Areas/Rooms/Concepts that didn't work on QE2

[jdl]

Bearing in mind our collective love of the QE2 I may not get any takers for this topic but what areas or rooms on board the QE2 did you feel that just didn't 'work' be that decor, flow or general ambiance:

Mine were:

Ambiance:
Shops on the grand parade - on my first trans Atlantic in the early 90's the shops were all high end affairs, H Stern, Hermes etc but on later cruises at the end of the 90's early 00's they were all pretty low rent and didn't sit right with the QE2's image in my opinion.

Decor:
I was never certain of the Golden Lion Pub - not really my scene but I did appreciate for many Americans this was a must, that being said I did enjoy some excellent afternoons in their!

Flow:
The library was a bit small - I'm realy clutching at straws now folks!

Concepts:

The darn art sales and the bl00dy inch of gold sales - as they say in Rob's native city a complete load of pisch in my book - cheap, tacky, crap and not at all fitting of the QE2.

Has anyone else any thoughts or is it just me !!!!

jdl

[holynougat]

Crew Areas that did not work out!:

Bulk Beer Store -  (located right in the bow of the ship, this was two decks high and contained massive 'beer kegs' which were originally used to store beer / ales in bulk) - once this was disused, this massive space was left deserted and used only to store things like Christmas decorations etc..

Grimm Wheels - an advanced 'energy recovery system' which didn't, and were removed shortly after being fitted.

Cadets shower room - This was located in the engineers accommodation, when you walked in, the ceiling was about 6' 2'' high, however, because of the shape of the theatre under the room, by the time you got to end of the space the ceiling was about 5' high!
SCR (safety control room)– A 2 deck room that had to be manned 24 hours a day in addition to the ECR & Bridge.  These days the SCR is replaced with a computer screen.

There were so many weird spaces on that ship, people thought the passenger areas were confusing! - the crew accommodation was a nightmare to find your way around, with dead-ends stairways to nowhere etc.. absolutely fascinating to get lost in, but you got the impression that they could not have made the layout more complicated if they had tried!

[highlander0108]

Facinating information, especially for those who really never got oa glimpse of the behind the scenes areas of the ship.  Unrelated question...can you explain and post a larger version of your profile pic of QM2 in drydock somewhere.
Ken

[Michael Gallagher]

And of course, some concepts were never carried out!

Several concepts were developed for the re-engining:

• an all-weather observatory
• the swimming pool under the Magrodome being given a hydraulic floor so it could be used as a paddling pool or dance floor.
• the installation of escalators to the Kitchen below the Tables of the World to improve service in the aft section of the restaurant.

Several concepts were developed for the 1994 'Project Lifestyle' work:

• the creation of a two-storey Midships Lobby by cutting a void to the deck above, making it a double-height atrium space. Passengers would enter QE2 on Two deck and a new centralised Pursers / Tour Office and Bank would be built on One deck above.
• the removal of the Theatre with the space being split horizontally with a large Casino in the stalls and a smaller auditorium on Boat Deck above.
• re-locating the Shopping Arcade to a new location midships on Upper Deck.
• re-locating Harrods from One deck to Boat Deck.
• re-locating the Card Room to Boat Deck.
• the creation of a new Conference Centre on Three Deck.
• the creation of Observation Lounge on Boat Deck.
• the addition of a new Champagne Bar on Boat Deck.
• the construction of new suites midships on Boat Deck.
• the creation of a new Coffee Shop on Upper Deck.
• the creation of a new technology centre.
• the installation of a golf simulator.
• the construction of additional outdoor jacuzzis.

[richc1977]

Thanks for the information on "Project Lifestyle".  That is quite a list of things, and to be honest some would have been nice but others would have been a disaster in terms of loosing key features of the ship.....

For instance I'm glad the Midship Lobby stayed intact and also the theatre.

[jdl]

Great to here about some of the concepts and rooms that never were - some clearly better than others!! The one I would have loved to see would have been the observation lounge, something that apart from the early days was a sadly missed feature.

In terms of the golf simulator I'm sure that one of sorts was situated on the opposite side to the club 2000 kids club - presumably the project lifestyle one was a more extravagent one!

Also great to here about the crew areas thy didn't work from louis

jdl

[Louis De Sousa]

Also great to here about the crew areas thy didn't work from louis

Jdl,i never said anything like that.Sure i do admit that the crew areas could have been, better specially the cabins.Renovations were made over the years like in the crew bar and mess,the new gym,some of the toilets too but here the plumbing could never to solved.Some cabins had also new fitings.Sadly it never became a throughout renovation it was only made here and there.But then again when i requested and mattress or new carpet etc things then did get done.

There were so many weird spaces on that ship, people thought the passenger areas were confusing! - the crew accommodation was a nightmare to find your way around, with dead-ends stairways to nowhere etc.. absolutely fascinating to get lost in, but you got the impression that they could not have made the layout more complicated if they had tried!

