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QE2 to be cut in half in Dubai
We've written about QE2 before. The last post was Jeffrey's report that the ship had made it to Dubai with great fanfare.
When I read yesterday that the QE2 was to be cut in half, I pictured two halves of this magnificent ocean liner floating around its palm shaped, manmade island. Did Dubai World, the state-run conglomerate who bought the ocean liner want a hotel for each side of the island, I wondered. Something like bookends?
That's not it. Turning a ship into a hotel doesn't mean just docking it as is. At least, not in this case. Although, The Queen's Room, The Captain's Quarters and The Bridge will stay in their original state, according to this msnbc article from last November, there are changes to be made to make the ship hotel worthy.
Apparently, that's where cutting it in half comes in. When it's cut in half, a 100-foot extension will be added into the middle. What will be done with the middle, I'm not sure. This Daily Record.co.uk article doesn't say. What it does say is that some folks are miffed--spitting mad with the idea of the alteration. Disgusted. Not in those words exactly, but the sentiments are about right. For maritime buffs, cutting the QE2 in half is worse than turning it into scrap metal. To these folks, cutting the QE2 in half is an indication that the company that bought the ship has no idea what a treasure it has.
I've heard that getting a ring resized by cutting the band at the back in order to add an extension is a bad idea. It makes the ring lose its value. Perhaps the same holds true with a luxury liner.
Filed under: Business, United Arab, Hotels and Accommodations, News, Cruises, Middle East
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Emland Jan 13th 2009 4:44PM
Here's my thinking.
If the maritime buffs wanted it preserved as it was then they should have bought it.
The state of Dubai bought it and they can do with it as they please.
What is the plural for citizens of Dubai, btw?
jojogoes Apr 6th 2009 11:31PM
People from Dubai are called Emiratis, as are people from Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, etc.
ncsustash Jan 13th 2009 4:46PM
^my thoughts exactly. If there was more value in the ship as a whole, it would have remained a whole.
Trim Jan 14th 2009 4:01AM
"Dubious" maybe? "Dubins"?
Are people really surprised by this? If it was going to go to Dubai it was going to be messed with, Dubai mess with everything! Makes the place interesting!
Dave Dog Jan 15th 2009 2:12PM
Oh dear! Merely because someone buys a piece of heritage does not give them the right to mess with it and "do as they please". This is a very narrow view of property rights. To argue in this vein would be to say the Louvre museum has the right to spray paint the the Mona Lisa. Or how about refurbishing the Acropolis? And "ncsustash" has a very monetaristic and economistic view of "value".
Rob Brough Jan 22nd 2009 1:17PM
well whats to say , just a few thoughts and quoted that was made,
She is going to a home where she will be loved and cherished, she will be preserved as an historical vessel for future generations to come and see, what a load of rubbish , people dont want to see a ship without a towering funnel or an extra deck added, or lifeboats taken away and cut in half? they wnat to see a ocean liner with all her lifeboats still on her funnel still on and her engines still intact , whats the good of taking it all away if its not there to see it stinks and i dont care what anyone thinks.