Cruise Talk: Hotel QE2 Model Released

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»	Cruise Talk » Ocean Liners and Classic Cruise Ships » Hotel QE2 Model Released

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Topic: Hotel QE2 Model Released

Guest
First Class Passenger
Member # 1157

posted 04-28-2009 09:54 AM

Originally found on Rob Lightbody'sThe QE2 Story Website Forum - this link shows an alleged model of Hotel QE2: Click Here.

[ 04-28-2009: Message edited by: Chris ]

Posts: 1888 | From: Earth | Registered: Mar 2000 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 04-28-2009 10:35 AM

Well found Chris! So do we like it?

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Maasdam
First Class Passenger
Member # 3858

posted 04-28-2009 10:38 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
Well found Chris! So do we like it?

No.

Posts: 4695 | From: Rotterdam home of the tss. Rotterdam. | Registered: May 2003 | IP: Logged

mike sa
First Class Passenger
Member # 5957

posted 04-28-2009 10:52 AM

Not as bad as it could be, not wonderful but could easily be worse - at one stage they were talking about extending the superstructure right back to the stern - this looks ok if one considers that.

Posts: 2272 | From: Durban, South Africa | Registered: Sep 2005 | IP: Logged

joe at travelpage
Administrator
Member # 622

posted 04-28-2009 11:11 AM

On the Christies site it state:

This model is number two (of three) prepared for the company responsible for QE2's current conversion and from which final decisions were made for the historic ship's eventual appearance, both inside and out, in her new role as a floating hotel.

Does that mean this is one of the concepts that was not accepted and that the actual conversion will be based on a different model?

I suspect that all three were models similar but each had unique features.

Joe at TravelPage.com

Posts: 29976 | From: Great Falls, Virginia | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Thad
First Class Passenger
Member # 1224

posted 04-28-2009 12:38 PM

Does look pretty ugly and blocky...

Posts: 1967 | From: Boston, MA | Registered: Apr 2000 | IP: Logged

Waynaro
First Class Passenger
Member # 3484

posted 04-28-2009 04:47 PM

In that model design, it seems the cut the superstructure in half horizontally and sandwich a few decks in between. I don't like it!

Posts: 6108 | From: Vallejo,CA : California Maritime Academy!!! | Registered: Nov 2002 | IP: Logged

Cunard Fan
First Class Passenger
Member # 7530

posted 04-28-2009 05:13 PM

I hate Dubai. So much for presevation.

Posts: 2327 | From: Pasadena just north of Queen Mary | Registered: Sep 2006 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 04-28-2009 05:33 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Thad:
Does look pretty ugly and blocky...

If it was a model for the conversion of the SS United States, bringing her back to service, I'd say 'not bad' really - but it's not. However I do see their need to expand the accommodation and public rooms if it's going to be a successful luxury hotel.

[ 04-28-2009: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 04-28-2009 08:32 PM

Why not put the hotel rooms lower in the hull w/larger windows/french balconies cut into the hull. The Federal Grey hull paint would conceal alot of the new rooms. Two decks of veranda cabins could be installed on the boat deck and blend into the upper deck quite nicely.

That model is a design mess.

Posts: 7654 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

dougnewman
First Class Passenger
Member # 11349

posted 04-28-2009 08:33 PM

It's ... um ... well I certainly hope this is not the final design. (I agree with Joe, I expect each of the three models showed different potential modifications and the owners could pick and choose elements of each to put into the final design. So this is not likely to be "the" design, but parts of it may be.)

Piling things on top of ships does not usually look too good and this is no exception. It could be much worse but that doesn't mean it's not still bad.

Really, I am more and more of the mindset that I would rather have seen her scrapped - or even that I would rather see her scrapped now, but ideally, that I would rather have seen her go like CANBERRA. A clean break. None of this fake "preservation" stuff - let's get real, this is not preservation and even if she was preserved as she is now I would probably not want to visit her anyway ... it would be liking viewing the embalmed corpse of a dead relative. And it would not be practical to preserve her - so let her die.

Posts: 2072 | From: Long Island, NY, USA | Registered: Sep 2007 | IP: Logged

bcscot
First Class Passenger
Member # 22351

posted 04-28-2009 10:51 PM

Sorry to disagree but I have heard so many awful rumours about what they plan to do to QE2 that if this picture is what she is going to be like, it is far better than anything that I expected. I think that the extra height is not bad & is still better than most contemporary cruise ships.

I appreciate being able to visit the Queen Mary & would have loved to visit Canberra in retirement. If they have to make enough changes to make preservation viable, then so be it, as long as the ship is still recognisable.

Graham.

Posts: 266 | From: BC, Canada | Registered: Mar 2009 | IP: Logged

bcscot
First Class Passenger
Member # 22351

posted 04-28-2009 11:01 PM

P.S.- It is still a more sympathetic heightening of the superstructure than was done to France to make her into the Norway & she was still well liked.

