Dubai – 2nd Anniversary of QE2′s Arrival

Another lonely year in Port Rashid. 

 

 The QE2 has been in Dubai for 2 years now. I have been lucky to witness her arrival in 2008 and see her close up on her anniversary last year. Her anniversary on November 27 coincides with the Dubai Rugby Sevens, the biggest sports event in Dubai which is usually in the same week. For a big Sevens fan like me, this event is a fixture in my calendar, and while there it is of course imperative that I reunite with my favourite liner.

I posted a video (embedded in the blog) and added some more photos to the Member’s Gallery.

To read full post and view video, click here…

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QE2 – Three Video Tributes

I came across two 10 minute QE2 videos on Youtube which I have to share with you. It’s a trip down memory lane with a laughing and a crying eye!

A wonderful Birthday Tribute to the QE2 and River Clyde  by YouTube user ianamacl.

The QE2 came in to Greenock on the River Clyde on 20th September 2007 to commemorate her launch in that river in the City of Glasgow. This video is a tribute to her, a most beautiful ship. As a 13-year-old boy I hung around the yard on the day people (with tickets)were invited on board for a tour. My friend and I were disappointed as we didn’t have tickets. A kindly yard-worker-looking guy came over and gave us free tickets. Since then, I have always been interested in her life. I have seen her entering port in many places including Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong and New York. To see her in my hometown on her anniversary was quite special!!

 

The 2nd video is by docmatt.  It’s a film from the 2003 Mediterranean Cruise: Onboard and inside the QE2 including inside a cabin. 

 

 

And just when I was going to publish this post, a friend of mine emailed me the link to a photographic retrospective from 1967 to 2010 titled QE2 Time Machine, shared on YouTube by highlander0108.

 

 Great memories indeed!

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New Video: QM2 Tandem Crossing with QE2 Oct 2008

On October 10, 2008, the QM2 and QE2 left Southampton for a Tandem Atlantic Crossing which was going to be the Final Westbound Crossing for the QE2 before her departure from the Cunard fleet. 

The liners left together with the Ventura who was on her way to the Mediterranean. I can’t help it but she’s an ugly container ship with balconies, and her whistle does not compare at all to the wonderful sounds of liners’ fine whistles. Someone in the whistle concert was clearly out of tune! 

While we were travelling on QE2 and admiring the QM2, another acquaintance, Dr Nelson Arnstein took hours of film footage on the QM” including wonderful shots of the QE2 . He kindly allowed us to use the footage from this historical crossing which is largely unedited. We are very grateful for his generosity in sharing his memories with us. 

The first film of several from the tandem voyage is now on Flagship Video, it is about 35 minutes and shows the departure from Southampton. There will be more footage coming soon, including some exciting views of QE2. 

To view this excellent footage, click on the Cunard Queens logo and select QM2 10/10/2008 Tandem with QE2.

 

On a side note, the footage starts with the safety exercise which is routine practice on the ship prior to leaving port. We have another example of the safety drill on the Cunard Queens website, which is the Life Boat Drill Announcement from the 80s. Click >> here << to read the post and listen to the announcement.

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QE2′s Early Years Recalled – by John Wodehouse

The “QE2 Wardroom Reunion’’ continues with a story from the ship’s early days: John Wodehouse, who worked on the QE2 in the 70s and 80s generously shared his memories with Cunard Queens. He started his career at sea in 1955 – years before the QE2 was launched into service – and served on several ships before he joined the QE2  in the 70s . John and his partner Geoff Pratt were part of “old Cunard’’ who became epitome of Cunard’s service excellence and traditions in a bygone era.  

We are very grateful to John for taking the time to write down his memories and talking about his love and passion for the ship, his job and the passengers who grew very fond of him. John found some rare photos in his albums which he kindly agreed to share on the website.  

John and his mother enjoying a drink in the old Q4 Club

We hope that his  story will encourage other crew members to contribute their memories and help us fill the “Wardroom’’ with many more stories.          

You can use the “Contact Me’’ button to get in touch with  us.

Click here for John Wodehouse’s story.

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QE2 Timeline – 17 May 1972: Capt. Robin Woodall remembers the Bomb Scare

Cunard Queens recently published a new page on the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 website – the QE2 Timeline. Our goal is to chart her accomplishments and hopefully draw a complete picture of her history. As time progresses we will be adding stories, films and photos. The blog is dedicating a separate page for each event it is commenting on, which will allow us to add more contents as it becomes available.

