The QE2 cruise ship becomes the largest floating vessel in the world …

QE2 enjoyed a three-day opening ceremony under its new guise of Float Dubai – the UAE’s newest nighttime hotspot.

Although it looks very different today, the ship was originally built for the Cunard in 1969 as a transatlantic liner and cruise ship.

Queen Elizabeth 2 has offered trips from the UK with numerous A-listers on board and has covered over five million miles in her 39 years of service.

In the 1980s, the QE2 ship launched a new air cruise package with Concorde dubbed “the ultimate package” and operated as a personnel carrier in 1982 during the Falklands War, with 3,000 troops on board.

In 1986, Queen Elizabeth 2’s original steam engines were replaced with nine gasoline-diesel engines, the size of double-decker buses.

However, in 1998 the Cunard was sold to Carnival Corporations, with whom the ship remained until she was sold again in 2008 to Dubai World, and her days of deep sea sailing were over.

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Dubai World was planning to convert it to a 500-room floating hotel, but plans suffered years of delay due to the 2008 financial crisis.

In fact, there were rumors that the project would be completely abandoned due to financial complications, but in 2015, DP World President Ahmed Sultan Bin Sulayem confirmed that the project would go ahead.

The former QE2 then received a multi-million dollar renovation and finally opened as a hotel in April 2018.

The floating hotel is now moored in Rashid Port in Dubai and has 215 rooms.

The Float Dubai nightclub is the establishment’s latest addition and celebrated its opening night on October 14.

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During the glittering event, there was a plethora of entertainment including a DJ, dancers, hula-hoopers, acrobats and more.

Evening drinks weren’t cheap – according to The Times, 200 ounces of Dom Perignon Rose Gold champagne cost over $ 107,000 (£ 77,528)!

A headliner also caught the public’s attention – famous rapper DaBaby performed for the nightclub.

The club is destined to become a staple in Dubai. It is designed with a capacity of 1,000 people – more than any other ship’s nightclub.

The site’s website states: “Float offers a unique space in the present aboard the Queen Elizabeth II, a ship steeped in the history and culture of the past, and deploys the technologies of the future to ensure an experience you never have. will not forget. “

– READ MORE: ‘Hello Sailor!’ Actress Celia Imrie on ‘perfect’ cruise with Cunard –

COVID-19 restrictions, according to the Times, required opening attendees to reserve tables, with a minimum purchase of $ 1,100 (£ 797).

Guests were also not allowed to stand or dance during the opening, although the event took place in a dramatic and flashy club environment.

After the three-day grand opening, there were no further announcements on the club’s “Events” page, until yesterday.

Float Dubai has announced that clothing designer turned DJ Mr. Levier will perform this Thursday evening on QE2.

The club also announced today that popular Middle Eastern and Parisian DJs, Saifandsound and DJ KEZA, will perform at Float Dubai this Friday evening (October 22).

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Additionally, the club’s Instagram page announced that they will also be hosting an event this Saturday evening (October 23) with DJ Devon Kosoko.

The QE2 cruise ship may now have a different look, a new owner, a new purpose, and a new name, but the story that made the ship what it is will always give it the power to thrive.