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The Queen Mary 2 left her dry dock in Saint Nazaire, France, on 22 December.

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As the �550m luxury liner entered Southampton Water on Boxing Day, she was surrounded by a flotilla of ships.

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Happy scenes contrasted with last month's tragedy, in which 15 people died when the ship's gangway collapsed in the French dry dock.

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The liner has 1,310 cabins - including four royal suites and six penthouses - 2,000 bathrooms and 3,000 telephones.

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Its maiden voyage in January will take 2,620 passengers and 1,253 crew on a sell-out two-week cruise to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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The Queen will name the flagship on 8 January in a low key ceremony, as a mark of respect to the families of those who died.

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The ship's captain Commodore Ronald Warwick is the son of the first man to captain its famous predecessor, the QE2.