From the outside, The World looks like a cruise liner. Inside, it works differently: instead of ordinary cabins there are 165 private residences. Their owners also own the ship itself, and they travel the world for years from their own apartments. This is not a hotel. The World is a floating home in the middle of the ocean.
165 apartments on the open ocean
The 196-meter vessel holds just 165 private residences. Options range from compact studios to luxurious three-bedroom penthouses where a whole family can live comfortably.
Each apartment is fully owned by its resident. Owners choose the interior, order furniture, hang art, and arrange the space exactly as they would in a city flat.
Prices start at about $2 to $3 million for a modest studio and climb to $15 to $20 million for spacious penthouses. A fat checkbook alone is not enough. Every candidate faces a strict financial review and needs recommendations from the existing owners' community.
A route residents vote on
Unlike ordinary liners, The World does not rush. The year-ahead itinerary is set by a residents' vote. The captain and crew only assess safety and weather.
The ship usually stays in port for several days, not a couple of hours. That lets apartment owners go ashore calmly, visit restaurants, or take a tour. Over a year the vessel calls at 100 to 120 ports worldwide, from Antarctica and Greenland to tropical islands.
Infrastructure of a closed city
Because residents spend months a year on board, the ship's amenities replace a premium city neighborhood.
- Fine dining restaurants. Menus shift with wherever the ship is sailing.
- Sport and leisure. On board is the world's only full-size tennis court on a seagoing vessel, plus pools, a spa, and a golf simulator.
- Wine cellar and culture. The ship stores thousands of rare bottles, runs a library and a cinema, and hosts lectures by visiting professors and art historians.
What upkeep costs
Buying an apartment is only the first expense. For the right to live at sea, owners pay a substantial annual maintenance fee.
Depending on apartment size, that fee runs from $100,000 to several hundred thousand dollars a year. The money covers fuel, a 300-person crew, port fees, and mechanical upkeep.
The World community's top priority is total privacy. Owners' names are closely guarded, and outsiders are barred from boarding. For major entrepreneurs and investors, the liner became an ideal way to see the world without leaving their own apartment.
