Exclusive: Inside the hottest new ride at sea

SOUTHAMPTON, England -- Are you ready to soar hundreds of feet above the sea?

Click on the carousel above for an exclusive first look at North Star -- the much-ballyhooed ride into the sky atop Royal Caribbean's new Quantum of the Seas.

USA TODAY received special access to the attraction today ahead of inaugural events for the ship that begin on Friday, becoming the first media outlet to climb aboard (click the carousel below for a time-lapse video of our ride).

Modeled on the London Eye, the North Star takes passengers more than 300 feet above sea level in a glass capsule, and is just one of several groundbreaking attractions on the 4,180-passenger vessel. Royal Caribbean's first new ship since the 2010 debut of the record-size Allure of the Seas also boasts the first skydiving simulator at sea and the first bumper cars.

The first of a new class of vessel, Quantum won't be quite as big as Allure and its sister, Oasis of the Seas — the world's largest cruise ships. But at 168,666 tons, it still ranks among the 10 largest passenger vessels in the world and features all of the signature attractions Royal Caribbean fans have come to love, from a 30-foot-high rock climbing wall to a FlowRider surf simulator.