M Reilly's photo galleries of QE2 (1998)

[cunardqueen]

I hope this link works...
lots of photos, from a crew member...not sure if its been posted here, some of his comments make for interesting reading, especially about the crew meals...

  http://www.mreilly.com/WebPages/printing/coop/QE2/qe.html 
 

[Twynkle]

Thank you, Myles

What a lovely surprise - and on a very cold and snowy St Andrew's Day!
This is a superb review of QE2 by someone who set up the Daily Programmes amongst other things!
Did everyone else know that the entire length of the ship could only be seen from Deck 3!
Expect you did - wishing I'd known too!
Rosie
 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

What a great collection! The series takes the viewer all round the ship, including some crew areas -- and the comments are well worth lingering over too.

Now I wonder when these were taken -- they are not of QE2 in her final years.

Once we know, these postings can go to the right slot under "Service Years"!

I would love to hear what were the giveaway signs -- what pictures allow you to date the whole series accurately?

[Twynkle]

Clue No. 1
It was soon after the Epson computers in the Computer Learning Centre were updated to Micron Pentium PCs
Was this in or soon after 1995?

Clue No. 2
The chairs in the Lido - when did they get striped fabric on the seats?

Clue No.3
Doors into the Caronia Restaurant, and the name above them - weren't these changed before the last 10 years of service?

Clue No.4
The chairs in the Queens Room - there seem to be no blue high-backed armchairs...
and those lovely domed lights, can you see any of these?

Clue No. 5 - The Yacht club carpet is red!
The chairs are blue and green - rather than the recent lovely sort of QE2 'aqua' velvety fitted covers...

Clue No. 6
There's something very different about the The Golden Lion!
It has a parquet floor - wasn't this carpeted later (red) and the wooden chairs, black!

Clue No. 7
Didn't QE2 sail to Dubai with green chairs in the Crystal Bar - rather than blue?

Clue No. 8 
The Daily Programme could be the real 'give-away'! It looks as if the header is in blue.

Clue No. 9
The deck chairs and sun-loungers - these have changed many times over the years!
Someone, somewhere might have the catalogue!

[Peter Mugridge]

I looked through all 54; there's a date - or near enough a date - somewhere, but I can't remember where.  I think it was the second half of the 1980s?

[highlander0108]

Clue No. 10

Speed stripe on the hull in photo 50.  That would effectively date this series of pictures between 1994-1999. 

[Twynkle]

On Mr Reilly's website, there's a reference to the year being 1998!

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

On Mr Reilly's website, there's a reference to the year being 1998!

Oh Rosie, what a spoilsport you are...  

And here was I, thinking we had got so good at the "QE2 dating" game that we would be able to work it out for ourselves...

Perhaps we could still try and spot the differences and check when the changes were made that brought about the QE2 we see in those pictures, and then, the QE2 in her final-years look.

And yes, Ken, I too would have started with the speed stripe to give us a framework of years to focus on. What I wonder now is whether the other photos allow us to narrow down that period of about 5 years.

Michael (flagship) could be the final arbitrator   .
I bet, Michael, that you could narrow the pictures down to a matter of months -- maybe even a single day!

We may end up having a whole team of people ready to play "Mastermind" with QE2 as their subject   .

[Twynkle]

....Now I wonder when these were taken -- they are not of QE2 in her final years.

Once we know, these postings can go to the right slot under "Service Years"!

I would love to hear what were the giveaway signs -- what pictures allow you to date the whole series accurately?

and

Oh Rosie, what a spoilsport you are...  

And here was I, thinking we had got so good at the "QE2 dating" game that we would be able to work it out for ourselves...

Isabelle - it was aiming to help the highly efficient Global Moderators at all times, - and in all places, you understand!
It did seem important at the time - now I fear being banned - and not for the first time either   and

Perhaps we could still try and spot the differences and check when the changes were made that brought about the QE2 we see in those pictures, and then, the QE2 in her final-years look.

There are lots more differences...now over to you!
There are things in the photographs that also belong in other topics as well - the clocks, and staircases for instance.

