GAZING upward from the quayside, she resembles a giant, freshly-painted skyscraper shouldering majestically towards the leaden canopy of clouds . . .

Then, deep below decks, a lone voice sings prophetically: "I believe I can touch the sky."

And for one, magical, fleeting moment, I believed that I really could do just that, because, in every sense, Queen Mary 2 is truly inspirational.

As the proud new flagship of the Cunard Line fleet, she is the world's tallest, longest, broadest cruise liner afloat. Her 1,132 feet length makes her longer than 41 double-decker buses and her supreme size is an equivalent footprint of three acres of land, or four football pitches.

From her keel to her funnel top she tips a majestic 232 feet two inches, that's the height of a 23-storey building with her 17 passenger decks towering 200 feet above the waterline.

Take a turn just once around the 360-degree promenade deck and you've covered more than a third of a mile: yes, we are talking seriously about a very, very large ship indeed.

However, don't think Queen Mary 2 is another clone for the lumbering, simpering, overblown jolly boats wallowing and waddling around the world's sunshine destinations.

QM2 is a veritable floating city with a turn of speed that would have Jeremy Clarkson's stumbling for superlatives.

Her power plant produces enough electricity to light a city the size of Southampton (population 200,000). And her engines generate 157,000 horsepower that will propel her through the often unpredictable North Atlantic at speeds of more than 30 mph, hail rain or shine.

Yet overall, she bears an uncanny resemblance to her running mate, QE2, which, since launching in 1969, has journeyed more than five million miles.

Although her height is limited by the need to pass under New York's Verazzano Narrows Bridge, there is still something truly awe-inspiring and terribly lofty and regal in the new vessel's design.

Perhaps it's the wide, expansive sweep of her bridge. Or maybe just the sheer physical size that gives an impression of the whole of our Rugby World Cup squad pirouetting on a tapering ice skate.

Although more than 70,000 tons heavier than QE2, every inch of her powerful bulk has been fleshed out to emphasise style, grace and pace which will guarantee her pole position in the highly competitive cruise market.

The ship's main entrance is through a six-storey Grand Lobby atrium with a sweeping staircase and interior glass lifts. A lounge area sits around a piano on the lower level.

And nothing has been left to chance when it comes to passenger comfort. For example, 955 of the 1,310 cabins feature their own balconies - more than any other ship serving the British market.

There are 10 cabin options, all with email access via interactive television sets and offering additional multi-language film and music channels.

Other features include king-sized beds, direct-dial telephone, fridge, individual thermostat control, hair dryer and a bath or shower. You name it - and it's there.

Outside cabins have their own sitting area - up to eight feet deep - with a sofa and the rarefied Queen Grill accommodation has a butler service. But, then again, would you expect anything less?

Thirty cabins are specifically designed for disabled travellers with an additional 36 to accommodate deaf or hearing impaired.

The rich and famous can rattle around in sumptuous Grand Duplex Apartments, Royal Suites or Penthouses (QM2 has six). And there are dedicated restaurants for specific cabin grades.

Alongside the ritzy Queens Grill, Princess Grill and the three-storey Britannia Restaurant, Todd English, offers reservations-only eating to the main dining rooms.

Or you could try Kings Court offering a choice Italian, Asian, a carvery or Chef's Galley with a live demonstration of food preparation broadcast on closed circuit TV to diners.

Alternatively, take time out in the Royal Court Theatre, the main show arena, with a cinema and auditorium boasting the only Planetarium at sea for high-tech programmes including astronomy shows and virtual reality movies.

Enjoy a dance in the formal Queens Room or join revellers in G32 - QM2's original shipyard number - for a quiet late night boogie and drink.

Slide into the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar - another sea-going first for QM2 - for a glass of bubbly, the Golden Lion Pub for a pint, Sir Samuel's upmarket wine bar, or the Commodore Club observation lounge with sweeping views over the ship's bows.

Then again, immerse yourself in the delights of the Canyon Ranch SpaClub with a host of health treatments and stunning fitness centre or the library which boasts more than 8,000 books.

There are stylish shops, amusement arcades and facilities for youngsters too. I know Cunard won't thank me for saying this, but QM2, like her seagoing partners, is about eating and drinking: lots of it!

In her first 12 months at sea, passengers will consume 38,000 lbs of smoked salmon, 249,000 lbs of potatoes, 420,000 packages of breakfast cereal, 1,728,000 eggs and 346,000 gallons of fruit juice . . . that's without 1,350,000

tea bags and 55,000 lbs of coffee to wash it all down.

There are 343 different labels of wine with sales expected to top 230,000 bottles and 1.5 million drinks, not including vino, will be downed in her luxury bars.

But suddenly calculations are forgotten. A deep blast from the ship's whistle echoes across England's waters and countryside jolting me back to reality.

Queen Mary 2 is here: a new giant for a new century. Vibrant, alive and breathing.

FACT FILE

QUEEN Mary 2 will make regular scheduled transatlantic crossings between Southampton and New York, in addition to cruises to the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean and Canada.

Her maiden voyage from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale is on January 12.

A one-way QM2 passage from Southampton to New York starts from £999 rising to £15,500 per head, plus a daily service charge.

For a brochure, further information and booking details, contact: 0845 071 0300 or click on: www.cunard.com

However, lovers of nostalgia may want to join her April 25 when journeys from New York to Southampton trip with QE2 who will then have notched up

more than 500 Atlantic crossings.