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Queen Bids Farewell

In June 2008, five months prior to leaving the Cunard fleet, Queen Elizabeth 2 welcomed Her Majesty The Queen for a farewell ceremony in Southampton. The Queen met nine Captains and members of the ship’s crew, some of whom entered service aboard the ship in 1969, at a luncheon with 300 guests. On the bridge, The Queen gave a signal to sound the whistle to salute Queen Mary 2, which was also in port. The Queen has taken a close interest in this vessel for 40 years, since she launched her and reviewed her four times. The most famous vessel in the world, QE2 has been the flagship of the Cunard fleet for 41 years. She has traveled over 5.6 million nautical miles, carried more than 2.5 million guests, completed 25 world cruises, and cross the Atlantic 803 times.

 The ship leaves Cunard service in November 2008 to start a new life in Dubai as a first-class hotel and entertainment destination. She will leave Southampton for the last time November 11 en route to her new home at Dubai World.  Six farewell cruises sold out en route.

After extensive renovations and preparations, the 963-foot-long ship will be moored, like an ornament on a Christmas tree, on Palm Island, the largest man-made island ever created. She will be well preserved and Cunard memorabilia will be displayed on board. 

New owner, The Palm Jumeirah, will reburbish the QE2 to recreate her original interior decor and fittings and will include a museum celebrating the rich history of the ship. There will be shore excursions touring the QE2 during world cruises by passengers aboard the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria in Dubai. These ships have taken over the QE2’s UK and world cruising roles. In 2010, the world will have a new Queen Elizabeth.