The Dubai Expat Diaries

Gulf News reports that Istithmar, which has bought the QE2 from Cunard for $100 million, will receive the ship in November 2008 and spend several months refurbishing it. The Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship will jettison its casino in its conversion into a floating luxury hotel at the Palm Jumeirah Island.

About QE2 - RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) is a Cunard Line ocean liner named after the earlier Cunard liner RMS Queen Elizabeth. She was the flagship of the line from 1969 until succeeded by RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004. Built in Clydebank, Scotland, she was considered the last of the great transatlantic ocean liners prior to the construction of the QM2. Before she was refitted with a diesel power plant in 1986, she was also the last oil-fired passenger steamship to cross the Atlantic in scheduled liner service. During almost 40 years of service, the QE2 has travelled the world and now operates predominantly as a cruise ship, sailing out of Southampton, England. She will be retired from active service in late 2008, and replaced in the Cunard fleet by MS Queen Victoria. After her retirement, QE2 will become a floating hotel at Palm Jumeirah, Dubai (source: Wikipedia).