Ship that continuously travels around the globe – that’s how much it costs

A floating apartment. A residential yacht. A vacation home that travels around the globe.

There are many descriptions for the World, a luxury liner, but “cruise ship” isn’t one in every of them, says local resident Jim Minarik.

“The only thing the world has in common with a cruise ship is that they float on water,” he said. “If our ship were a cruise ship, we would probably have 1,500 passengers. When we're really busy, it's between 200 and 300.”

The World features 167 private apartments, starting from a 26.5 m² studio to a 300 m² four-bedroom apartment.

Minarik and his wife bought their apartment in 2020 with the plan to spend one to 2 months a yr on the ship, but now, he said, they spend as much as half the yr on board.

“We just found that we really liked the community and the way we travel – it's very cozy and comfortable,” he said. “You're constantly seeing something new.”

Minarik said the couple loved the onboard experience a lot that they eventually purchased a second, larger apartment on The World and kept the primary apartment for family and friends.

Like many cruises, The World has several restaurants and bars, yoga classes and a gym, two pools, a medical center and 24-hour room service.

But that's essentially where the similarities end. First of all, the owners are accountable for this ship.

“It's a democratic society on board,” said Residential Director Eddie Wong. “They vote on things like the itinerary, they vote on renovations on the ship,” as does the board.

The itineraries change yearly, Wong said. The 2026 schedule is prepared, he said, and includes stops in Antarctica, French Polynesia and Easter Island, which he called “one of the most coveted places in the world.”

The World docks in around 100 ports every year, stopping there not only for a couple of hours, but for 2 to 5 days.

“We'll dock in a port, for example on the Amalfi Coast,” Minarik said. “We'll stay for three or four days, so we might not get out at all on the first day… maybe we'll just go out for dinner.”

Several owners continue to exist the ship permanently, but most come and go as they please, he said.

After the cruise from South America to South Africa, Minarik said, he and his wife disembarked in Cape Town and went on safari for 2 weeks before heading home to Orange County, Calif. The friends they were traveling with caught up with the ship, which had since sailed up the west coast of Africa, he said.

Many of the owners are North Americans, Wong said. “But we have residents from about 20 different nationalities … we also have a lot of Australians on board,” he said.

Minarik, a former CEO of a serious consumer electronics company, said all owners have had some extent of monetary success.

“That's just a fact, but what's really interesting is that everyone has a great story,” he said.

Purchase prices for residential properties range from $2.4 million to $15 million – this amount doesn’t include quarterly maintenance fees, which may amount to about 10% of the acquisition price annually.

Nevertheless, money isn’t a giant issue on board the World, said Minarik.

“There's definitely no competing with your neighbors, because whether you're a multimillionaire or not, there are plenty of billionaires,” he said. “So you talk about your love of travel and the experiences.”

He said one in every of his friends from the ship is an 82-year-old man who “donates more money to charity than I could imagine.” What are they talking about? “Scuba diving,” Minarik said.

Potential buyers might be vetted, Wong said. In addition to a financial and police verification, he said, buyers will need two letters of advice from an existing resident.

Each yr, about 10% of the residences are offered on the market, an organization representative told CNBC Travel.

The average length of ownership is seven to eight years, Wong said. By that point, owners have traveled to most parts of the world several times, he said. Others move away to be closer to specialized medical care or to spend more time with family.

Minarik agreed that the most important downside to ship life is the time spent away from his children and grandchildren. He said he and his wife plan their lives to balance their love of family and voyages of discovery.

Another drawback? Minarik said he couldn't take his dogs on board.

But “if I could think of anything other than you not being able to have your pets and your family, that would be pure invention,” he said.

Wong said that while other firms have tried, The World remains to be the one ship of its kind.

The MV Narrative, an upscale residential vessel built by an organization called Storylineswas affected by several delayed departures. Originally scheduled to depart in 2024, it’s now scheduled to set sail in 2027. The ship is larger than The World and can have 500 cabins to accommodate around 1,000 people.

Another residential ship, Life at seawas canceled in November 2023, the identical month the primary departure was scheduled. Some travelers had reportedly sold their businesses and houses before learning that the corporate behind the cruise, Miray Cruises, had canceled the three-year-old voyage after failing to seek out a ship.