SHE will be the Queen of all ocean liners, a Southampton superstar of the 21st century and the Daily Echo can exclusively reveal a look into the future of Queen Mary 2.

Tomorrow, the 150,000-ton vessel which will be the biggest passenger liner in history, takes a vital step forward to becoming a reality when her keel is laid in a spectacular shipyard ceremony.

And, now, with the use of the latest computer techniques, there is a chance to step aboard the luxury liner before she is even launched. You can gaze in awe at some of the sumptuous public rooms on the largest, tallest, widest and most expensive ship the world has ever seen.

For the first time, in a series of artist's impressions, the owners, Cunard has unveiled a glimpse of how QM2 will look as she makes her dramatic entrance in Southampton Water at the end of next year.

Crystal chandeliers will sparkle overhead, afternoon tea will be served among the greenery and flowers of a winter garden, elegant staircases will take passengers to exclusive grill rooms for dinner while tapestries and more than 300 specially-commission works decorate the lounges and corridors.

Higher than New York's Statue of Liberty, the Tower of London and Rome's Colosseum, QM2 will soar 236ft into air to dominate the city's skyline whenever she is alongside in Southampton.

Already hailed a maritime masterpiece, incorporating the latest cutting-edge technology and at the same time ensuring the continuation of the shipping line's rich heritage, the construction of QM2 is one of the most complex engineering projects ever undertaken.

Southampton lies at the very heart of Cunard history and so it is appropriate that the city's port, so long the start of countless ocean voyages, has been chosen as the home for QM2.

In the past Cunard's great liners were legendary as floating palaces of splendour, luxury and the ultimate in service, now this golden age is to be re-created once again as QM2 enters service with her maiden voyage in January 2004.

She will power her way through the waves at nearly 30 knots, a city at sea with restaurants, a theatre able to stage West End style shows, a complete shopping complex and a planetarium where passengers will be able to study the stars.

There will be a sweeping promenade deck, a grand ballroom and a British pub. The cabins will include some of the most lavish afloat and some even come with their own butler.

The sheer scale of the ship, accommodating 2,620 guests and more than twice the size of the present Queen Elizabeth 2, has allowed the army of architects and designers to create, for the first time in more than 30 years, a thoroughbred ocean liner as opposed to a modern-day cruise ship.

As passengers journey across the world's oceans on QM2 behind the scenes state-of-the-art equipment will drive and guide the ship together with its highly complex set of systems.

Her long, streamlined hull and distinctive profile should result in the smoothest ride of any ship at sea, a four-pod propulsion system will maintain the liner's speed around the clock in open ocean conditions while QM2's integrated bridge system is one of the first to use flat screens to deliver all-vessel status information.

Amazingly a single joystick on the captain's chair will control all her manoeuvres which will be so flexible that QM2 can arrive and depart without the assistance of tugs.

Her mighty generators will produce enough electricity to power a city the size of Southampton while 1,100 tons of drinking water will be distilled on board every day.

After a glittering series of quayside events in Southampton QM2 will spend her inaugural year in Europe, the Americas and across the Atlantic.

Following her maiden voyage to Fort Lauderdale she will winter in the Caribbean and even visit Rio for the carnival.

In April QM2 will make her first six-night transatlantic passage on the traditional Cunard route between Southampton and New York.

On the return crossing a special meeting will take place when QM2 will sail in tandem with QE2.

This will be an historic occasion as it will be the first time two Cunard Queen's have greeted each other since Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary met back in 1967.

Initial steel used in the construction of QM2 in the French yard of Chantiers de l'Atlantique at St Nazaire was cut earlier this year and since then the huge building blocks that will eventually make up the liner have been taking shape.