The arrival of several cruise ships coming up made the Ear think of Royal Caribbean International’s new enormous Quantum of the Seas, pictured, the world’s first “smartship.” Yes, it has its own satellites, and high speed Internet is available everywhere at sea, so you can take your smartphone/notebook/laptop with you.

Passengers will wear “smart” wristbands, pictured inset, which can be used as room keys or to navigate the ship and make purchases. Each room will have a “virtual balcony” with a view (translation: 80-inch LED screen), and if guests are thirsty, they can head over to the Bionic Bar and order drinks from a robotic bartender via smartphone.

You can check out the details at http://tinyurl.com/carribsmart.

One question: How do you get away from it all, if you take it all with you?

— Elleda Wilson