Dubai: The Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship will jettison its casino in its conversion into a floating luxury hotel at the Palm Jumeirah Island.
The ship will see ample shopping options being added under Dubai investment firm Istithmar's ownership. Istithmar, which has bought the iconic QE2 from Cunard for $100 million, will receive the ship in November 2008 and spend several months refurbishing it.
Berthed at a specially-constructed pier at the Palm Jumeirah, the 38-year-old vessel will serve as a luxury hotel and also become a retail and entertainment destination in 2009.
"I believe the casino will be removed," Cunard managing director Carol Marlow told Gulf News.
An Istithmar spokesman confirmed the cruise ship will no longer have its casino in its new role.
Istithmar has not said how much money it will spend on the ship's refurbishment.
"We still have 18 months to decide that. But we will make sure the QE2's heritage and history are faithfully recreated so as to replicate the same interior it had when it entered service in 1969," the spokesman said.
The 70,327-tonne QE2 will also have a museum providing a glimpse into the ship's past. It is the longest serving ship in Cunard's history and has sailed 5.5 million nautical miles and carried 2.5 million passengers in 38 years.
Cunard said the ship remains in good condition.
"We would have continued to sail her for the foreseeable future if we had not received the Dubai offer," Marlow said.
Charlie Taylor, the Palm island's developer Nakheel, said the QE2's exact future location has not been determined yet.
"A number of options are being considered," he said, adding that factors like water depth and access to public to transport will be taken into account.
