SHE'S a magnificent 83,000-ton liner and is set to sail into her home port of Southampton in just 16 days.

Called Arcadia, she is the largest superliner built exclusively for the British market and is set to be a familiar sight in Southampton docks.

Carrying an average of 1,952 passengers on cruises around the world, she represents the very latest in cruise ship technology.

On board, passengers will discover three indoor pools, one with a sliding roof, a spa, a hi-tech theatre and several restaurants, including one run by celebrity chef Gary Rhodes, among a dazzling array of facilities.

Arcadia is due to set sail from her Italian birthplace in the Marghera shipyard in Venice on March 30, where she has been constructed in strict accordance with ancient maritime tradition.

Back in May last year, David Dingle, managing director of Carnival UK, parent company of Arcadia's owners P&O Cruise, continued the tradition of placing a specially minted coin under a vessel's mast. It is a ceremony that dates back to Roman times when sailors believed it would bring good luck to passengers and the crew of the new ship.

Also on hand as the £1 piece was put into position was Captain Steve Burgoine, who is the first master of Arcadia.

According to tradition always observed by the Carnival Corporation during the building of a new ship, the coin must be put under the mast before the first drop of water ever comes into contact with the vessel.

Later, according to Italian custom, a bottle of champagne was smashed against her hull in a dockside ceremony similar to the traditional British naming ceremony.

Work has since continued at the yard, owned by huge Italian shipbuilders Fincantieri, until, in December last year, Arcadia was able to go on sea trials, where she performed admirably.

Captain Burgoine said: "The ship handles very well. We went off on sea trials and put it through vigorous tests and came out smiling."

Since then the interior of Arcadia has been a scene of frantic activity as an army of craftsman, engineers and technicians fit her out with the ocean-going luxury P&O customers have come to expect.

Everything is building to the flurry of high-profile ceremonies that will mark her passage into service.

P&O will take possession of her in a hand over ceremony in the Marghera shipyard on Thursday, where Fincantieri passes ownership and collects the £200m fee.

Just six days later, on March 30, she will sail away from the shipyard for the last time and set sail for her new home in Southampton, where she is expected on April 6.

"It will be a special feeling taking her out for the first time," said Captain Burgoine. "It will be done cautiously. We will be taking no chances.

"I am looking forward to coming into Southampton for the first time and then the maiden voyage."

On April 12 Southampton and Arcadia will find themselves in the spotlight of a glittering naming ceremony on the quayside. Britain's double gold medal-winning heroine Kelly Holmes will do the honours as the part of a VIP celebration, which P&O promise will "encompass grand scale theatre and dramatic surprise, as well as stunning pyrotechnic displays."

Just two days later, Arcadia will set sail on her maiden voyage around the Mediterranean, an especially poignant moment for captain Burgoine, who will mark 39 years to the day since he signed up with P&O as a deckhand.

FACTFILE:

Cost: £200m

Weight: 83,000 tons

Length: 290 metres, 22m longer than Tower Bridge. If you parked 30 double-decker buses in a line, they would be the same length as Arcadia.

Height: 244 metres high, Canary Wharf Tower is 46 metres shorter than Arcadia.

Arcadia is 32.3m wide, that's 6.7m wider than Concorde's wingspan.

Crew: 869

Cabins: 984

Art: The largest floating art gallery in Britain

Top speed: 22 knots

Passengers: 1,952 Reg; 2,388 Max

Cleaning: It takes ten men eight hours to clean Arcadia's exterior and keep her majestic bow gleaming!

Distance: Arcadia will travel 105,196 miles (91,335 nautical miles) during her maiden season - the equivalent of circling the world more than four times.

Deck: Eight laps of Arcadia's Promenade Deck is the equivalent length of the Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch.