We can only provide this information thanks to the research work of Michael Gallagher, please do not use without his permission.Passenger AccommodationMcNeece had the responsibility for updating all passenger cabins, with restrictions applied that structural modification were to be confined to cabin toilets.
- The cabin refurbishment programme accounted for 30% of the total interior redesign cost
- The cabins represented more than 50% of the area encompassed by the refit
- Prior to the refit date contractors had sealed off blocks of cabins to check for fibre before preparing rooms for the refurbishment and structural alterations
- The new designs set minimum standards of cleanliness, comfort and functionality appropriate to each grade
Penthouse Suite: All Penthouses were luxuriously refurbished with all-new furnishings in a rich style.
Cabin refurbishment: All cabins received new soft furnishings: bedspreads, carpets, curtains, upholstery etc. New chairs and or stools were installed and all settees were re-covered. The new designs were in keeping with both the traditional concepts with modern materials that were designed to increase passenger convenience and comfort and offer a new feeling of warmth.
In all, 2,000 new bedspreads were supplied.New BathroomsUrgent priority was given to replacing the original 1960’s style bathrooms with modern ergonomically designed fittings and easy to clean surfaces, which would conform to hotel standards. The refurbishment of 1000 bathrooms would be at a cost of £4.8 million of the £32 million hotel budget.
To complete the refurbishment of 1000 bathrooms, a rolling programme of work was planned from when QE2 returned from her 1994 World Cruise in April until November. However the start date was extended to June with work not eventually starting until July, as a result of Cunard management not making a decision on the schedule. Southampton firm Tramline was contracted to do the work.
It was accepted that improvements to basic functions, such as the primary plumbing system would prove too expensive so every effort was made to make the bathrooms as efficient as possible.
The bathrooms would be refurbished to three different standards:Ultra Deluxe Cabins: 220 cabins in this category (the 1987 Penthouses 8011 – 8018 were excluded). The new design consisted of Crema Marfil beige marble floor and bulkheads, Burnt Sienna marble vanitory units and Bird’s Eye maple trim.
Deluxe Cabins: 300 cabins in this category – approximately 209 with baths and 91 with shower enclosures. The new design consisted of tan and white tiles, copper tones granite vanitory unit and Bird’s Eye maple trim.
Premium Cabins: 464 cabins in this category – located mainly on Four and Five Decks. The new design consisted of beige laminate bulkheads, white ceiling and tiles, copper toned granite vanity unit and Bird’s Eye maple trim.
Within each category a small number would be adapted to the needs of disabled passengers.
The cabins would receive a brand-new bathroom (new tiles, vanity units, showers / baths, sinks and toilets) while all toilet compartments were to be rebuilt to a recognisable standard throughout the various grades of accommodation.
Smaller cabin bathrooms would have timber laminate tops to the units fitted, while the premium grades would receive granite and the higher grades receiving marble tops - but with individual units being of similar dimensions.
New elements included free-standing cone-shaped washbasins mounted on burred veneer black panels, polished granite sink tops and the vertical, diffused fluorescent battens down both sides of the mirror units.
All shower units were to be replaced. The fibreglass showers, originating from QE2’s construction, had reached the point of detracting from the acceptability of her accommodations by modern standards.
Shower installation work while QE2 was in service:Some 509 new showers were installed while QE2 was still in service between July and November 1994. This was accomplished by way of custom knock-down shower units designed specially for QE2 by McNeece and made by British manufacturer Blondecell Limited. These were manufactured so that they could be erected ‘in-situ’ aboard the ship, in minimum time, without dismantling the accommodation alleyways.
The works to bathrooms started in July 1994 with up to 120 skilled men being involved. This rolling programme would continue until 19 November and the dry-dock period commencing. Blocks of cabins would be taken out of service sequentially until the work was finished – with noisy work and fumes being kept to an absolute minimum.
The workers completed preparations in sixty units in each ten-day period, and over 300 items (many from other suppliers who in turn had to be sub-contracted) required for each cabin’s update were stored in a dockside shed in Southampton in readiness for transference to the ship during her short turnarounds.
Naturally such a massive undertaking would not be without its problems and as Summer 1994 progressed more and more problems were encountered with the bathroom project. Last minute offloads became a common occurrence and the disruption to passengers on board resulted in more and more complaints about the work. Asbestos removal was also more problematic. By August the revenue loss due to the revised cabin requirements was over $1.9 million.
The work really began in earnest after QE2’s arrival at the shipyard on 20 November but the project was far from finished upon her return to service on 17 December. Trimline staff had to remain with the vessel for weeks after the project had originally been scheduled to finish in order to complete the work.
In the end 151 cabins would not receive any bathroom work at all.
Later John McNeece would claim that the bathroom problems experienced where due to Cunard’s senior management authorising QE2’s own officers and crew to replace steelwork and plumbing in the cabin areas (there was serious corrosion of steel plating below bathroom floors due to long-term water damage) without informing McNeece. So, this aspect of the project, plus a new ring mains in the corridors, was not accounted for in McNeece’s planning strategy - and it was his 14-strong fit-out snagging team that had constantly to re-inspect areas that had already been deemed complete. He recalled that:
“There were huge pressures on Cunard’s already stretched project managers who appeared to lose control. No sooner had blocks of cabins and corridors been carefully refurbished than QE2’s own crewmembers began to dismantle them again to replace the plumbing and electrics - and this caused damage to the new ceilings, wall finishes, furniture, fittings and carpets and delays to the overall project. Later, one week before the work was due to be completed, the Enchanted Isle charter expired and so the subcontractors were transferred to hotels and guesthouses in Hamburg. Of course, they hit the town and this brought a decrease in productivity during the closing stages, including some instances of sabotage, presumably in the hope that their contracts might be extended to make good the damage”.
Accommodation for disabled people: Four staterooms were redesigned, using the latest technology. The rooms involved were:
Q3 Grade - 1048 and 1051
Q4 Grade - 1062 and 1064
In these, the pneumatically operated hinging outer doors and sliding bathroom doors could be controlled from a special transmitter carried by the passenger, both on approach to the cabin and to assist callers to enter. This transmitter could also be used to control lighting, curtains and television.
Part of the McNeece brief, on the disabled cabin design was to ensure that the cabins were not so obviously for disabled people as to deter other passengers using them as normal.
New Cabin GradingThe existing 24 cabin grades were replaced by 18 grades grouped into four levels of luxury and more closely linked to the restaurants on board. All cabins were reviewed for size, amenities and location and then re-graded, reducing the categories from 18 doubles to 13 doubles.
Q Grills Class Queens Grill
P Grills Class Princess or Britannia Grills
C Deluxe Class Caronia Restaurant
M Premium Class Mauretania Restaurant
This regrading also saw an end to the formal two-class operation of QE2 when on the Atlantic.
