QE2 ship gets Airbus A380 escort on final port call at Dubai

A jumbo Emirates Airlines A380 jet and scores of pleasure craft will greet Queen Elizabeth 2 today, Nov. 26, as the ocean liner sails into Dubai, its final port of call in a four-decade-long career. The QE2, arguably the world’s best-known passenger ship, will be refurbished as a floating hotel and museum moored off the wealthy Mideast emirate.

Adding to the fanfare today will be a British Royal Navy frigate and a yacht owned by Dubai’s ruler, Sheik Mohammed ibn Rashid al Maktum. Hotel bookings have zoomed all week, reports Dubai World, which bought the QE2 last year for $100 million, and big crowds are expected for its arrival between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. local time.

If it’s anything like the ship’s Nov. 11 departure from Southampton, England, accompanied by fireworks and royal visits, today’s events should be spectacular.

I’ll miss the QE2, which I sailed from New York to Southampton in April. At least I have my photo gallery and memories of white-gloved high tea, elegant ballroom dances and slicing through the North Atlantic on the fastest passenger ship in the world.

—Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

Photos:The QE2 approaching Dubai on Wednesday.  Top: Marwan Naamani / AFP/Getty Images. Bottom:  Kamran Jebreili / Associated Press.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at 9:28 am by Jane Engle and is filed under Great Britain, Luxury Travel, News, Tips & Advice, Tours & Cruises. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.