9-year QE2 passenger seeks new ship

SOUTHHAMPTON, England, June 7 (UPI) -- A woman who has lived aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 for nine years is looking for a new home just like her old one, allowing her to cruise the world in comfort.

Beatrice Muller, 89, formerly a New Jersey resident, decided to stay on the QE2 after her husband died during a cruise in 1999. This November, the ship is to become a floating hotel in Dubai, and Muller has no interest in a ship that does not move, The Times of London reports.

Muller pays about $7,000 a month to live on board, roughly what it would cost her for assisted living in Florida, she says, and enjoys being able to travel while playing regular games of duplicate bridge. She sold most of her belongings when she decided to move aboard.

"My sons are delighted I'm here and safe and out of their hair," she said.

She said her only real choice is the Queen Mary 2, now operated by Carnival Cruise Lines.