If QE2 is scrapped, will it change what you think of Cunard?

[Peter Mugridge]

But would Cunard still WANT to operate Qe2 in the way we all know and love...i dont think so they dont want ANYTHING classic they want all singin dancin revenue making like the ugly sisters have

They could easily get around this by setting up a subsidiary just for QE2 and calling it "Classic Cunard" with separate marketing etc.

Incidetally, in the media frenzy over the camera story, I note that Peter Shanks is quoted as saying "the great QE2" in the USA Today paper.  Is that a sign that, albeit three years too late, he is finally getting the point about QE2?

[cunardqueen]

I note that Peter Shanks is quoted as saying "the great QE2" in the USA Today paper.  Is that a sign that, albeit three years too late, he is finally getting the point about QE2?

...That same person once said that QE2 held the Cunard brand back !!!....

[Rob Lightbody]

Just in response to something cruise_princess said... QE2 always made money. From day #1 she made money. Lots & lots. She was a fantastic money-making machine, that was her purpose, and she did it very well indeed, from 1969 to 2008.  I personally feel that they should have hyped UP some of the things that made her "old" like the romance of having a cosy wee cabin with a porthole, the "communal" boat deck where you do meet your fellow passengers because they don't have balconies, and the wonderful ocean-view restaurants which i do not believe are equalled or even come close on the new Cunarders.

[Marshall]

I agree with you all on your comments about the QE2 but sadly the government are to blame just as much as Cunard are for what is currently happening to her because eof the fact they signed the SOLOS 2010 regulations and if they didn't we could still have the QE2, SS Norway, saga rose and many more still sailing the waves but no they signed the regulations resulting in shipping company replacing old with new.  

The fact is Cunard had to decide do we keep the iconic QE2 or get rid and they made the biggest mistake in selling her to the highest bidder which sadly was a middle east company who ahd already racked up a load of debts anyway. I also feel the sale in regards to the QE2 was too quick i dont think they kept all the options open such as returning her home and donating her to Southampton or the clude. Instead they sent her to a warm clement.

Its bad enought we have lost the SS norway to alang, its bad enougth we have the SS Unted states rusting away in philidelphia and its bad enought the saga rose maybe going to the scrapper sbut plkease cunard dont send our LIZZY to the scrap yard there are people who care about her very much.

I feel the fact that she has had Southampton removed from her stern is upsetting and her Cunard logo removed makes her look naked.  Instead she features PORT VILLA

What would you rather see her look like


>image removed - taken from a website without authorisation or reference<

would you like to see her looking like this in alang or some middle asia scrappers yard? just like her fellow friend the SS Norway the EX SS France

Or

>image removed - taken from a website without authorisation or reference<

Or would you rather her see her rust and slowly decay as time goes on as the decaDES PASS BY

Or

>image removed - taken from a website without authorisation or reference<

Docked permentily in a nice place looked agfter as a hotel/ convention centre in the UK

Or

>image removed<

Sunk someone after burning whille reftiing

Or

>image removed - taken from a website without authorisation or reference<

At sea for the rest of her life but runned at a more slowler economical speed.

What you guys think i know what i would chose

[Twynkle]

I agree with you all on your comments about the QE2 but sadly the government are to blame just as much as Cunard are for what is currently happening to her because eof the fact they signed the SOLOS 2010 regulations....

Hello!
Please could you clarify this?  Which 'government' are you referring to?
Isn't the fact that 'QE2 isn't sailing' due more in part to this gentleman and the company he keeps!...Also -  he wouldn't be paying his taxes in the UK - would he?!
Rosie

Take a look at this!
http://www.travelmole.tv/watch_vdo.php?id=15323

[Cruise_Princess]

They could easily get around this by setting up a subsidiary just for QE2 and calling it "Classic Cunard" with separate marketing etc.

Thats one of the best 'keep sailing' ideas I've read.....when 'classic' is added to anything particulary  cars etc....its a whole different ballgame....wish I'd kept my  mums wee Austin. A35,.,would be 'classic' by now and worth a fortune with everyone clambering after it.....now we ride around in Japanese junk.....( much like the foreign built 'cruise ships).....