We may end up having a whole team of people ready to play "Mastermind" with QE2 as their subject   .

Mmm...wouldn't it be absolutely fantastic if we could do this all together on board, one day!

Last but not least - I am very sorry!  
Rosie.
 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Apologies graciously accepted, Rosie! 

And indeed, it may be just as well to know the date, and then reconstruct from there.

I was struck by this pic of the Midships Lobby :

http://www.mreilly.com/WebPages/printing/coop/QE2/qe40.html

I have a feeling that I saw this carpet in 2000, but that it had been replaced by the final version in 2002.

Michael, would you know which carpet was in the Midships Lobby and from when to when?

I have not so far found any clues in the "carpet" topic :

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,2281.0.html

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

I was struck by this pic of the Midships Lobby :

http://www.mreilly.com/WebPages/printing/coop/QE2/qe40.html

I have a feeling that I saw this carpet in 2000, but that it had been replaced by the final version in 2002.

And now I wonder... Here is the Midships Lobby carpet, in August 2000 -- but it is the section within the dip at the centre of the Lobby :

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,2474.msg27139.html#msg27139

Now is this the same carpet or not?

[Chris]

Great Game Rosie - some observations

It was soon after the Epson computers in the Computer Learning Centre were updated to Micron Pentium PCs
Was this in or soon after 1995?

When we sailed in 1995 they were Epson machines. In 1998 they were changed across to Micron and the sign above the door changed to "Computer Learning Centre" sometime soon thereafter.

The chairs in the Lido - when did they get striped fabric on the seats?

Note also the wooden floor. The Lido really did look its best in this format, the Winter Garden Theme. The Wicker furniture on the wood floors meant that during high seas the furniture would move across the ship uncontrollably and so it as gradually changes to be heavier tables, chairs and carpeted.

Doors into the Caronia Restaurant, and the name above them - weren't these changed before the last 10 years of service?

The sign changed again in 1999 when Caronia Restaurant was refurbished to the "Edwardian Era" style.

The chairs in the Queens Room - there seem to be no blue high-backed armchairs...
and those lovely domed lights, can you see any of these?

These were added in 1999. The whole Queens Room you'll notice is different, and is seen here in it's 1994-1999 theme.

The Yacht club carpet is red!
The chairs are blue and green - rather than the recent lovely sort of QE2 'aqua' velvety fitted covers...

Again changed in 1999.

There's something very different about the The Golden Lion!
It has a parquet floor - wasn't this carpeted later (red) and the wooden chairs, black!

The ceilings were also changed from white to a dark colour - green if I recall.

Didn't QE2 sail to Dubai with green chairs in the Crystal Bar - rather than blue?

1999 and 2001 refits saw work to the Crystal Bar. You'll notice also the carpets are different. The walls against Mauretania changed to Green/Teal and the Mauretania entrance sign changed also in 1999... the sign seen here is the ex-Caronia sign where all that was altered was to rename it Mauretania.

[Chris]

And now I wonder... Here is the Midships Lobby carpet, in August 2000 -- but it is the section within the dip at the centre of the Lobby :

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,2474.msg27139.html#msg27139

Now is this the same carpet or not?

That's the 1994-2001 version of the Midships Lobby Carpet Isabelle. While the 1999 refit replaced much of the carpeting on QE2 the One and Two Deck corridors remained untouched until 2001. This included the Midships Lobby. During the 2001 refit it was updated.

[cunardqueen]

Quote from: Twynkle on November 30, 2010, 10:50:32 PM
It was soon after the Epson computers in the Computer Learning Centre were updated to Micron Pentium PCs
Was this in or soon after 1995?


When we sailed in 1995 they were Epson machines. In 1998 they were changed across to Micron and the sign above the door changed to "Computer Learning Centre" sometime soon thereafter.

   

l just couldnt resist posting this here..
Sorry - image no longer available

[Chris]

Superb!! Love the old CUNARD branding with the block logo and the gold stripes used in the last few pre-Carnival years!!