It’s fitting that Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) will set sail for her final voyage from Southampton on Tuesday, November 11. Whether you call the day Veteran’s Day, Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, we will all be remembering the illustrious history of this cruise ship veteran, as it bids adieu to England and its career as an active passenger vessel. QE2 faces a new life as a floating hotel in Dubai.

You can find the full schedule of QE2’s final call here, but highlights will include a planned fly-past by an RAF Harrier, a performance by the Silver Beatles, and a fireworks display prior to the ship pulling out of port at 8 p.m. To commemorate the historic date, one million poppy petals will rain down on the ship’s decks; poppies have been a symbol of WWI since John McCrae wrote the famous poem, “In Flanders Field.”

If you’re going to Mayflower Park to join the well-wishers, or if you want to be counted among QE2’s most fervent fans, you’re going to have learn your QE2 trivia. Here are some tidbits about the famous queen’s long career you can use to wow friends and strangers alike (many taken from Carol Thatcher’s QE2: 40 Years Famous).

The Beginning: When QE2 entered service on 22 April, 1969 (with an eight-day preview cruise stopping at Las Palmas, Tenerife and Lisbon), two stowaways were discovered. The ship had to turn back shortly after departure to rendezvous with a pilot cutter and get rid of the extra baggage.

Even Earlier: More than 3,000 people worked on the construction of the ship. Computers — quite a novel idea at the time — were used extensively to guide the construction process, analyzing how many workers were needed, and to keep a tally of costs and progress.

A Near Miss: Following QE2’s first visit to Israel in spring 1974, the Egyptian military considered sinking QE2 to avenge the deaths of more than 100 passengers killed when Israel show down a Libyan airline in 1972. However, Anwar Sadat, Egypt’s president, countermanded the order to destroy the ship.

The Celebrities: Among the famous feet to walk the ship’s hallowed halls were Nelson Mandela, David Bowie, The Cure, Elton John, Ringo Starr, Neil Diamond and of course British royalty of every stripe and hue.

The Danger: In September 1995, the ship encountered a 95 ft. rogue wave when sailing through Hurricane Luis. Hundreds of tons of water broke over the bow, but most of the passengers slept through it!

The Disgusting: In April 2005, while en route from Southampton to Madeira, QE2 ran into the body of a decomposing whale. The captain estimated the animal was 60 feet long, but luckily no damage was done to the ship.

Only on a British Ship: On QE2, 912,500 tea bags are consumed annually, and over 2 million doilies are used.

The Cost: Millions of pounds have been spent to keep QE2 afloat over the past 40 years (more than her original cost). The ship cost just under 29 million pounds to build, but later refits cost 32 million pounds in 1994, 30 million pounds in 1999 and $15 million in 2006.

The news that Cruise Value Center, a major cruise travel agency, apparently ceased business operations earlier this week is stirring up concerns from travelers and cruise industry executives. Cruise Value Center, a 14-year old, New Jersey-based agency, was a top Internet seller of cruise trips.

According to industry chronicler Cruise Week, it’s possible that passengers who booked trips through Cruise Value Center and who made final payments may not actually be confirmed on those sailings. That’s because, according to industry sources, some $2 - $3 million of cruise fares paid to Cruise Value Center may not have been passed along to cruise lines.

If you bought a cruise through Cruise Value Center, here’s what you need to know:

Cruise Value Center customers who have made final payments should contact their cruise lines to confirm bookings.

Cruise Week notes that agency customers who bought and paid for travel insurance may also not be covered. Prime Travel Protection, the insurer whose policies were sold through Cruise Value Center, is working with Port St. Lucie-based Best Price Cruises to accommodate those customers. Ron Russo, chief operating officer of Best Price Cruises, tells us that in conjunction with the insurer the agency will help customers “to rewrite their travel protection and waive pre-existing conditions to the date of intended purchase of the cancelled policy.” This applies only to travelers who purchased Prime’s policy through Cruise Value Center.

Ultimately, Cruise Value Center customers who paid in full for their trips using a credit card, have protection from their card issuers, no matter what the outcome. More problematic is the situation for travelers who paid via PayPal, or with checks or cash; they may have no recourse at all.

While affected customers should call their cruise lines to sort out their individual situations, it seems that the cruise lines themselves are scrambling to adjust. Only Royal Caribbean at this point was willing to even discuss the issue on the record with us today. The line’s Joanne Schimelman, vice president of national accounts, told us that “Royal Caribbean absolutely will be looking out for our customers’ best interests and will do our best to make sure they have the vacation experience they planned.”

Beyond the effect that Cruise Value Center’s demise will have on its own customers, will this news have an impact on cruising in general? Perhaps not, says Johanna Jainchill, senior editor of Travel Weekly. “This is not related to the economy. It just seems like bad management.”

Nearly a year after forming last December, the “tarmac task force” convened by DOT Secretary Mary Peters says it won’t be able to offer airline passengers anything more than suggested guidelines and recommendations aimed at airlines regarding the treatment of passengers forced to remain on planes due to weather and other unpreventable delays.
While advocates for passengers’ rights had hoped the task force would prompt the formation of real rules governing traveler conditions during lengthy airline delays, the task force says there’s no one-size fits all solution that will work across all carriers. Because of that, all it can do is offer its suggestions for airline best practices and hope the carriers motivate to put them in place on their own terms.
The upshot? You’d be wise to squeeze in that pit stop and grab an extra sandwich, water bottle and magazine before boarding your next plane.