QE2 to Retire to Dubai

The QE2, the most famous ship in the world, is retiring at the end of next year. Cunard’s owner, Carnival Corporation, has sold the ship to a developer in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai World. QE2 will be delivered to Dubai in November 2007, where it will be refurbished and berthed at a new pier on The Palm Jumeirah, the world’s largest man-made island, to create a luxury floating hotel. The new owners say they will retain the look and feel of the world’s most famous ocean liner but this will unquestionably be the end of an era.

There’s still more than a year to go, however, with plenty of opportunities to sail on the ship.

QE2’s final round trip from Southampton, England is sold out and her final repositioning voyage from Southampton to Dubai is also expected to be a sell-out, not to mention the party of all parties, no doubt with more than a few tears shed at the end. But before that, the ship will spend this summer cruising the Mediterranean on a selection of voyages of varying lengths, all from Southampton.

In September this year, there’s a 40th anniversary Round Britain cruise, which has long since sold out, but is followed by departures with plenty of availability.

The Autumn Colours cruise on September 23 still has availability; 19 days sailing round trip from Southampton to Quebec, Halifax, Maine, Boston, New York and St John’s. This is a fantastic cruise: you get two transatlantic crossings, a chance to admire the beautiful fall colours of the East Coast, an overnight in lively Quebec and a day each in Boston and New York.

This is followed by a couple more Mediterranean cruises, a visit to the Canaries and a Christmas Markets cruise to Oslo, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Zeebrugge. QE2 will spend Christmas on a three-week voyage from Southampton to the Caribbean, before returning to Southampton to embark on a spectacular, 103-night South America, Pacific and Orient Odyssey. This cruise is particularly special as the first transatlantic crossing is in tandem with Cunard’s brand new ship, Queen Victoria.

The ship’s summer Mediterranean programme starts again on May 5, 2008 with a series of Mediterranean and northern Europe cruises from three to 16 nights in length, followed by a couple of autumn voyages. Some new cruises have been added. A farewell round-Britain voyage is expected to sell out instantly when it goes on sale today. There are two final transatlantic cruises, westbound and eastbound, which will attract the Cunard regulars who want to relive the ship’s glory days for one last time; in fact, a lot of people are expected to do both crossings, back-to-back.

Then, on November 12, QE2 will set sail from Southampton for one last time on a 16-day voyage to Dubai. There are a few Mediterranean calls on this cruise but once the ship has transited the Suez Canal, it’s one long, four-day steam down to the UAE with time to contemplate this ship’s fantastic history in the autumn sunshine.

QE2 retires in 2008

QE2 will sail into the sunset in November 2008

QE2's new home, The Palm Jumeirah

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