The world-famous ocean liner-turned-hotel Queen Elizabeth 2 will reopen her doors to guests in the United Arab Emirates on October 1st.

The vessel is now permanently moored at the Mina Rashid port in Dubai, and closed in March as the world battled the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now, as the emirate reopens to tourism and relaunches business events, the ship will return to the market.

To allay fears from potential guests, the ship has also been certified as safe and given the Dubai Assured stamp.

The stamp, which is issued by Dubai Tourism, the Department of Economic Development and Dubai Municipality is given to restaurants, stores, hotels, malls and entertainment destinations that are adhering to local safety guidelines.

The news is surely welcome to its many fans who have been awaiting a chance to visit the luxury liner again.

This year the QE2 also opened its bridge to the public for the first time in 52 years, allowing guests to get a glimpse of the commanding station of the ship and its old maritime equipment.

It also has heritage tours of the ship, although it is unclear whether the tours will be restarting once more.

History of the QE2

On September 20th, 1967 at John Brown’s shipyard on Clydebank in Scotland, Queen Elizabeth the second named the QE2 after her mother in the company of Prince Phillip and 30,000 spectators.

On May 2nd, 1969 she made her maiden transatlantic voyage.

In her lifetime, the QE2 would complete 1,400 voyages, sail some six million nautical miles and play gracious host to almost 2.5 million passengers.

She would complete 25 tours around the world and, after 39 years, retire in 2008 to join Dubai as a prized and prestigious attraction.

Today, 50 years after her maiden voyage, the QE2 has been lovingly restored to her former glory.

Permanently docked in Mina Rashid, the floating museum, hotel, dining and events destination offers a choice of restaurants and bars, 224 comfortable rooms and suites, QE2 Spa, Theatre by QE2, Dubai Duty Free shopping arcade and an eclectic selection of meeting and event spaces – including a spacious pavilion, grand lounge and a classic 1960s ballroom.

Passengers can embark on a fascinating journey through the history of the vessel with an onsite interactive heritage exhibition showcasing actual and replica artefacts of her earlier years.