EVERYONE is invited to a party, and the guest of honour does not come much bigger - in fact, she weighs in at 83,000 tons and is Southampton's latest superliner.

The £200m cruise ship Arcadia is to be named in a spectacular quayside ceremony on Tuesday evening. Owners P&O Cruises hope that crowds will flock to Mayflower Park on the city's waterfront to watch the event.

Dame Kelly Holmes, the Athens Olympics double gold medal athlete, will send Arcadia off on her future career when she becomes the ship's godmother and sends the traditional bottle of champagne crashing against the ship during the naming ceremony.

P&O Cruises is keeping exact details of the event a secret until the evening of the ceremony, but spectators will have a grandstand view of the ship as well as the inaugural celebrations on a giant screen in Mayflower Park.

As the ceremony draws to a close, a dramatic fireworks display is set to light up Southampton's night sky over the ship, which is the largest vessel ever built exclusively for British passengers.

A thousand VIP guests of P&O Cruises will watch the event from a specially constructed auditorium in Western Docks before embarking on Arcadia for a gala evening, marking the ship's official entry into service.

Among the guests will be representatives of the international shipping and travel industries, including Micky Arison, president and chief executive officer of the Miami-based Carnival Corporation, the parent company of P&O Cruises.

David Dingle, the Southampton-based managing director of P&O Cruises, said: "Dame Kelly will perform the customary naming but it will be a departure from tradition and the event will encompass grand-scale theatre, surprise and adventure. Entrance is free and the broadcast on the screen will begin at 7.15pm.''

Built in Italy, Arcadia can accommodate nearly 2,000 passengers in 976 cabins, has a crew of 869 and is the fifth vessel to join P&O Cruises' Southampton fleet.

Arcadia is scheduled to depart on her maiden voyage on Thursday, when she sets sail for a 16-night cruise to the Mediterranean.

DON'T forget to buy your souvenir edition of the Daily Echo, marking the naming of Southampton's new superliner - available at the event in Mayflower Park on Tuesday or online at: www.thisissouthampton.co.uk/arcadia

For more Southampton shipping news click the 'Shipping' link at the top of this page.