Platinum jubilee: Dubai's 'QE2' to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's reign

Former luxury liner - now a floating hotel at Port Rashid - was launched by British monarch in 1967

QE2 reopened in 2018 as a floating hotel at Port Rashid. All photos: Antonie Robertson / The National

A theatre where live entertainment is held on Dubai’s only floating hotel, the Queen Elizabeth 2, which is being taken over by French hospitality group Accor.

The interior of the ship, which is permanently docked at Dubai's Mina Rashid port, has been completely preserved.

The midships lobby area in the restored QE2.

The old Golden Lion pub.

The casino is filled with slot machines - now purely decorative.

A games arcade cluttered with old machines remains.

The QE2's stairs have been restored.

The hotel has 447 hotel rooms and nine food and beverage outlets.

Inside a deluxe room on the QE2 hotel.

Inside the renovated Yacht Club restaurant on the QE2.

The corridors are all soft carpet and 1970s kitsch.

The ocean liner is named after the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The midships lobby area in the restored QE2.

A host of events are being prepared to celebrate the platinum jubilee of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on board the Dubai-based ship that shares her name.

Gala dinners, variety shows, pub quizzes, afternoon tea and tours of the Queen Elizabeth 2 will pay tribute to the queen for being on the throne for 70 years.

Staycation deals are also available for those who want to spend the night aboard the former luxury liner that was transformed into a museum and hotel at Port Rashid in 2018.

The celebrations are scheduled to take place on Friday and Saturday, June 3 and 4, to coincide with events happening in the UK.

“It’s an opportunity for people here to celebrate the incredible achievement of the queen in reigning for 70 years,” said Robert Duce, chief executive of Outside the Box, which is running the celebrations.

“Regardless of your politics, you have to say this is an incredible feat. Her reign goes all the way back to the likes of [Dwight] Eisenhower and [Winston] Churchill, prime ministers and presidents have come and gone in that time but she remains constant.

“It’s something that British people can be very proud of and it’s only right we celebrate it.”

Queen Elizabeth II at the launch of the 'QE2' in 1967. Hulton-Deutsch Collection / Corbis via Getty Images

The QE2 is a vessel that some call the greatest ship the world has ever seen. It was built in the famed shipyards of John Brown in Clydebank, Scotland, and launched in 1967 by the queen. Her maiden voyage took place in 1969.

It would go on to become the Cunard Line’s flagship for more than 30 years and was succeeded by the Queen Mary 2 in 2004.

When the QE2 was purchased by Dubai World in 1997, it had completed more than 800 Atlantic crossings and had carried 2.5 million passengers. French hospitality company Accor is now taking over the running of the QE2, with plans to increase the number of rooms from 224 to 447.

Mr Duce said he expected more than 1,000 people to attend the gala dinners over the course of the weekend.

Entertainment will be provided by the Royal Marines Corps of Drums, a piper and a military band flown over from the UK for the weekend. Tickets for the dinner are Dh595 a person.

A variety performance is also scheduled to take place on both nights, while jugglers, a Shirley Bassey tribute act and a local ballet school will also be performing.

Prices for the variety performance range between Dh125 and Dh175.

Afternoon tea, that most British of traditions, will also be available onboard throughout the week.

The ship's Golden Lion pub will also be hosting many events, including a pub quiz on Wednesday, June 1. Although it opened on the QE2 only in 1994 in what had been the old theatre bar, Mr Duce claimed it could be considered one of the emirate's oldest bars.

“There’s going to be a minimum spend of Dh96 per person at the quiz in The Golden Lion,” said Mr Duce.

“That is because the queen is 96 years old, so we thought it was quite appropriate.”

The QE2 arrives in Dubai from the UK on November 26, 2008. Randi Sokoloff / The National)

Another event taking place onboard the ship will be the Big Jubilee Family Lunch, Mr Duce said.

“All over the UK, people are being encouraged to have street parties on June 5 to mark the occasion,” he said.

“We decided to do the same in the UAE for all the family and there will be children’s entertainment, too.

“The main difference is we won’t be able to put huge amounts of food in the middle of each table because of Covid-19 restrictions.”