Today’s post is about the 1972 bomb scare and we have been able to enlist the assistance of Captain Robin Woodall who helped us put the sequence of events onboard the QE2 into perspective. To read about the bomb scare and Captain Woodall’s memories, click on the cartoon.

Click here for 'The Bomb Scare'

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Cunard Chinaware Patterns – QE2

It is about time that I am dedicating more attention to my growing Cunard chinaware, cutlery and silverware collection. I have purchased but also been given quite a few pieces by friends who know about my passion but I have yet to identify and categorize the pieces properly.  My favourite patterns are the Foley Bone China square pattern from the Queen Mary, the ‘Birds of Paradise’ pattern from Acquitania and the ‘Snowflake’ pattern which was used on QE2 in the 70s. I am using everything, the plates, cups, knifes, forks, wine glasses, napkins etc, some items are for daily use, others I keep for ‘occasions’. The way I look at my collection is that every item had a purpose on the ships, and there is no reason why I should ban them in a display cabinet were they are of little use and only attract dust. I hate dusting!

Today is as good a day to start this little investigative project, and I picked a more recent pattern which was manufactured for Cunard by Wedgwood. It was used on the QE2. Compared to some of the older patterns it looks like ‘staple ware’ for the hotel industry. Good for daily use!

I hope there are some knowledgeable experts reading this post who can help answer the following question:

1. When was this pattern introduced and how long was it in service?
2. How many pieces does it include, what kind of plates, cups, accessories?
3. In which of the QE2 restaurants was this pattern used?
4. Was it exclusively manufactured for the QE2?
5. Was it given a name?

If you have some information about this Wedgwood pattern, I would be grateful if you left a comment or emailed me at 3queensgirl@gmail.com.

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QE2 Storm Damage Photos 27 May, 1987

Our archive digging continues and again, we have been successful:  We’ve got some great photos from the storm caused by a depression on 27 May, 1987 that document the interior damage caused by the big waves.  Claude Maluenda, then QE2 Entertainment Director took those photos in the aftermath of the storm. We are very grateful to him for making these available to Cunard Queens.  

Two eye witnesses who were working on the ship during the storm shared their memories , thank you so much for contacting us!      

Arline Daniels Welch, Cocktail Pianist remembers:          

The most vivid memory I have of the May ’87 storm is sitting in for librarian June Applebee so that she could have a brief break. While I sat at her desk in the swivel chair on wheels, the ship pitched and I rolled right out of the library! I couldn’t stop the ride until I reached the doorway and was able to grab a piece of wall. I wasn’t hurt, just dazed and a bit disoriented for a few seconds by the suddenness and speed of the trip. The library was in shambles with nearly every book thrown off the shelves.      

     

  June Applebee, Librarian, quotes from her diary:   

I remember turning on the water in her cabin and seeing it come out at a right angle to the tap. A passenger fell and smashed his nose outside of the library and two windows had blown in, one in the Grand Lounge and one in the Mauritania restaurant. The most frightening thing that happened to me was nearly having a photocopier fall on me in the Purser’s office but luckily some nearby staff members saved me from serious injuries. The computer in the library fell on the floor as well. While I was scrabbling on the floor in an attempt to clear up the mess of books and potted plants, a passenger, totally oblivious to the chaos and June’s plight, demanded a copy of the daily quiz.      

 

Please click on the photo below to visit the new feature page. On the home page select ‘Storm Aftermath Aboard QE2 1987′.      

      

If you were on the ship at the time, as crew member or passenger I’d love to hear from you: Where have you been when the waves hit the ship, what were you doing? If you can remember, please share your memories by leaving a comment on the post or drop me a line using the ‘Contact Me’ form.

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QE2 Gem: King Neptune’s Court Video 1984

Archives can be real treasure troves, especially when you’ve forgotten all about it. And then, one day, an encounter with a blast from the past, a trip down memory lane, and it is all back in the flash.  Thanks to the diligent archiving efforts of a former crew member who recently unearthed many of the 1/2″ tape decks containing old QE2 films from the 80s, Cunard Queens was able to restore and convert some of them for Flagship Video. Those tapes usually didn’t hold up well over the years and some of them may not be of very good quality but we pleased to say that the King Neptune’s Court Ceremony filmed on March 9, 1984 during the World Cruise has survived in remarkably good quality. It has now been converted and added to the Flagship Video collection.