Yes that is true but after a while you get to find your way around.My dream was to work on her and this would be the least of my problem.........

As for passengers areas i thing every room came with an era some people liked it some didnt.What i found sad is for the rooms that did work and got removed like the Lookout Out Bar,The old Yacht Club,the spiral staircase in the Grand Lounge and the entrance into the Grand Lounge via G stairway
Louis

[Cruise_Princess]

The QE2 pre the 1994 refit was much more classy and in keeping with her image,....post 1994 the cruise industry was starting to open up to the masses...and in my opinion  was the start of the end.....it spoiled it.

[Louis De Sousa]

The QE2 pre the 1994 refit was much more classy and in keeping with her image,....post 1994 the cruise industry was starting to open up to the masses...and in my opinion  was the start of the end.....it spoiled it.

Very true and i am glad to have worked onboard at the best time of her carrer sadly a few years after the 1994 refit Carnival took over........and that was the start of the end.Maybe passengers never noticed but for the crew (at least the older ones like myself ) things went downhill.

Louis

[Cruise_Princess]

Very true and i am glad to have worked onboard at the best time of her carrer sadly a few years after the 1994 refit Carnival took over........and that was the start of the end.Maybe passengers never noticed but for the crew (at least the older ones like myself ) things went downhill.

Louis

So true Blue Bombay   Cannabilisation ! ( sorry Carnivalisation) was the WORST thing for QE2.,..it was so obvious straight away in 1997...and continued for a good few years after that...prob right up to Dubai....Carnival really just wanted the name didnt they?  They had NO intention of keeping Cunard run as it should be....it was just another feather in their cap.  sad really...though I know folks say without Carnival there would be no Cunard...in time I feel that all ships will be painted the same for one line .....CARNIVAL.....

I know it was hard for the crew....they were not treated right at all....and obviously it reflected down to the passengers.... we actually stopped cruising for 2 years with Cunard at that time as a result....Carnival just didn't have a clue how to operate QE2. and to be honest they did not want to operate it the way it had been anyway......

[jdl]

Jdl,i never said anything like that.Sure i do admit that the crew areas could have been, better specially the cabins.Renovations were made over the years like in the crew bar and mess,the new gym,some of the toilets too but here the plumbing could never to solved.Some cabins had also new fitings.Sadly it never became a throughout renovation it was only made here and there.But then again when i requested and mattress or new carpet etc things then did get done.

Louis - my mistake I typed the above from my iphone during a force 9 gale crossing the Irish Sea (- how I wished I was on QE2 rather than an Irish Ferry!)  I hadn't read the post properly and just assumed the only person who would have commented on the crew areas was you!!

jdl

[Adam Hodson]

And of course, some concepts were never carried out!

Several concepts were developed for the re-engining:

• an all-weather observatory
• the swimming pool under the Magrodome being given a hydraulic floor so it could be used as a paddling pool or dance floor.
• the installation of escalators to the Kitchen below the Tables of the World to improve service in the aft section of the restaurant.

Several concepts were developed for the 1994 'Project Lifestyle' work:

• the creation of a two-storey Midships Lobby by cutting a void to the deck above, making it a double-height atrium space. Passengers would enter QE2 on Two deck and a new centralised Pursers / Tour Office and Bank would be built on One deck above.
• the removal of the Theatre with the space being split horizontally with a large Casino in the stalls and a smaller auditorium on Boat Deck above.
• re-locating the Shopping Arcade to a new location midships on Upper Deck.
• re-locating Harrods from One deck to Boat Deck.
• re-locating the Card Room to Boat Deck.
• the creation of a new Conference Centre on Three Deck.
• the creation of Observation Lounge on Boat Deck.
• the addition of a new Champagne Bar on Boat Deck.
• the construction of new suites midships on Boat Deck.
• the creation of a new Coffee Shop on Upper Deck.
• the creation of a new technology centre.
• the installation of a golf simulator.
• the construction of additional outdoor jacuzzis.

Some of these sound quite good, however some sound awful - such as getting rid of the old Midships Lobby. Thanks for posting this information Michael.

[Twynkle]

Hello Michael,

This is really interesting and hopefully this post isn't too much off-topic!!
Do you know whether some of the concepts that didn't work out in the mid-90s on board QE2  - for example, an all-weather observatory and the coffee shop,   - were these concepts then restored mainly because they had worked originally on QE2, and for this reason deliberately included on the latter day Cunarders  - as the the 'look-out' at the the top pf QM2 - the three Commodore Clubs, Cafe Carinthias and Sir Samuel's?
The Conference Centre - did the Board Room take on this 'role' on QE2, and then become the Admiral's 'place' on QV and QE, and perhaps the Atlantic Room on QM2?
Many thanks,
Rosie (Still 'All at Sea!)