Thousands of American sailors have flooded into Brisbane for a well-earned shore break after the arrival of the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan.

The $4 billion flagship of the US Navy arrived on Sunday several hours late into the waters near the Grain Wharf at the Port of Brisbane, after delays due to tug availability.

But that did not dampened the spirits of the 4,500 sailors onboard who are now holidaying after taking part in the military exercise Talisman Sabre.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan. ( AAP: Yonhap News Agency )

The $4 billion warship is in Brisbane for at least four days.

Retired serviceman were eagerly awaiting the arrival, and a temporary bar was set up serving XXXX beer to welcome the sailors to Queensland.

The sailors visited children at Brisbane's Lady Cilento Hospital. ( ABC News: Jess Lodge )

Chris Bush flew in from Japan to meet with wife Sarah, who he has not seen for months while she has been onboard.

"We are hoping to just enjoy Australia, I've been for about 24 hours and the hospitality is pretty amazing. So I'm looking forward to having fun with her here," he said.

The service men and women have been warned about Queensland's tough new ID scanner laws — if they want to have a beer at many pub's they will need their passports with them to get in.

The sailors visited a number of children at the hospital while in Brisbane for a number of days. ( ABC News: Jess Lodge )

A fleet of buses were ready to take the sailors to holiday hot spots from the Gold Coast to Noosa, and many of the visitors are planning school and sporting visits during their stay.

Tourism experts believe the sailors will spend about $1,000 each or bring in about $1 million a day in tourism dollars.

David Ham has cans of Queensland beer XXXX ready for the US sailors. ( ABC News: Lexy Hamilton-Smith )

The USS Ronald Reagan is higher than a 20-storey building; the landing strip is the size of two football fields.

There are coffee shops and convenience stores, but contrary to the myth there is no McDonald's onboard.

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It serves more than 18,000 meals a day and has everything from a barber to dentist.

In full combat mode, the $4 billion Reagan can hold more than 70 aircraft and launch an F/A-18 Super Hornet every minute.

Sadly for military buffs the vessel is not open to the public.

People watch as the USS Ronald Reagan docks at the Port of Brisbane. ( AAP: Darren England )

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