Displacing 130,000 tons, the cruise ship Paradise Lost knifes through the deep blue waters of the Atlantic, its twin propellers churning a quarter-mile-long foamy trail. A thousand feet long, with a 120-foot beam that supports thirteen guest decks, the ocean liner is powered by the latest in NiCE (Nonpolluting i-Combustion Engineering) system design. Replacing the old steam-driven turbines (a gallon of fuel for every fifty feet of propulsion), the ship’s turbines draw power from the primary phase of the NiCE system—a five-megawatt solar plant. Occupying an acre of upper deck space in the stern is a water tower, surrounded by seventeen hundred rotating solar mirrors. As sunlight strikes the mirrors, the magnified heat is redirected to the tower and its built-in boiler, raising internal temperatures to a super-hot 875 degrees Fahrenheit. The generated steam is used to turn twin turbines located in the engine room, driving the ship’s propellers.

Phase two of the NiCE system kicks in once the boat is under way. Smokestacks that once belched toxic plumes of carbon dioxide have been replaced by wind turbines. As the ocean liner moves forward, these towering lightbulb-shaped blades capture the steady supply of wind, converting the kinetic energy into enough electricity to power every device on the floating hotel.

Like all cruise ships, Paradise Lost is first and foremost a pleasure boat. Inside the massive craft, virtual reality suites augment the boat’s five-star restaurants, Broadway-caliber shows and casinos. Outside, the six open-air decks are dominated by ‘hydro-leisure activities’, at the center of which are two cascading waterfalls that churn a lazy river, rapids and pit stops at open buffets.

For guests preferring something a bit more sedentary, ‘smart chairs’ are situated around the lagoon and adult-only privacy areas. Designed to levitate eight inches above a grated deck that generates a maglev (magnetic levitation) cushion, these lounge chairs are not only luxurious but also eliminate seasickness. Rollers and robotic fingers housed within the chairs’ microfiber cushions deliver everything from a soothing massage to deep-tissue shiatsu. Dial up the chair’s ‘body spritzer’ and one can cool off with a pure water mist or, for an additional fee, apply a vitamin-rich emollient (dermal dips having eliminated the need for SPF lotion applications a decade earlier).

For the 2,400 passengers aboard the Paradise Lost, the eight-day round trip cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Bermuda is paradise found.

The privacy decks surrounding Dolphin Lagoon are filled to capacity—five hundred passengers stretch out on lounge chairs, drifting in and out of consciousness while they await the next cattle call for first dinner.