The most famous ship in the world
“She is to be the swinging ship, the place to be,
the cruise ship to beat all cruiseships’
Sir Basil Smallpiece – Cunard Chairman, 1969
We just got back from a cruise liner. But we didn’t sail anywhere!
We stayed on the Queen Elizabeth 2, now a luxury, floating hotel, permanently docked in the UAE’s Port Rashid. The ship is very special, and still is, unquestionably the most famous ship in the world.
Historical Facts (source QE2 hotel)
The first maiden voyage was on 2nd May, 1969
She was the Cunard Line’s longest serving ocean liner and flagship
The fastest passenger ship in service from 1969 to 2008
Her top recorded speed was 34 knots (63 kph)
During 4 decades at sea, she carried 2.5 million passengers over 6 million miles – further than any other ship in history
Crossed the Atlantic 812 times, the trip taking just 5 days
The QE2 rescued 500 passengers from a sinking French cruise ship (the Antilles 1971)
She carried troops to the Falkland islands (1982)
She became the first major Western passenger ship to dock in China in recent times
The QE2 retired a little sooner than me, about 10 years ago. But we have many things in common. We’ve travelled a lot. The QE2 covered something close to 6 million nautical miles around the globe. That’s a lot of journeys. We are both celebrating our 50 years. And we both have Queen in our titles, mine given to me by friends, ‘Queen of Jollies’. It was a perfect venue to welcome my big birthday.
The vibe on board was celebratory. After all, this ship used to stock 1,000 bottles of champagne for each trip! We popped a cork too. Just one.
The QE2 was launched by the Queen in 1969, the same year as the Apollo 11 mission reached the moon. The luxury liner cruised to New York in 1969, on her maiden voyage from the UK port of Southampton. It used to take 5 days to cruise from UK to NY. That must have been quite fabulous in these surroundings. Now we can fly there in about 5 hours.
Over the years the ship welcomed many famous people, as well as Queen Elizabeth herself, such as Nelson Mandela, Elton John, David Bowie, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
The ship sailed for the last time in 2008, after 39 years of journeys. Since that time, the Dubai government invested and restored this beautiful liner to its former glory, timeless and yet with many modern additions. The QE2 re-opened its doors in April last year.
Time, effort and passion has gone into restoring a unique piece of travelling history. It was a privilege to get the chance to go on board. And a unique place to stay.
It would be great to hear from others who have boarded this fantastic vessel. So share your experiences here.
Have you been on the QE2?
Or have you stayed somewhere unique, to celebrate a birthday?
Maggie M/Mother City Time
I worked on the QE2. It was a mad experience, really hard work but lots of fun! I worked the last season before it went into dry dock in 1994. I had just finished my degree and spent a couple of weeks with friends in our student digs. Then I had about a month with my mum and dad at their pub “Blacksmiths arms” in Lewes and had to learn about 50 different cocktails before going to Southampton for lifeboat training etc. I was a public rooms steward (PRS) 1 of only 22 out of a 1000 crew and enlisted into merchant navy! The crew facilities were best described as basic! But we had our own bar,which occasionally passengers tried to find!! I remember being told that the crew bar carried twice the beer stock then the passengers bar, but we had to work hard!! It did indeed take 5 days trans Atlantic, quite weird until you get used to being in the middle of the ocean, where all you can see for miles is water and sky! And if you timed it right you could get out on deck to see Concorde flying the opposite direction!
During my time we travelled up the Norwegian coast to the artic to witness the midnight sun, that was pretty cool! We went to quite a few amazing places and witnessed some really incredible sights…. the sun setting on the New York skyline (complete with Twin Towers) while leaving the harbour and sun set over the straits of Gibraltar, sailing into the Mediterranean, with Africa on one side of the ship and Europe on the other, as the dolphins jumped out of the water, will always be two of my most vivid memories. Maybe one day I will get chance to visit, who knows! Was there still a bar called the The Theatre Bar?
I always enjoyed hearing your QE2 stories. Now I know why you are such a good Mixologist! It sounds like an amazing experience, though I’m sure that there were times that you just wanted to get off the ship. Your experience enabled you to see so many stunning places and working at that level, gave you the skills to go on to work at one of the leading hotels of the world and into international conferencing. Staying on the QE2 certainly got us talking about trying cruise at some point. It hasn’t ever really appealed before. We went on a small river cruiser with 14 suites last year. That is more our kind of thing, just 22 people on the Chobe River. Elephants everywhere! But there was something very special about being on board the QE2, with all its history. And everything was done with a touch of elegance. If you ever get to Dubai, I’d recommend taking a visit. You would be interested to see how it has been restored. There are many spaces; the Lido, the Queen’s Grill, the Queen’s Grill Lounge, The Chart Room, The Golden Lion and The Yacht club. Check out the official website https://www.qe2.com/hotel And keep enjoying Mother City Time.