Beyond the cruise ship graveyard: How old cruise boats get a second life as hotels, shelters, and artificial reefs

29.07.2023 - 09:21 / insider.com / Elton John / queen Elizabeth / queen Mary

Every year, retired cruise ships are sold to ship-breaking yards in Turkey and India where thousands of workers painstakingly dismantle the massive vessels and sell their parts for scrap. 

But some cruise ships survive the so-called "cruise ship graveyard" and are converted into hotels, or are even intentionally sunk to the bottom of the ocean in order to create artificial reefs.

Thanks to their mobility, cruise ships and ferries have also been temporarily transformed into hospitals and housing during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war, and Hurricane Katrina. 

These are various scenarios in which cruise ships have been converted in the past — plus innovative ways they could be transformed in the future. 

Perhaps the most well-known cases of converted cruise ships are the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth 2 hotels.

From 1936 to 1967, the Queen Mary was an active Cunard cruiseliner, lavishing travelers with amenities like five dining rooms and lounges, bars, and swimming pool during the ship's transatlantic sailings. For several years in between, the vessel also served as a troopship during World War II.

These days, the glamorous Queen Mary is no longer sailing across the ocean. Now, it's docked near California's Port of Long Beach as a popular tourist attraction and hotel where travelers can book one of the original 347 staterooms and suites.

Across the world in Dubai, the Queen Elizabeth 2 has been operating as a floating hotel as well. Before it permanently docked, the vessel sailed from 1967 to 2008, accommodating guests like singer Elton John and former US President George W Bush, the hotel says.

But after Dubai World acquired the vessel for $100 million, the Queen Elizabeth 2 transitioned into a 447-guest room hotel in 2018.

And in 2022, Qatar chartered MSC's World Europa, Poesia, and Opera cruise ships for use as temporary floating hotels to accommodate the influx of fans arriving in Doha, Qatar ahead of the Qatar World Cup. All three cruise ships have since resumed operations with MSC.

After 15 years of sailing through the Chesapeake Bay, the 215-foot retired American Glory cruise ship sunk off the coast of Delaware, WHYY reported. 

This was no tragic accident. In 2019, the submerged vessel joined hundreds of retired New York City subway cars, decommissioned tugboats, trawlers, barges, and military armored vehicles as the newest addition to Delaware's artificial reef program, "Redbird Reef."

Instead of passengers, the cruise ship is now frequented by fish and divers drawn to its vertical structure, according to a release from Delaware's department of natural resources and environmental control. 

"For dive trips, the former cruise ship offers four passenger decks for exploration