Author Topic: QE2's Casino  (Read 12360 times)

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Online Rob Lightbody

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QE2's Casino
« on: Mar 26, 2009, 08:37 AM »
A question, I am not sure if she had a casino on board in 1989. If not, when did she acquire one? Was it after Carnival bought Cunard?


It was there in 1987 and felt like a proper posh bit of the ship. It replaced the upper library but i can't remember when. QE2 in her prime served mostly American passengers and they expected her to have one! I liked it, its the only casino i've ever been to. Loved the late night dinner jacket, tobacco and whole James  Bond type thing and i know i wasn't the only one!
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Online Isabelle Prondzynski

Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #1 on: Mar 26, 2009, 08:53 AM »
It was there in 1987 and felt like a proper posh bit of the ship. It replaced the upper library but i can't remember when. QE2 in her prime served mostly American passengers and they expected her to have one! I liked it, its the only casino i've ever been to. Loved the late night dinner jacket, tobacco and whole James  Bond type thing and i know i wasn't the only one!

Agree with you wholeheartedly, Rob! It did have a James Bond type atmosphere, and I did on several occasions drag my heels around there....  ;D

But the fruit machines were a different matter. I just did not think they were worthy of QE2, and they made such a dreadful noise! Fascinating photographs got taken among them all the same, quite against QE2 rules I believe... for instance :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/3414295664/

And of course we had to huddle between the one-armed bandits on several occasions for our safety drill -- each time, that conjunction rather amused me...!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/2689965637/
« Last Edit: Apr 05, 2009, 01:32 PM by Isabelle Prondzynski »

Online Bob C.

Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #2 on: Mar 26, 2009, 03:32 PM »
A question, I am not sure if she had a casino on board in 1989. If not, when did she acquire one? Was it after Carnival bought Cunard?

I'll vouch for as early as 1977. At age 15, I remember sneaking a few quarters into the slot machines at the casino that was pretty near where the casino is (was) today.  I'll have to dig in my stuff to see if there was one earlier.

KEV

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Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #3 on: Mar 26, 2009, 10:04 PM »
Yes!-My first real sit down on QE2 and chance to take it all in after boarding and unpacking was in the Casino (our designated Muster Station) in our lifejackets amongst the Fruits by the cashiers office
 I enjoyed several nights after a show trying to look like Bond (unsuccessfully I might add) on the Blackjack Table with a whisky, but with me ultimately shaken and stirred when the 20 dollar limit I set myself ran out.
I have an idea that I may have seen one of those silver casino tokens with the nice coin like relief of QE2 on one side that might have somehow got mixed up with the general pocket change. If I find it I will of course forward it to Dubai

mksmith

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Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #4 on: Mar 27, 2009, 12:33 AM »
I remember the Casino there in 1985 the port side, Upper Deck. The Starboard had the Theater Bar before it became the pub. Oh the good days….. :'( how I miss her.

Offline Andy F

Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #5 on: Mar 28, 2009, 03:27 AM »
How noble of you there Kev!

Quite agree Isabelle and oh how we would all try to sneak a couple of shots in when we thought no-one was looking.

I recall having an argument there one morning with a very loud and obnoxious 'gentleman' of American persuasion (absolutely no offence intended to our Atlantic cousins here btw), while waiting patiently in line to check in for a tour.  He and his party tried jumping the queue ahead of the pair of elderly ladies in front, which annoyed me to say the least and if there's one thing we Brits detest (or at least this one certainly does), it's queue jumpers.  OK, so pound for pound he certainly had an advantage over me in that respect but I had the benefit of youth on my side (well, kinda stretching the truth a little there perhaps admittedly but I was definitely a good 20yrs younger), and descending from a former World champion heavyweight boxer (or so I'm told apparently), I wasn't about to back down without a fight so to speak.  The rest of his party were clearly embarrassed by his antics and behaviour as I calmly pointed to to this big, loud shouty lump that what he was doing just wasn't cricket.  He finally got the message and admitted defeat and for the remainder of the cruise whenever our paths would cross, as they invariably would, I would give him my bestest Paddington Bear hard stare.  Poor chap probably hasn't recovered from his QE2 experience but he might just think twice about jumping queues in future.  A victory for the little man!



