The world's best known liner, the Queen Elizabeth 2 is back in Southampton after her refit in Germany, preparing for her round-the-world Christmas cruise sailing tomorrow.

The 32-year-old liner arrived at Southampton Docks yesterday, back from her multi-million-pound refit and refurbishment in dry dock at Bremerhaven ready for the marathon 128 day cruise which will see her in Caribbean waters over Christmas and the New Year.

Much of the specialist interior work has been undertaken by craftsmen from Trimline's Southampton base who have been providing a new look for the exclusive five-star Queen's grill and lounge while also carrying out work on the ship's Yacht Club lounge, bar and pavilion area. It has meant redecoration, manufacture and fitting of new fittings and veneers and reupholstering furniture as well as special attention to lighting.

She is due to set out on the world cruise tomorrow, leaving 38/39 berth in the Eastern Docks at 4pm.

Top price for a suite for the complete round-the-world trip is £304,140. The 70,327-ton liner spends Wednesday in Cherbourg and heads for Madeira and Tenerife for the weekend. She is due at Fort Lauderdale in Florida on Saturday December 22. On Christmas Day she will be cruising in the Caribbean sea and on Boxing Day makes calls at Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis She will be calling at Grenada on New Year's Eve but will be at sea in Caribbean waters for New Year celebrations and spends New Year's Day at sea.

Her itinerary takes her through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific to Honolulu, Tahiti and New Zealand and she is due in Sydney in mid February.

She returns home to Southampton by way of Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore India, and the Seychelles, Mauritius, South Africa and St Helena in the Atlantic.