The Cunard liner, Queen Mary 2, biggest and most expensive in the world, has left the St. Nazaire, France, shipyard where she was built for trials at sea.

The 150,000-ton vessel cost £550m to build and will carry 2,620 passengers and 1,254 crew.

Facilities on board include two outdoor and two indoor pools, a basketball court, virtual reality golf, a putting green, a ballroom, a night club, a cinema, fourteen bars and ten restaurants.

If they pall, the ship also has a planetarium.

The ship is due to be officially named in Southampton in early January, with her maiden transatlantic voyage following a few days later. Details: www.cunard.co.uk