Cruising News Magazine Cruising News June 2018 | Page 24

QE2 Opens in Dubai
The legendary Queen Elizabeth 2 has
started a new chapter in her storied
history as a floating hotel, dining and
entertainment destination in Dubai.
There was a soft opening on 18 April
2018 with a grand launch to take
place in October 2018.
PCFC Hotels – part of the Dubai
government’s Ports, Customs and Free
Zones Corporation – has reinvented the
legendary vessel as the latest must-see
tourism destination, in a city renowned
for its world-class attractions.
The world-famous cruise liner, which
has a history spanning 5 decades,
is now docked permanently at
Mina Rashid, where her dining,
accommodation and entertainment
attractions will be unveiled. Her
opening marks the first of several
stages in which segments of the
liner will be opened and released
for a unique experience capturing
all that was grand about her forty
years of service. In this first phase, she
welcomes passengers on board to
experience a selection of beautifully
restored rooms and suites, to discover
5 of the planned 13 restaurants and
bars and explore her rich history in the
adjacent QE2 Heritage Exhibition.
Hamza Mustafa, CEO of PCFC Hotels
commented: “To finally open the QE2
is a dream come true for my team
and I. It is one of Dubai’s most highly
anticipated projects and we know that
a lot of people are going to be very
excited to see her for the first time, or
to step back on board the vessel that
created so many wonderful memories
during her 40 years at sea. We have
dedicated more than 2.7 million man-
hours into transforming this legendary
ocean liner into the multi-faceted
tourist destination that she is today
and I am very proud to reintroduce
her to the world as she embarks on the
next stage of her celebrated journey.
It has been an honour to work on this
wonderful project and to help ensure
that our lovely Lady lives up to her new
slogan: still making history.”
Adjacent to the hotel lobby is the QE2
Exhibition – an interactive museum
that showcases the QE2 during the
60’s when she was a pioneer in design,
technology and lifestyle – words often
used to describe the city she resides in
today.
Le Lapérouse Successfully Completes Her First Sea Trials
Le Lapérouse, the first ship in
the PONANT EXPLORERS series,
has completed her first sea trials
successfully at the Vard Shipyard in
Ålesund, Norway while the construction
of the other five expedition vessels in
the latest-generation series is under
way. The tests, part of the last stage
of construction, are also the first
opportunity to reveal the new ship and
enjoy the elegant lines of PONANT’s
latest-generation series.
“These sea trials are a real success for
the company. Remarkable nautical
performances, technical excellence,
a high standard of comfort, everything
is in place for the PONANT EXPLORERS
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series to be a real triumph” says Jean
Emmanuel Sauvée, CEO of PONANT.
The first cruises on board Le Lapérouse
start from Iceland in June 2018. The
ship will then cruise the Mediterranean,
then head via the Indian Ocean and
Asia to Australia for her first season of
expedition voyages to New Zealand’s
Sub Antarctic Islands (February 2019),
Melanesia and Australia’s Kimberley
region (May to August 2019).
The construction of the five other
ships in the PONANT EXPLORERS series
is well under way. The steel-cutting
ceremony for the 5th and 6th vessels,
Le Bellot and Le Surville, scheduled for
delivery in 2020, took place on 4 April in
Romania. More recently, Le Champlain
reached Norway on 27 April to
complete the final phases of her
construction. The inaugural cruise will
take place on 25 October in Honfleur,
France.
The construction of Le Bougainville and
Le Dumont d’ Urville progresses on the
Vard shipyard in Tulcea in Romania; the
ships are scheduled for delivery in 2019.
Also for October 2019 – April 2020, in
addition to the Antarctic itineraries
already on sale, PONANT has opened
bookings for more than 100 departures
featuring 27 brand-new itineraries
including Mexico, the Red Sea and the
Indian Ocean.