Have you ever crossed the Equator on a vessel or cruise ship? Then you most likely know about the ‘Crossing the Line Ceremony’, or ‘King Neptune’s Court Ceremony’ as it is called on the Cunard ships. If you’ve attended a King Neptune’s Court ceremony our latest Flagship Video may bring back fond (or messy) memories, and if you’ve never witnessed the ceremony, then watch and you will be enlightened… It’s not for the faint hearted for sure. I have seen some rendition executed in the later years onboard QE2 which sadly were so sanitary and politically correct and gentle, that it makes one realise what a great show the earlier ceremonies were.  

The  Crossing the Line Ceremony is traditional for all vessels when they cross the equator. It refers to a belief in the god Neptune or Poseidon and his willingness to let (or not) a ship continue on it’s journey: A ceremony takes place whereby King Neptune is asked to grant safe passage of the ship and her crew. The tradition actually goes back to the 13th century and was originally created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates were capable of handling long rough times at sea.  All members of the crew regardless of age or rank who have not crossed the equator before must take part in the initiation ritual. The ritual has taken on many forms which evolved over the years.

The crossing of the equator involves elaborate preparation by the “shellbacks” (those who have crossed the equator before, sometimes also referred to as Sons of Neptune) to ensure the “pollywogs” (those who are about to cross the equator for the first time) are properly indoctrinated. All pollywogs, even the Commanding Officer if he has not crossed before, must participate. They are required to go before the Court of Neptune, where their sins are read out, and the punishments bestowed.

In the old times, these rituals were quite brutal and sometimes fatal. On ocean liners and cruise ships these are being carried out for the passengers’ entertainment. Indeed the sailing from the Northern into the Southern part of the world (or vice-versa) became a very special event.  

On Cunard ships, no World Cruise would be complete without a King Neptune’s Court Ceremony,  commemorated in a play involving some quirky characters: King Neptune, the Judge, the executioners , policemen (dressed in British Bobby uniforms) and nixes. During the ceremonial process the prisoners would be brought forward  to the swimming pool where the Captain and senior officers are waiting to greet King Neptune and his Consorts. On QE2, passengers who are Pollywogs are invited to kiss the fish ( a large salmon ) and then step into the swimming pool. They are then Shellbacks. Staff are dealt with differently, involving spaghetti and coloured sauces, as well as kissing the fish. It is a very messy affair, much to the delight of the onlookers. I don’t envy the crew who had to clean up afterwards! Everyone is awarded a certificate for crossing the line.

But back to the video: The King Neptune’s Ceremony  is filmed during the 1984 World Cruise, en route to Mahe, Seychelles. Cruise Director Bob Haines is King Neptune, DJ Stuart Barton is the Judge, Bob Dougherty and Steve Green as well as a couple of others whose names I don’t know are the executioners.

To watch the video, click on the Cunard Queens Logo below and select the video.

Below, to complement the video, are some photos from the 1985 and 1986 ceremonies, courtesy of Stuart Barton:

King Neptune’s Court 1985

Cruise Director Bob Haines taking an unexpected bath.

The ‘before’ photos

 

 

A soon to be Shellywag is looking forward to a dip into the pool

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QE2 Gem: The Club Lido Fashion Show Video 1984

We are proud to announce a new feature on Cunard Queens: Effective today Flagship Video will be hosting a new video clip or film every week. 

This week’s choice is a video taken on the 1984 World Cruise (if memory of everyone serves right): The Lido Fashion Show! 

 

Lido Club is back in action!!! 

The Shops On Board QE2 regularly put on Fashion Shows, with the help of the Steiner girls and other cruise staff. The Club Lido Night Time Fashion Show was the only show that took place in the night club (Club Lido) during the 1984 World Cruise, on 22 January 1984 as the QE2 sailed from Curacao. A variation of the show, the Lido Poolside Show took place a few days later on the 28th when QE2 was on passage to Los Angeles. 

The hostess of the show was Elaine MacKay, Cunard’s Social Directress on QE2, and it was Stuart Barton, QE2’s venerable DJ during the 80s who introduced the program as he did with most late night cabaret shows in the Lido. He was also responsible for the music and lighting effects. Let’s see, who else is there: Amanda, Julie, Judy, Karen and Helen along with Cheryl Dobinson. 

For the dancers it was fairly straight forward but for the shop and Steiner’s staff it was more of a challenge to learn the moves and moves, a source of good fun in the rehearsals. Thankfully nothing went wrong on the night. It was filmed by the photographers on board. 

Sit back and watch for yourself what the ladies dreamed of wearing during the cruise and for the formal evening dinners and balls. 

The entertainment programs of the 2 days survived:

 

 

If you happen to have a video of the poolside show or any other video you’d like to share, we are more than happy to include it in Flagship’s video collection.

