Queen Elizabeth 2: Difference between revisions

''Queen Elizabeth 2'' retired from active Cunard service on 27 November 2008. She had been acquired by the private equity arm of [[Dubai World]], which planned to begin conversion of the vessel to a 500-room floating hotel moored at the [[Palm Jumeirah]], Dubai.<ref name=asa>{{cite news|last=Fitch|first=Asa|title=QE II Ocean Liner Heads to Asia to Become Floating Hotel|url=http://www.zawya.com/story/QE_II_Ocean_Liner_heads_to_Asia_to_become_floating_hotel-ZW20130117000111/|newspaper=Zawya|date=19 January 2013}}</ref><ref name="Cunard Press Release">{{cite web|url= http://www.cunard.com/AboutCunard/NewsReleases.asp?Cat=&View=ViewArticle&Mode=News&ContentID=6656&Active=News |publisher=Cunard.com|title=QE2 To Leave Cunard Fleet And Be Sold To Dubai World To Begin A New Life at the Palm|year=2007|access-date=20 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070706160214/http://www.cunard.com/AboutCunard/NewsReleases.asp?Cat%3D%26View%3DViewArticle%26Mode%3DNews%26ContentID%3D6656%26Active%3DNews <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=6 July 2007}}</ref> The [[Financial crisis of 2007–08|2008 financial crisis]] intervened, however, and the ship was laid up at Dubai Drydocks and later [[Mina Rashid]].<ref name="CLYDE">{{cite news|last1=Morris|first1=Hugh|title='Forlorn' QE2 is not coming home from Dubai, campaigners concede|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/12097316/Forlorn-QE2-is-not-coming-home-from-Dubai-campaigners-concede.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/12097316/Forlorn-QE2-is-not-coming-home-from-Dubai-campaigners-concede.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=18 January 2016|publisher=Telegraph Media Group|date=13 January 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> When she started her new life in Port Rashid as a floating hotel, Duringduring that time Sheshe completed 1,400 voyages over six million nautical miles while carrying 2.5 million passengers over 25 world tours.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-05-01 |title=Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) turns 50 in Dubai, its longevity is testimony to resilience and reinvention |url=https://gulfnews.com/uae/queen-elizabeth-2-qe2-turns-50-in-dubai-its-longevity-is-testimony-to-resilience-and-reinvention-1.63677413 |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=gulfnews.com |language=en}}</ref> Subsequent conversion plans were announced in 2012<ref>{{cite news|title=Cruise liner Queen Elizabeth 2 to be converted into hotel |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/travel/cruise-liner-queen-elizabeth-2-to-be-converted-into-hotel/article1-902010.aspx |access-date=29 August 2015 |publisher=HT Media Limited |date=3 July 2012 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904050816/http://www.hindustantimes.com/travel/cruise-liner-queen-elizabeth-2-to-be-converted-into-hotel/article1-902010.aspx |archive-date=4 September 2015 }}</ref> and then again by the ''Oceanic Group'' in 2013,<ref>{{cite news|title=New home for Queen Elizabeth 2|url=http://travel.cnn.com/new-home-queen-elizabeth-2-764401|access-date=18 January 2016|publisher=CNN International|date=18 January 2013}}</ref> but both plans stalled. In November 2015, Cruise Arabia & Africa quoted DP World chairman Ahmed Sultan Bin Sulayem as saying that QE2 would not be scrapped<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://cruisearabiaonline.com/2015/11/10/there-is-a-new-plan-for-former-cunard-liner-qe2-she-will-not-be-scrapped-insists-dp-world-chairman/|title=There is a new plan for former Cunard liner QE2 – she will not be scrapped insists DP World Chairman|date=10 November 2015|access-date=2018-02-06|language=en-US}}</ref> and a Dubai-based construction company announced in March 2017 that it had been contracted to refurbish the ship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shafaconstruction.com/projects/queen-elizabeth-2-refurbishment-works/|title=Queen Elizabeth 2 – Refurbishment Works|publisher=Shafa Al Nahda|language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-06}}</ref> The restored QE2 opened to visitors on 18 April 2018,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article99382.html | title=Queen Mary 2 Guests to be First to Board the QE2 Hotel in Dubai}}</ref> with a soft opening.