[Cruise_Princess]

Just in response to something cruise_princess said... QE2 always made money. From day #1 she made money. Lots & lots. She was a fantastic money-making machine, that was her purpose, and she did it very well indeed, from 1969 to 2008.  I personally feel that they should have hyped UP some of the things that made her "old" like the romance of having a cosy wee cabin with a porthole, the "communal" boat deck where you do meet your fellow passengers because they don't have balconies, and the wonderful ocean-view restaurants which i do not believe are equalled or even come close on the new Cunarders.

Yes I agree Rob there was nothing to beat those fabulous restaurants with sea views...not like sitting a huge cavern on the QM or squeezed against a wall on the QV....the one word missing from that pair is true ELEGANCE! and meeting fellow passengers along the boat deck etc.. no ugly balconies to hide away in....who goes on a cruise to hide in your balcony?  We want to socialise....thats what WE WANT...  and of course the romance of the cabin complete with porthole...now your 'stateroom' feels as though  you could be in Dubai Singapore or New York hotels  they are all the same. IMPERSONAL.
BUT ....is that what the new cruise generation WANT?  I don't believe so....its not enough for them..they need to be entertained 24/7...being on the most fabulous classic British built most beautiful ocean liner int he world just isnt enough....they just dont know what they are missing.... but then again maybe they can only text and twitter not good old fashioned socialising!!  Cunard arent interested in this time gone by....they only want NEW business and thatl'll only come with balconies and 24/7 entertainment etc....its crazy,but they are the people they listen to...in Cunards eyes the Old QE2 Cunarders are boring old sods.....we have all proved it on recent new build voyages...you are not allowed to mention QE2  they dont wanna know.

So what can we do about it?? Pitch in our bank accounts and buy her ourselves.......if only!

[Rob Lightbody]

SOLAS 2010 did not kill QE2 and she could have sailed on far beyond it. It was just the latest legislation that she had to get around, just like she had many times previously. And I'm speaking as someone who has been advised by a number of QE2 experts. We discuss this elsewhere, however, so i don't want this to become yet another SOLAS discussion.

Also - just a wee polite note - can you please only post photos that you own, or have checked with the owner and credit them when posting.

Cheers,

- Rob.

[Twynkle]

Surely they must have had some idea as to how long QE2 would continue, you dont invest all that money for a 21 year extension do you??....

......Wouldnt it be great if Cunard offered to take her back, berth her at QEII terminal and watch as the flocks of people lined up to pay to tour round the greatest ship in the world, ok they might have egg on their face, but its surely a lot nicer than having the other stuff when it hits the fan..... 

Myles - That question is really good! 

Does anyone know whether a great ship has ever been bought and preserved by her previous owner?
Cunard could maximise their reputation if they fulfilled this excellent idea.

It was sad to read Mr Shanks statement,
"Additionally, the Special Relationship series further underscores Cunard's commitment to bringing its guests not only legendary voyages aboard the most famous ocean liners in the world, but also engaging and intellectual pursuits during their journey."
http://allaboutcunard.blogspot.com/
He could make it come true, if only he and others who hold the purse strings were to be a bit creative,
and together with sincerity and humility,  they could make their subsidiary company  very important
with QE2 as their Vintage Flagship
 - and not only would we welcome the gesture, it would save me from doing Rob's fiendish poll!
Thanks again, Myles!
Rosie
 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Does anyone know whether a great ship has ever been preserved by her previous owner?

Yes, Hikawa Maru is an excellent example. I wrote up my visit here :

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,1300.0.html

[RmsAquitania]

I think in my mind, Cunard had to retire her she was nearly if not always sailling full and she would have kept her returning passengers too, she was even attracting a younger age group too. So she had to go Cunard wanted and needed QE2s passengers to fill up the cabins on QV and QM2, they were the spaces needed ing filled not the QE2. My apologies if this has wandered off topic and in the wrong place.

[caledonia]

Lets be realistic here, the QE2's time had come, she was a very tired old lady at the end needing far more money spending on her than could possibly be justified on a ship 40 years old. I loved her and still miss her, but i have travelled on the QM2, have a voyage booked on the new QE, and to be totally honest the QM2 is a magnificent liner which leaves the QE2 for dead in terms of passenger facilities. I for one will continue to travel with Cunard as to me its a wonderful experience and i quite simply love being on one of their magnificent liners.