 

To watch the video, click on the Cunard Queens Logo below and select ‘Watch the latest video’. 

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1st Anniversary of QE2′s Arrival in Dubai: A Reunion with the Queen

 

November 27, 2009, 10am, Dubai Cruise Terminal, Port Rashid:

It is the 1^st  Anniversary of the QE2′s arrival in Dubai, and what a stark contrast it is to last year:  No welcome flotilla, no arrival celebrations, no champagne corks popping, no red carpets rolled out for the dignitaries anxiously awaiting her arrival, no media waiting to buzz the photos of her docking around the world, no curious locals hoping for a glimpse of the famous ocean liner that had been making front page headlines for the past weeks, no bagpipes playing, no cheering passengers standing on the decks and waving flags – nothing. Just the humming of the generators. The QE2 was scheduled to arrive at 6am on Nov 27th, 2009 but eventually she arrived ahead of schedule in the afternoon of the 26th so that the locals could arrange for a welcome flotilla to greet her into the port. The handover ceremony between Cunard and Nakheel took place on the ship in the early afternoon of Nov 27th.

The Dubai Cruise Terminal, where QE2 is docked,  is located in this part of Port Rashid.

I am standing in front of my beloved ocean liner, and I am not embarrassed to admit it, I have knots in my throat and tears in my eyes.  It is my first reunion with the QE2 since I saw her last year coming into the port, finishing her final voyage from Southampton to Dubai. Seeing the Queen in her full splendour is simply breathtaking.

 The QE2 is docked about 500 metres from the Dubai Cruise Terminal, access to this area is very restricted.

 

The flag of Vanuatu is flying and the stern shows Port Vila as port of registration.

  

 

I am holding my very own anniversary celebrations: Walking her full length from bow to stern and back, scrutinizing the ship for signs of neglect and taking as many photos as I can. I won’t be getting any closer.  I am very happy to report that the ship is looking stunning as ever and that she appears to be well cared for. Her exteriors are in excellent condition as far as I can see. In my mind I am replaying onboard scenes and wonderful moments aboard: The formal dinners, afternoon tea, pre-dinner drinks in the Chart Room, late nights in the Yacht Club, lazy hours on the sun deck and gentle strolls around the deck – and getting lost…. The gangway to one of the three open doors on Five Deck is decorated with a golden tub that holds a green plant which is causing me to smile: It’s a very nice gesture!

  

 One of the gangways is decorated with a plant – I think it is a nice touch. However, the security guards inside the ship make sure no one is ‘welcome aboard’.

 

While I am taking a peak inside I can hear the Queen whispering: ‘Come, come on board, cut my ropes lose and take me on a World Cruise. Next stop Hong Kong….’ Oh, I wished!!!  I touch her to give her the love of my friends before I was shooed away by the security guards: ‘No intruders please’. Intruders! There was a time I was a welcome guest enjoying formal dinners and ballroom dancing… 

 

I am calling a friend on the US West Coast who stayed awake all night to hear from me, and I describe the atmosphere, the location and most important, the ship: She’s alive!!! A set of engines in running, smoke is billowing from her funnel and the lights in the restaurants are switched on. Many window blinds are pulled down to protect the interior from the relentless sun. The blue chairs on the sun deck are neatly stacked. She is well looked after. We both almost start crying.   Not a soul outside. It is quiet, almost tranquil. No scenes of a bustling and hustling cruise terminal.

 

 

Smoke is billowing from the famous black and red funnel and many windows are covered to protect the interior from the merciless sun.
Someone forgot to remove the Cunard logo on the tender!

  

  

 

The lights are switched on in the restaurants and other public areas.

  

 

 

The blue deck chairs are neatly stacked on the sun deck.

  

  

  

The Cunard logo is long gone.

  

  

  

The entire ship looks scrubbed and clean. No Nakheel flag flying.

  

  

 

Take a bow…

  

 

 

The imposing superstructure

  

  

  

The Dubai Cruise Terminal area is deserted during the Eid holiday. The port is expecting a cruise ship today and one on the 29^th.  The season has not started yet. Behind the QE2, approximately 500 metres away, the AIDA Diva from Germany arrived in the early morning hours. 

 

The AIDA Diva docked earlier in the morning. Cruise ships calling on Dubai are docked behind the QE2. Their web cams usually get an excellent view of the QE2′s stern and funnel.

