Tickets for the flagship's maiden passenger voyage start at �2,145

Cunard's 150,000-tonne Queen Mary 2 is now waiting in the French port of Saint-Nazaire, ready to sail to its home port of Southampton for Christmas.

The Queen will name the vessel in a ceremony at the Hampshire port on 8 January, four days before the ship leaves on its maiden passenger voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The ship undertook a measured mile speed test as part of the trials - reaching 34 mph, or 30 knots - with 450 technicians and engineers on board.

The Cunard flagship, which is as tall as a 23-storey building, towers 60 metres (200 feet) above the waterline and produces enough energy to provide electricity for a city of 300,000 people.

The ship has a 1,000-seat theatre, five swimming pools and 14 bars

Cunard executive Peter Shanks said: "These trials have reaffirmed what we have thought all along - that Queen Mary 2 will be the finest transatlantic ocean liner ever.

"Her sea-keeping capabilities are second-to-none and we are confident that the vessel will stun guests when they board for the first time in January."

The QM2 cost �540m and has space for 2,620 passengers and 1,250 crew.

It is 345 metres long and 41 metres wide - dwarfing the Queen Elizabeth 2, which weighs 70,000 tonnes, and the ill-fated Titanic, which measured 269 metres in length.

Penthouse suites

The ship's facilities including a 1,000-seat theatre, a ballroom, five swimming pools, a spa, six restaurants, 14 bars, a disco, a library, a casino and even a planetarium.

The choice of accommodation for passengers includes duplex apartments with private gymnasiums and penthouse suites with butler service.

Lining the walls will be 300 works of art worth an estimated $3m.

Tickets for the maiden voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Florida have prices to match - ranging from �2,145 for an interior cabin with no view to �28,500 for a duplex.