CRUISE company Cunard has given the first details of its new £365 million, 90,000 ton liner Queen Elizabeth, which will enter service in October 2010.

The 964ft-long vessel, whose home port will be Southampton, will be able to accommodate more than 2,000 passengers and will have art deco features similar to those in the original 1930s Queen Elizabeth liner.

One of the features will be a Queen's Room which will offer a new take on the traditional Cunard ballroom and will have artwork depicting views from royal palaces and photography of the Queen and the Royal Family.

The vessel, being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy will also have a garden lounge with a vaulted glass ceiling, a games deck, an art deco-style restaurant and a bar which will display memorabilia from the 1930s.

The Queen Elizabeth will depart on its maiden voyage to the islands of the Atlantic on October 12 next year. This 13-night voyage will include stops at Lisbon, Tenerife and Madeira and fares will range from £1,489 up to almost £16,000 per person for one of the grand suites.

The Queen Elizabeth will effectively be a sister ship to Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria and follows the removal from service of the QE2 last year.

Cunard president and managing director Carol Marlow said today: "Cunard has the distinction of owning the most famous ocean liners in the world and I'm delighted to be able to announce this magnificent addition to our fleet.

"For over 70 years there has been an Elizabeth in the fleet and this beautiful modern day celebration of our past Elizabeths will ensure this proud tradition will continue far into this century."

The vessel will have 16 decks and will have a maximum speed of 23.7 knots, closed-circuit television displays will be used to monitor all areas of the ship to maintain safety.

Travellers on the vessel are likely to get through around 352,000 bottles of wine and champagne a year and consume 1.5 million eggs as well as nearly 13,000lb of smoked salmon.