The World, from Residensea, is the first cruise liner to offer apartment living at sea. Norwegian visionary Knut Kloster, Jr. came up with the idea of a mega-size condo ship some years back, one where people with large disposable incomes would buy a complete apartment to use whenever they wished and perhaps rent it out to help defray the carrying costs. Gradually the vessel's size decreased to what was thought to be the optimum size, and measuring 43,000 tons, she finally was delivered from a Norwegian yard in spring 2002. Sales were brisk initially, then came to almost a complete halt. When the condominium owners purchased the ship from the original group of investors, optimism returned and the units sold out. As with any community, apartments do come up for sale and owners may rent out their units. The ship continually cruises around the world and remains for two to five days in some of the most popular ports.
There have been a number of condominium ships planned, but The World is the only one that has been built to date. Others will follow in time.
Current owners are 40% American, 40% European and the remaining 20% from the rest of the globe, and most of them have not yet reached retirement. Net worth must be $5 million to qualify for purchasing a condo. For many owners this is a third home and one that most use for just weeks in any given year, choosing the part of the world they want to visit or for some special occasion, including family get-togethers.
In the summer, The World may divide its time between northern Europe and the Mediterranean, lingering at Greenwich for London, or Rouen on the Seine not far from Paris, or Barcelona and Venice. Then in the cooler months, the ship will cross the Atlantic to cruise South America or go around Africa and include India en route back to the Mediterranean. Shore excursions are operated by Abercombie & Kent on a group or individual basis. Some owners keep bicycles aboard for touring ashore. Multiple-day visits see owners visiting museums, sampling restaurants and buying local ingredients to enjoy in the privacy of their apartment, for breakfast and lunch more than dinner.
Some residents like privacy, as one might expect, and keep mainly to their apartments, with perhaps an appearance in the lobby and piano bar before dinner or to use the sports facilities and stroll on deck. More social types say they look forward to the short-stay renters to bring new activity aboard and pep up the social life. Owners who do not wish to cook a meal in their quarters can have it ordered in, eat out at one of the four on-board restaurants, or have an onboard chef come in to prepare it. Owners may buy coupons for breakfast, lunch and dinner to maintain the cashless society. They may rent out their units, and those not sold can also be rented at varying per diems depending on the size of the unit and the itinerary. The per-diem rates include gratuities, three meals a day, selected drinks in the bars, and wines and dinner.
Dining is a major attraction, and there are half a dozen locales to enjoy varied meals. The most formal is Portraits, an intimate French restaurant. East serves Asian food at a sushi bar and at tables nicely separated by partitions. Tides is Mediterranean with an Italian slant and is located high up with great sea views. The Marina is a steak and seafood venue where diners can watch the rotisserie preparation and look down onto the indoor pool and sports marina. Depending on how many people are aboard, the restaurants are open on a rotating basis but there are always at least two to choose from. For a Continental breakfast or a light lunch, the ship's delicatessen has table and counter seats as well as provisions to buy for eating in, and the pool has a grill. The World offers most cruise ship amenities, but is unique in that guests are mostly owners of their accommodations and take the same pride one might have in land-based condominium ownership. Guests or renters can also enjoy this atmosphere at rates that range from a tremendous value to very high end, depending on the apartment size and the specific itinerary.
The ship has a full-size tennis court (unique for a ship), paddle tennis, a highly sophisticated golf simulator with 40 courses to play, putting green, a pro shop, sports marina, indoor and outdoor pool, jogging track, a high-end spa run by Swiss Clinique La Prairie, several tastefully decorated lounges, a casino, an Internet cafe, a library and a cinema. Services include a medical facility, catering, business center, secretarial services, hair salon, laundry, dry cleaning, travel agency and 24-hour concierge service. Besides a resident band (often jazz), a pianist and vocalist are aboard, and diversions extend to local entertainers in ports and special-interest lecturers. Typically, about 250 owners and renters are on board at any one time, but this number varies widely depending on the ship's locale.
The World has 110 one-, two- and three-bedroom, fully equipped apartments and studio residences. All are sellable with the option to rent. The studios are similar to a good-size cruise-ship cabin, some with balconies and some not. Many original studios got combined into one-bedroom studios by removing part of the divider at the seaward end. One unit remains the bedroom and the adjoining unit becomes a larger lounge with kitchenette facilities and a second bath. The apartments have mostly two and three bedrooms, each with its own bath, fully equipped kitchen, terrace and audiovisual equipment. Owners choose from five standard floor plans and four design styles. Many, however, customize uisng their own interior decorators, resulting in a kaliedoscope of international tastes aboard one ship.
Resident owners can feel very special aboard The World, as until Residential Cruise Line brings the larger Magellan, they are part of the world's only seagoing, property-owning community.
