway as needed - for example), but the whistles/horns being used again at least for special occasions is planned soon from what I've been told, so maybe by the full opening in October? Will be wonderful to hear her familiar, unique, "beat frequency" voice again - been too long!

[QE2 whistle]

Ha ha, you know us too well Cunarder Man.

We stood on Boat Deck for about an hour waiting on whistles.  QM2 gave us a few blasts but nothing from QE2.

We looked everywhere for you as we were sure you would be there.  It costs us the price of refurbing our bathroom but it was well worth it!

 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Thanks for this lovely report.

I love your references to her special smell and your description of how she's not just a ship, but a place which connects with so many memories of ours.

Your review is the very first that makes me want to go there and visit her.

I totally agree. Your report took me right there, and for the first time, I too thought that I might want to go after all...

It is great to read that the staff were so friendly and helpful and interested. That is almost too much to expect, and it can make all the difference. Glad to hear too that the cabin was comfortable and you enjoyed your overnight stay on board.

[Brandon Sterkel]

Great to hear your review QE2 whistle! It's also good to know that the staff are enthusiastic about the ship as well as some of the local people!

However it is sad that QE2 is now silent, but hopefully we will hear her wonderful voice again soon.