 

Most passengers have already disembarked and were carted off to their next or final destination. A fence prevents them from veering into the secured area of the QE2. I wanted to find out if they were interested in the ship and what they thought about her being here.  While waiting to pass the next security level I can speak to various passengers,  neither of them know who the QE2 is or cannot be bothered. One gentlemen thinks she is already in Capetown, another couple wants to know where I am going and wishes me bon voyage on the QE2.  

 

The area around the QE2 is clean, tidy, no clutter lying around, and no equipment that indicates any activities. My two colleagues and I are the only visitors today to mark the 1^st anniversary of her arrival. It feels like she is almost forgotten in Dubai.  She is certainly not forgotten in the books of  Dubai World who own Nakheel; but it is quite obvious she is no longer on the minds of the local people: None of whom I spoke to take any interest in the ship or admit they are not informed about her current situation. It’s exactly as I predicted in my post    ‘Dubai – End of a Voyage’    a year ago: She will briefly make headlines but soon will end up on the last page of the news papers like an actress whose celebrity status dropped from A to C.  

 

We are spending as much time as possible in the area and make the most of it. There was a lot of red tape cutting required to get here. The QE2 area is a secured area; one can’t just walk or drive in to take photos. I owe big thanks to my colleagues in Dubai whose excellent connections with the Dubai Port Authorities and the Dubai Cruise Terminal Management enabled me to pass all pre-clearances in order to receive approval for access. DTCM provided us with two possible dates for a visit, the 27^th or the 29^th and I didn’t have to consider twice which date I wanted. It had to be the 27^th, the anniversary date! The approval was given a couple of days before my visit, yet I have to pass 3 security levels:  First the call at gate security to get into the cruise terminal area, then the check in with port security to obtain a pass for which they withheld my passport, and only after the last hurdle, ship security is taken, I am free to walk dockside and take photos.  

My dear colleagues, thank you all for making this special day possible, you know who you are!!!  

 

As we are leaving the cruise terminal, I am catching a final glimpse of the QE2, bathing in the sun and wondering about her future fate.

  

 

Just shortly after we leave the terminal I receive an email from a friend with a link to an article in The Telegraph which announces the possibility of the QE2 being sold by Nakheel in an effort to pay off some of the mounting debt. I quickly grab some of the local newspapers: Khaleej Times, Gulf Post, 7 Days – they all talk about Dubai World’s request to suspend its debt payments for six months while it undergoes fundamental restructuring.  The group has an overall debt of $59 billion dollars, which comprises three-quarters of the Emirate’s total debt of $80 billion. The QE2 is considered a none-core asset like many other DP property investments and may be sold. What a royal tragedy: The high-profile “trophy asset’ has turned into a severe liability with an uncertain future…  

 

At the moment, I just wonder about potential buyers who are prepared to invest millions into an acquisition of the ocean liner. Who would want her? Probably many. Who can afford her? Probably only few. Whilst I am not a pessimist by nature, I have these images of Alang ‘beach’ in my mind –  a heart breaking thought.  

 

The signs of bankruptcy have been there for a while – now the wake up call has come! In my opinion, Nakheel was already feeling the results of the credit crunch by the time the QE2 arrived in Dubai last year. The Trump Tower on Jumeirah Palm had just been put on hold, a day after the arrival newspapers announced that Nakheel was going to make 500 employees redundant. Many of my friends lost their work. I didn’t believe at the time that Nakheel had the financial means to pursue the ambitious plans that leaked to the press before her arrival. Throughout the year the company played their cards close to the chest. Their policy to communicate as little as necessary about future plans resulted in a flurry of gossips and rumours which kept the ocean liner forums busy debating possible scenarios. In a nutshell: Speculations were rife and in abundance, newspapers were citing ‘from reliable sources close to the decision makers’ which later turned out to be hot air.  Remember those absurd plans to sail the ship back to Bremerhaven and have her cut up in 2 parts to insert an extension and tug her back to the UK? The plans to replace the red and black funnel with a glass penthouse which so infuriated the liner community? The online auctions where ship models of future designs were offered, stories of a possible investor in the UK who wanted to bring her back to Southampton? The recent announcement to transfer the QE2 to Cape Town as a floating hotel during the World Soccer Games 2010. This was possibly a last attempt to turn the idle ship into a money maker and to recoup some of the investment. Apart from the Cape Town move, most of the news was speculation. As of today, the future has become even more uncertain, if not even worse. One thing is for sure: The gossip kitchen will remain busy.   

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to see the ship one more time as I want to remember her: As the grandest and finest ocean liner in the world.

I’ve taken a lot more photos and posted them in the Cunard Queens Galleries . 

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