QE2 to lose funnel!

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QE2 to lose funnel!

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Is nothing sacred in Dubai!

From: 7days.ae

The Dubai-bound QE2 will undergo a dramatic make-over when it gets here - including having its iconic red funnel sliced off, according to the liner’s crew. It has been reported in the British media that the ship’s funnel will be removed and used as a waterfront entrance. The famous passenger liner will be taken out of service next month to become a floating hotel off Palm Jumeirah. But the latest plans, that would change the silhouette of the world’s best-known ship, have been greeted with a mixed reaction. Inside, every cabin will be ripped out and replaced with new, larger bedrooms that meet the latest standards. Meanwhile, the ship’s engines will be taken out and the extra space will be used to create a new entertainment venue. “What’s happening to the ship is very good - because the alternatives are so awful,” Captain Ian McNaught, the QE2’s master for the last five years, told the BBC. “It could go to scrap and disappear. Asked whether passengers would see the removal of the famous funnel as being in poor taste, McNaught replied: “Yes, but wait until you see what’s replacing the funnel. It’s good.” The QE2’s funnel will be replaced with a four-deck smoked glass penthouse - in the shape of the funnel. It will also include a swimming pool in a bid to make it the most exclusive hotel room in Dubai. “I don’t like the sound of it - it won’t be the QE2 we all know,” one engineering officer said. The QE2 was bought from Cunard last year by Nakheel’s parent organisation, Dubai World. Her new owners have apparently been travelling on board for weeks, working out their plans. A spokesperson for Nakheel told 7DAYS: “Nakheel is contractually obliged not comment until we have full ownership of the QE2 from Cunard. “First we are looking forward to her arrival in Dubai in November this year.” The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2011. paul.mclennan@7days.ae