I arrived at the QE2 berth about 22,30 and the excellent Dimbaya checks me in, upgrades my cabin and provides me with details of all the benefits that I can enjoy, QE2 is managed by Accor Hotels so as an ALL member (the hotel chains loyalty program) he informs me that I’m entitled to 30 percent off food and drinks during my stay.
My cabin is on 4 deck which is where I spent two and a bit days on board the ship back in 1983. QE2 was one of the many merchant ships involved in the Falklands Conflict in 1982 and I decided way back then that I wanted to get on all of the ships involved. I managed to get on SS Canberra, MV Norland and my third Royal Navy ship type 22 frigate (batch 1) HMS Broadsword (RIP and God bless her). This was a 'cruise to nowhere' however QE2 arrived late into Southampton from her refit in Hamburg, sailing was delayed and we then broke down in the English Channel!
All of that is forgiven now as I’ve checked into my cabin, made my way to The Golden Lion pub on the Upper deck and have a very welcome pint! There are a few people around but it's a quiet night.
Sunday is my day of doing nothing apart from exploring the ship. I have a seriously long lie in. Mid afternoon I wandered through this magnificent vessel. There is a heritage area situated on the midships part of the Upper deck which includes displays that celebrate and commemorate our late Queens’ association with the ship. Strangely there is no mention of her participation in the Falklands Conflict in any of the presentations on board apart from one picture of her in the grey livery on return from refit in Hamburg which is when I sailed on her.
Monday comes around and a shuttle bus is provided at 11.00 to the Dubai Mall and 12.00 to a nearby metro station on a first come first served basis. I arrive at the entrance to the reception building at 10.50 in anticipation of getting the 11,00 shuttle. The concierge responsible for the transport is being ‘monopolised’ by a Russian sounding gentleman during which my chance to get the one last seat on the minibus is thwarted by a woman who sweeps by us all and on to the vehicle.
I relax in the terminal building for just under an hour until the 12,00 departure which I have been guaranteed to get on. Whilst awaiting the shuttle there are several groups of school children passing through who all seem to have enjoyed their visit. The mini-bus departs on time to the nearby Al Ghubabia metro station which provides a connection to the airport. I take the opportunity to seek out where the left luggage facility is as my check out time from QE2 is 12.00 and my flight is not until 23.30.
Reconnaissance done I take advantage of my Regional Transport Authority (RTA) 'nol' branded day pass and ride the metro red line all the way to the terminus at Expo 2020 which allows me to get a good overview of the surroundings. This makes choices of accommodation a lot easier should I visit again. QE2 is nice but it’s a little bit out of the way. Alighting at the Dubai Mall stop on the way back I find that it’s a day and a half camel trek to the actual mall. The aquarium thing is interesting, shops are shops but I do stop at the ‘Cheesecake Factory’ which I didn’t realise was a real thing as I’ve only heard of it on the American television series ‘The Big Bang Theory’.
I take a taxi back to the ship and enjoy a meal of penne bolognese and splash out on a bottle of wine in the Lido Restaurant on the Quarterdeck before retiring to bed after an interesting (and rather warm for a Scotsman) day.
It’s Tuesday and time to start my journey home. As I am the only passenger on the 12,00 shuttle the driver takes me to the MAX station on the red metro line where I can get a train to the airport.I leave my bag at the DNATA left luggage facility before heading back into the city, via bus this time, with the intention of travelling on a traditional abra, My journey to Creek station at the end of the green line would, I hope, achieve this. Unfortunately the only service from here is to Dubai Festival City at this time of day and is a modern version of the craft.
Still having a lot of time on my hands I decided to try the twice daily fast ferry from Dubai Marina to Al Ghubabia. The trip to get there however goes totally wrong so I end up cutting my losses and head for the airport. Unfortunately it seems I'm travelling at rush hour (19.00 ish) and the trains are packed. Re-thinking my strategy - with plenty of time in hand - I decide to buy a Gold Class ticket (the premium cabin on the Dubai Metro) and wait for a train that has decent space. Trains are every two minutes however it still took seven trains before one turned up with the fewest amount of people standing and only at Bur Dubai did the carriage empty allowing me to have a seat for the last few stops.
Next:- Going Home!
Last edited by dpherraghty; Oct 24, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Reason: copy/paste went wrong