Ocean Colossus

It is the latest new ship to arrive in Southampton and already has the cruise industry buzzing.

The Quantum of the Seas arrived from the German shipyard where she was built on Thursday, and will sail for her maiden voyage across the Atlantic to Cape Liberty, Bayonne, New Jersey on Sunday, making two short voyages round the Isle of Wight this weekend.

At 167,800-ton, and able to carry 4,180 passengers she is huge, with 15 decks, and is being dubbed the first of a generation of “smart-ships.”

Technology starts from the moment passengers arrive, with a high-speed boarding process enabling them to go from checking in to chilling out within ten minutes.

It also boasts a bar where guests can order drinks via computer tablets, then watch automated bartenders mix and deliver their cocktails of choice. I cannot say that appeals to me one bit. Whatever happened to human barmen and women?

Then there is a lifting pod which lifts passengers more than 300 feet in the air providing an aerial view of wherever the ship is docked.

She will eventually be based in Shanghai.