Rumours on board QE2, November 2007

As QE2 enters her final 12 months of service, Rumours abound on board amongst passengers and crew...

• "Once in Dubai, Decks 4 and 5 are going to be completely gutted to make way for the new shopping Arcade."
  I think this would be a real shame, although not the end of the world!  It would be better if they knocked the cabins in these areas 2-into-1 while keeping as much of the original fixtures and fittings as possible.  Then people can stay in proper cabins-with-portholes like they expect to on a classic liner, without having to suffer a small cabin.  They need to look forward 30 years, to 2040, when seeing the ship as it was will be absolutely amazing, and a huge draw.  They need to preserve her as close to being intact until then.  This is what Long Beach failed to do with the QM's conversion.

• "Once in Dubai, the QE2's engineers are being kept on for a while, and it will make some more short cruises."
  Interesting!  I'd have thought the contract of sale  would have prevented them doing this.  Money-no-object maintenance on her could keep her running indefinitely.  Carlow Marlow also made an interesting comment apparently about the ship still being a Cunarder once in Dubai - so I suspect the large Cunard logos may remain.  The ship can serve as an advert for Cunard I guess.

• "They're either going to completely revert the public rooms to their original 1968 style (interesting, but could be awful...), or they're going to maintain them as they are". (my preferred option).  My only request would be for them to restore the forward observation lounge which would make the QE2's bow and bridge areas more attractive, as they were originally.