Graham.

Posts: 266 | From: BC, Canada | Registered: Mar 2009 | IP: Logged

dmwnc1
Cruise Director
Member # 3785

posted 04-29-2009 12:32 AM

The model actually reminded me of those quirky characature looking models of ocean liners that guy on eBay carves out of wood and sells for a rediculous amount of money.

Posts: 5650 | From: Clarksburg WV | Registered: Apr 2003 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 04-29-2009 03:39 AM

quote:
Originally posted by dmwnc1:
The model actually reminded me of those quirky characature looking models of ocean liners that guy on eBay carves out of wood and sells for a rediculous amount of money.

Don't worry, you can buy the QE2 model for a ridiculous amount of money to.

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Maasdam
First Class Passenger
Member # 3858

posted 04-29-2009 05:20 AM

To give more explanation to my short NO.

I think that this is not how you preserve a ship certainly not the QE2. They wanted the most famous liner but then ruin here nice profile in a way that she's unrecognizable. This sad ship is really the victim of a owner who have not the slightly idea what fore treasure he got. And I agree it was better to see here scrapped then rapped like this. I was never a big fan of here, but she not deserve this fate.

Greetings Ben.

Posts: 4695 | From: Rotterdam home of the tss. Rotterdam. | Registered: May 2003 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 04-29-2009 06:22 AM

I notice the model has no lifeboats. Of course she will not need any, but that's no reason to remove them! She wont need a funnel either.

At least the Queen Mary still has lifeboats and has not had too much change of profile apart from the Veranda Grill which is now double height.

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

SCOTT H
First Class Passenger
Member # 6831

posted 04-29-2009 10:52 AM

The extra decks give it a top heavy boxey appearance which ruins her profile. But the comment bcscot made about the France/Norway with the sun,sky decks from the early 1990s is a interesting comparision.

Posts: 134 | From: Victoria B C Canada, but born in Glasgow, Scotland | Registered: Jul 2006 | IP: Logged

Cunard Fan
First Class Passenger
Member # 7530

posted 04-29-2009 01:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
I notice the model has no lifeboats. Of course she will not need any, but that's no reason to remove them! She wont need a funnel either.

It kind of bums me out too. One of my faviorite places on the Queen Mary is her sun deck. I love just walking along under the canopy of boats.

quote:
Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
At least the Queen Mary still has lifeboats and has not had too much change of profile apart from the Veranda Grill which is now double height.

The height of the Varanda Grill was changed well before the Queen Mary came to Long Beach. I believe they added that in 1937.

Posts: 2327 | From: Pasadena just north of Queen Mary | Registered: Sep 2006 | IP: Logged

Guest
First Class Passenger
Member # 1157

posted 05-02-2009 11:28 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
Well found Chris! So do we like it?

Thanks Malcolm - it was actually Rob Lightbody who found it, however I thought CT readers would be interested to see it too.

I am hopeful that, if the model is for sale, they've decided not to go down that path.

IMO that particular design alteration is a disgrace - it is an total dishonour to design, to QE2, to shipping and to preservation. It seems absolutely unthinkable to spend $100m buying an icon to turn it into a freak show... so perhaps it was just one of many concept ideas.

So no - I don't like it.

[ 05-02-2009: Message edited by: Chris ]

Posts: 1888 | From: Earth | Registered: Mar 2000 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 05-02-2009 01:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Chris:
IMO that particular design alteration is a disgrace - it is an total dishonour to design, to QE2, to shipping and to preservation. It seems absolutely unthinkable to spend $100m buying an icon to turn it into a freak show...

Unfortunately, business people DO NOT buy old ships to preserve them. The sole idea is to generate profit from them. If that includes a complete refit and adding extra decks, that's what they will do.

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 05-02-2009 01:49 PM

quote:
Originally posted by bcscot:
It is still a more sympathetic heightening of the superstructure than was done to France to make her into the Norway & she was still well liked.

The advantage of the SS Norway's modifications were that we could at least still cruise on her. Once on board you could look at the passing ocean and could not see the changes so well.

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Ernst
First Class Passenger
Member # 5369

posted 05-02-2009 03:00 PM

Giving the rumors that made the round this model does not look too bad. Yes, it's less attractive than her exterior is/was but it could be much worse especially since they can hardly leave her as she is right now.

Posts: 9746 | From: Eindhoven | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

LeBarryboat
First Class Passenger
Member # 5308

posted 05-02-2009 10:28 PM

The Double height Verandah Grill on Queen Mary was built like that way way before she went to Long Beach. Actually it was expanded to accommodate the engine room personnel within a few years after she was launched.

Looks like they are raising the Funnel a couple decks higher on the QE2...that will look odd.

Posts: 1955 | From: Minnesota | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

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