   
« Last Edit: Mar 28, 2009, 02:53 PM by Andy F »
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Online Rob Lightbody

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Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #6 on: Mar 28, 2009, 12:35 PM »
« Last Edit: Sep 25, 2018, 06:42 PM by Rob Lightbody »
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Offline Andy F

Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #7 on: Mar 28, 2009, 02:54 PM »
That's never the young Lightbody I see before me is it?
Start every day with a smile and get it over with

Online Rob Lightbody

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Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #8 on: Mar 28, 2009, 03:42 PM »
That's never the young Lightbody I see before me is it?

  ::)
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

KEV

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Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #9 on: Mar 29, 2009, 06:02 PM »
Rob is that in the casino or your cabin?!

Offline Andy F

Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #10 on: Mar 29, 2009, 11:54 PM »
Obviously his cabin Kev (Grills you know  ;) )
Start every day with a smile and get it over with

KEV

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Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #11 on: Mar 31, 2009, 06:26 PM »
That's right Andy-the 2 windows are a dead giveaway!

Offline Chris

Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #12 on: Apr 01, 2009, 12:36 PM »
That's right Andy-the 2 windows are a dead giveaway!

Mid-ships Suite? ;)
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Online Michael Gallagher

Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #13 on: Apr 15, 2018, 08:24 AM »

All Text copyright © the author and The QE2 Story - not to be reused without permission


The original plans for QE2 had a Casino located on Promenade (Upper) Deck starboard side between the Main First-Class Lounge (Queens Room) Room and First-Class Nightclub (Q4 Room) in the space that would become the Conference Centre.

Jean Munroe had been appointed to design the space which was probably too small to be a proper Casino so it was planned that various machines could be accommodated in a flexible design which allowed various pieces of equipment to be brought in as necessary. David Hicks would later assume responsibility for the design of the Casino.

When Cunard’s New York lawyers heard of the plan to include a Casino in the new ship they raised the legal position in New York and Port Everglades as American regulations at the time prohibited gambling or casinos on ships while in US waters. The lawyers came to the conclusion that Cunard would run into “serious trouble” if a Casino had been built and that any such facility would have had to have been dismantled while QE2 was reaching New York or Port Everglades and while in those waters. This would have meant regular disruption given QE2’s scheduling and Crockfords, who were to run the Casino for Cunard, decided that it would not be an economic proposition from their point of view and that there would be an empty (non-revenue generating) space for long periods of time.

In December 1966 it was decided that a Casino would not be included in QE2’s public rooms with the space becoming a dedicated multi-purpose space and Conference Room.

However in February 1967 the prospect of including a Casino was raised again and various debates would continue throughout that year and 1968 but QE2 would not have a Casino when she entered service in 1969.

The regulations were relaxed somewhat in the early 1970s so Cunard installed a temporary Casino in the 736 Club on Boat Deck – called, appropriately, the 736 Sportsman Club. The famous Sportsman Club of London was responsible for running the facility.

Cunard’s new owners Trafalgar House were determined to maximise the profits from QE2 and while plans for additional accommodation and shops were being drawn up a Casino was included in the major 1972 rebuilding of QE2. Not only was a new Casino to be built to increase revenue but a new Casino had to be built as the 736 Club was to be transformed into the Queens Grill in that refit so a new location had to be found and therefore the beautiful Library and Port Foyer midships on Upper Deck was demolished and a new Casino built in the space.

The Casino featured its own bar and offered roulette, blackjack and other table games.
« Last Edit: Apr 16, 2018, 09:09 PM by Rob Lightbody »

Online Chris Thompson

Re: QE2's Casino
« Reply #14 on: Apr 15, 2018, 01:58 PM »
Although it was a shame to lose the Upper deck library I must say that it was a great location for the Casino due to the thru traffic between the Grand lounge and the restaurant. A lot of ships I worked on had Casinos tucked out of the way as if the cruise line did not really want them! The US customs relaxed over the years, when I was first on the QE2 in 1988 we had flexible screens that would close off the area when not in use.
These were removed during the 1990 refit.