QE2: Arrival of a grand old lady steals limelight

Sep 22 2007 Comment by Larry Neild, Liverpool Daily Post

QE2 arrives in Liverpool

THIS year is Liverpool’s 800th birthday, but yesterday a newcomer by comparison stole the limelight. The arrival of the Queen Elizabeth 2, on a round Britain cruise to celebrate her 40th birthday, became by far the biggest crowd puller of 2007.

On every previous visit to the Mersey, the famous Cunarder has had to moor mid-river, using the Mersey ferries to transport passengers and crew to and from the waterfront.

With the long awaited cruise terminal, the QE2 and other ocean going liners can now pull up at Liverpool’s front door, mooring at a World Heritage Site.

There is something magical about a big ship tied up at the waterfront, the comings and goings of passengers, the busyness of the quayside with loading and unloading supplies.

There are people along the roadside looking at people on the ship who are looking at them.

It generates a feel good factor, and for older people, that nostalgic yearning for bygone days when the great liners were a regular feature alongside Princes Landing Stage.