The Marriott GRAND QUEST

GRAND QUEST

The Grand Quest sailed across the morning sky. Slow but steady, the quarter-mile-long jewel of Marriott International's fleet road the air current like a catamaran. Her twin hulls full of helium maintained the altitude in the upper zephyr, in the calm waters of the airstream.

Two thousand crossbeams of titanium stretched a hundred yards across to join the bulging hulls. The bulk of the ship sprang up atop the beams, built as two-level structures made of aluminium and high-density foam. Twelve hundred structures existed as hotel rooms, first-class cabins on the giant cruise ship sailing from San Francisco to New York.

The entertainment deck rested in the center of the ship and spanned the entire hundred yards across and triple that in length. Six restaurants circled the Olympic size pool, billowing smoke and lofting tempting aromas of cooked meat and exotic cuisine. The three-story-tall casino rose up as a pyramid into the sky and boasted a firework display at night after the concert or other scheduled entertainment.

Across the deck, lightweight artificial trees sprouted up as disguised solar panels and a tope-colored synthetic rubber coated the ground in cushy trails and walkways. Despite the technological construction materials, the appearance on deck resembled the beautiful grounds of any Marriott property earthbound.

The underside of the Grand Quest differed in several ways. First, the seventy-five quarters found below deck belonged to the captain, crew and employees. Second, besides the navigational gondola hooked onto the crossbeams, a long sail of silver streamed down two hundred yards.

The sail provided power in addition to the solar panels on the grounds and atop the buildings on the passenger deck, but also functioned as a traditional sail when air currents permitted. Like now.

Instead of using the dozen propellers above and below deck for propulsion, the blades chopped through the air, storing energy as a wind farm. Every aspect of the Grand Quest had its bi-product use—even the sewage. The waste culminated in storage tanks under the deck and functioned to heat rooms and water in modest degrees. And in emergency situations, act to refill the ballast pontoons with hot air. All the water filtered through carbon lungs that purified it to mountain-fresh levels.

The intercom crackled to life and drew the passengers' attention to the LED displays scattered throughout the entertainment deck.

"This is Captain Sorenson. Welcome aboard the inaugural voyage of Marriott's Grand Quest. Our trip from San Francisco to New York is forecasted at thirty-one hours. Our staff is here to serve you on this all-inclusive retreat, so relax and, please, enjoy your vacation here as our guest. Bon voyage."

The horn blasted, and bursts of confetti shot into the air. The passengers hollered and cheered.

Five minutes later, another announcement appeared on the displays.

Hello guests. I'm Mary.

And I'm Scott. We're your virtual hosts to assist you during your stay.

Mary smiled brightly. Behind the casino, the Kid's Zone is tucked in the forest of trees. You'll discover hidden water slides, playgrounds and a few surprises that I know you're going to love.

Ahem. Scott interjected. Or, how about dropping 500 yards on the world's largest bungee jump? Skydiving off the jump deck? Hang-gliding? Our helicopter will retrieve you and bring you back up.

You'll find arcades, a movie theatre, and a rollercoaster that has four loops. Mary giggled. And if that's not enough, you can go for a Paraglide or try Skysurfing.

A video flashed on the monitor, a demonstration of a woman on a saucer-shaped-tow-toy. She bent her knees and the disk glided behind the ship.

It's as easy as it looks. Scott promised.

You can make an appointment to take a tour of the bridge and meet the Captain and we hope you find your rooms to be state-of-the-art in comfort and amenities. Or why not enjoy a massage at our wellness center? If you have any questions, just tap any of the monitors for me or Scott. Have a great trip.

The computer-generated avatars waved goodbye and the screen started scrolling through the activities and restaurants and nightlife.

Later that night, after the fireworks, the Grand Quest added heat to her ballasts and took higher into the sky. The weather permitted, so the captain pushed the vessel to its upper limit of 12,500 feet. Stars seemed to surround the ship in a sea of twinkling light.

I inhaled the cool, heavenly air and wondered how it all happened. I raised my glass of champagne and clinked my wife's glass. We sipped.

From atop the pyramid in the Presidential Suite, I took in all that I had imagined. The Grand Quest started as a concept for a contest five years ago, a cross between Willy Wonka and Shark Tank. If I'd have known then that the winning idea was to be made into reality, I would have added something that not even the Marriott could give me.

I would have asked to have my father fly with me, one last time before he said goodbye and took off on his journey beyond even my imagination. I would have asked to have the ship be named in honor of him.

My wife nudged me with her hip. "What's wrong, Honey?"

For a dozen heartbeats, I didn't say a word. She gazed into my eyes, looked into my soul and saw the pain I hid inside. The truth is, most of my ideas and revelations come from missing him. I seek things I otherwise would not ask questions only a fool would waste their time with.

It is my loss of the greatest man in my life that has changed me so profoundly, steered me on a course that I could never have imagined a few short years ago.

I shook my head. "Nothing." I smiled at my wife and kissed her forehead.

She wrapped her arm around my waist and squeezed.

Glasses raised, I made a toast. "This one's for you, Dad."