Retirement

Farewell

Photograph of the QE2's final arrival into Southampton on 11 November 2008

On 18 June 2007 Cunard announced the US$100 million sale of the QE2 to Istithmar, the investment arm of Dubai World, owned by the Government of Dubai. Following the announcement former passengers and those new to cruising purchased tickets for one of the QE2's final voyages. Cunard altered her autumn 2008 sailing schedule, cancelling a number of voyages and re-scheduling a series of farewell voyages, most notably a Round Britain Farewell Cruise and a final west and east-bound transatlantic crossing. In ports of call around the world, crowds gathered to see the QE2's final arrival and departure into their town or city, each wanting to bid the QE2 a final farewell before she retired.

Southampton goodbye

On her final arrival into Southampton, before dawn and in strong winds, she briefly ran aground off the Brambles sandbank off Calshot delaying her arrival and had to be pulled off by a number of tugs. Her late arrival in the early daylight of a sunny November morning benefitted those onlookers who braved the cold and the early hour to witness a poignant moment. During the day pleasure craft carried passengers alongside and crowds gathered at every vantage point. As 11 November is Remembrance Day, at 11am (the hour of the Armistace), two vintage aircraft dropped a million red poppies above the QE2. Later, just before 2:45pm, to commemorate her role in the Falklands War, a Harrier jet carried out a flypast.

The final voyage

In the evening hundreds of boats of all sizes took to Southampton Water. At around 7.15pm she cast off for the last time. Aided by tugs the QE2 slowly made her way astern towards Mayflower Park. Just after 9.30pm a magnificent fireworks display illuminated the sky, silhouetting the QE2 against the night's sky, her whistle sounded by Captain Ian McNaught reverberating in the night's sky. Then, accompanied by the flotilla of small boats, she slowly sailed down Southampton Water. The final ships turned back at around 11pm as the QE2 disappeared from sight, gone from her home-port forever. The QE2 headed on, calling at Lisbon, Gibraltar, Civitavecchia, Naples, Malta and Alexandria en route to Dubai.

Photographs

Southampton arrival

Life in Dubai

Recession and scrapping rumours

Following the sale of the QE2 announcements from Dubai confirmed future plans for the former Cunard liner. These would see the QE2 berthed at a specially-constructed pier at the Palm Jumeirah Island in Dubai and operated by Nakheel on behalf of Istithmar. They confirmed that key areas of the ship would be preserved and others restored to their original 1960s decor, with a pier-side museum built containing the QE2's Cunard Line memorabilia. However, most controversially her funnel would be removed and replaced with a glass structure.

Subsequent news reports suggested the QE2 was to be taken to a shipyard in Germany to be cut in two and extended with a new 100ft long central section. However, following a period of rapid expansion the Dubai economy had imploded as the world-wide recession struck and plans for luxury hotels, real estate and the QE2 were mothballed.

In summer 2009 the QE2 was drydocked, repainted and re-registered in Vanuatu for a planned move to Cape Town for the 2010 World Cup, but the plans came to nothing. In autumn 2011 reports suggested Dubai was beginning work to ready the QE2 for conversion as a hotel and, again, in summer 2012 similar stories were reported in the press. However, at the end of 2012 the QE2's future seemed more uncertain than ever, with rumours circulating she was heading for a scrapyard in China.

China, London & Asia plans

Following the scrapping rumours plans were revealed to relocate the QE2 to Silvertown on the River Thames in London. The £70 million "QE2 London" project included £20 million to buy the QE2 and £40 million for refurbishment and redevelopment of the berth. Despite the initial publicity the plans came to nothing.

On 17 January 2013 a joint statement was released by Dubai's Drydocks World and Oceanic Group PL, which operates in China, Hong Kong and Singapore, confirming that the QE2 was to be dry-docked in Dubai to undergo preparations before a conversion into a five-star luxury hotel. Later that day the QE2 was moved from her inner berth at Port Rashid to dry dock in Dubai, where she stayed for 12 days. Ownership of the QE2 was transferred to Drydocks World to complete the technical and operational preparations before she heads to China for her conversion, with Oceanic Group assuming management responsibility for the process and for her operation in an as yet unconfirmed Asia Pacific waterfront location.

Information released by Oceanic Group confirmed the QE2 would be reconfigured with 100 apartments, 300 hotel suites, three Michelin-starred restaurants, 100,000 square feet of retail space, a museum housing historic items from the QE2's heritage trail, an open-air QE2 Cafe on the Sun Deck, and MICE facilities. On the same day Oceanic Group launched a QE2 Hotels website, with concept illustrations of the planned interior spaces.

Dubai re-development

In the summer of 2015, more than two years after the 2013 dry-docking, the QE2 was relocated within Port Rashid in Dubai. Moved again, she was eventually berthed alongside the former cruise terminal in the port.

In mid-2016 the QE2's lifeboats were removed, marking the first signs of renovations taking place aboard the ship. Shortly afterwards her lifeboat davits were removed and her teak decking replaced, decisions that received some criticism amongst QE2 enthusiasts and former passengers hoping for a more sympathetic renovation of the ship.

Refurbishment of the QE2's public spaces and cabins continued at Port Rashid before a soft-launch on 18 April 2018, with a limited number of cabins and spaces open to guests and visitors. The former terminal was refurbished, becoming the hotel's reception and heritage centre. Since her initial opening renovations have continued, but in 2020 these were interrupted by the Covid pandemic.

Today, Dubai markets the QE2 under the "Still Making History" tagline with guests and visitors able to stay (in one of 215 refurbished hotel rooms and suites) or dine onboard, take part in a tour of the ship, see a show at the QE2 Theatre, relax at the QE2 Spa, or attend one of the many events held in the QE2's public rooms.