La Suprema. a cruise ship built in 2003 for $120m, can carry nearly 3,000 passengers and 1,000 cars. Almost 220 metres long, the ship has 567 cabins, three restaurants, six bars, a dozen or so shops, a casino, movie theatre, nightclub and chapel. Its eight storeys are connected by motion sensor-activated escalators and glass-encased lifts so that holidaymakers can avoid over-exerting themselves on stairs after a few plates at the buffets. Cruise ships tend to be designed to make passengers feel as though they’re not at sea, but rather in a five-star Las Vegas hotel. Everything is shiny, sprawling and inward-facing. On La Suprema, many of the ceilings are panelled with mirrors to give a sense of greater spaciousness. But natural light is scant; what little sunlight can be found squeezes in through tiny portholes. The narrow hallways, marble lobbies and chandeliered dining rooms hum with fluorescent light. Thick carpeting muffles the low growl of the engine and the tireless smacking of the waves on the hull. ..