[Pat Curry]

Hmm! 

I have only been on the QM2 at one of their prelaunch parties, when she was moored at S'ton so I really don't know her.  But I note an admiration for her on several strands on this site. 

Yes QE2 was expensive to keep in service but more obviously she was the wrong image for Cunard's 'youngest fleet' image. Cunard were lucky, very lucky to sell QE2 to Dubai for an astronomically silly price. No business could refuse such an offer. Try explaining it to the shareholders if they had.  She could have sailed on at least until the replacement QE arrived, but yes, sadly but honestly, I agree, her time had come.  It took a remarkable crew to keep her going.

So Cunard sold her. 

I don't think Cunard are in denial about her existence. They simply don't care.  She is not their property or problem any more. She is no longer a Cunader. 

Furthermore Cunard are not in the heritage preservation business.  They are into modern cruising.  So rightly or wrongly, they won't be 'rescuing' her
 
So what does that make us, the followers of this forum?  If the QE2 is passée, are we dinosaurs?  Are we just some sad old anoraks living on our memories?  Emotionally we liken her sale to a divorce.  Cunard is  the wicked husband. He is so besotted by the 'glamour' of his new young queens, and oblivious to their ugly lack of style, that he abandons his elderly wife by dumping her in an unsuitable location, where her arguably unsuitable but wealthy new owners are equally oblivious to her pedigree and elegance and can't wait to inflict an inappropriate face lift on her.  Only their wealth stands between her and the scrap yard.
 
We'll shed many a tear when it's decision time. 

But life goes on. 

Should we face up to it and just save up to voyage on the new Cunard fleet?

[Rob Lightbody]

QM2 is awesome, and ticks lots of "specification" boxes.  She has all the latest whizz-bang stuff.  What I think she lacks though, due in no small part to her huge-ness both inside and out, is the cosy-comfy-charm that QE2 had oodles off.  This is the definition of luxury, to me.  Its something you can just tell, when they get it right.  Its not about features and gadgets and huge spaces.  Its not in your face, in fact its the opposite.  Its relaxing and easy.  Parts of QM2 felt like a high-class shopping mall to me... and I missed being able to see the sea from many public spaces - simple things like this make a huge difference to the enjoyment.

QE2 was not on her last legs, and its over-simplistic to call her 40 years old - since she had the biggest maritime refit ever undertaken in 1986/7 at enormous cost, and has had lots of other significant upgrades over the years too.  Parts of her were problematic, there's no denying that, however Cunard intended to keep her going for much longer, and only that juicy offer from Nakheel stopped them from doing so.  She could have carried on, and was intended to.  Not forever, but for many years longer.  To my mind, she just needed marketed correctly - as a proper classic ship - getting a porthole should have been sold as a romantic feature, not something to be ashamed of.

Please don't call QE her replacement either, only one ship can ever be called that, and thats QM2 because in terms of hardware, at least, she carries the Cunard Queen name forward.  No other ship does.

I'm so gutted that the Cape Town plan failed, and I'm so hoping they find another similar role for her, because i so want to see that achingly beautiful ship at sea again, and I hope she makes it into the papers (for the right reasons...) when she does so.

[caledonia]

Yes Rob , we all want to see her at sea again for the right reasons,but sadly the way things are going i can only see very sadly a one way trip to Alang. I hope and pray that our beautiful lady survives in her present condition, ( how i wish i could turn back time and travel on her once again) but time marches on and the future of Cunard and all the other cruise companies is not small cabins in the hull of a ship with portholes but the balconnies we now see on these floating tower blocks. I have just retuirned from a voyage on the Ocean Countess ( previously Cunard Countess) and it highlights how the new ships have moved on, it was a very pleasant experience, but as fellow passenges who were first time cruisers on this voyage commented, it was not what they expected of a cruise ship today, they are looking for the luxury of large cabins with balconnies or a large picture window.
Sadly this is what the paying public now wants and expects and as much as i hate to admit it the QE2's time has come, the last year or so of her service life was full of people wanting to say they had travelled on her, but talking to passengers on the two trips i undertook in her last 6 months of service, many were dissapointed with the facilities on board.