Join Us on Luxurious Residential Yacht, The World

Where would you like to travel this year? How about the fabulous beaches of Corsica, or the history-rich streets of Antwerp? Maybe you would prefer sipping fine wines in Bordeaux, visiting the stunning waterfront Munch museum in Oslo, or photographing the extraordinary hues and shapes of mighty icebergs in Antarctica?

These are just a few of the inspiring bucket-list destinations that await residents and guests aboard The World. This privately owned residential megayacht ceaselessly circumnavigates the globe to provide a one-of-a-kind travel lifestyle to its wealthy and cultured explorers, with outstanding, luxurious travel experiences and exceptional, anticipatory service.

With 12 decks and 280 crew, the 196m Swedish-built vessel is the world’s largest residential megayacht and features 165 designer homes, from studios to three-bedroom apartments. Owners are free to decorate their floating sanctuary as they wish, and can choose to add favourite artworks, a personalised wine cellar and treasured finds from their global voyaging.

“Many of our residents are existing yacht or superyacht owners,” explains Tom Wolber, CEO of The World Residences at Sea. Naturally they love life on the high seas but they also own homes on land and will fly, often by private jet, to join whichever part of The World’s globetrotting voyaging excites them, sometimes bringing friends and family along. Unsurprisingly, only a few onboard homes come up for resale each year.

Unlike conventional cruises, which speed from one port to the next, The World spends three to five days in a destination, allowing time for exploration and privileged encounters as varied as watching a performance of the New Zealand haka or swimming with whale sharks in West Papua.

Another key difference is that the residents of The World decide where she sails. Its owners are by definition successful, with a shared love of adventure and the finer things in life. Most are in their sixties and they hail from some 20 or so countries, creating a warm and inviting international community that sets its own rules — there are no pets on The World, for example, and tipping is verboten. Residents’ sustainability concern has led to the ship being fitted with an advanced waste water system, while the use of clean marine diesel, rather than heavy bunker fuel, means it can sail into areas where other vessels are banned.

Logistics and the need to ensure privacy and security means that itineraries are put together up to three years in advance, and they always include two or more intrepid expeditions. Past adventures have seen The World sail to the remote Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, and a record 24-day transit of the Northwest Passage. In 2023, the ship will pay a summer visit to the rarely visited coast of Baffin Island in Arctic Canada, then head south for a trip-of-a-lifetime voyage around the Antarctic Peninsula over Christmas and New Year.

Such tremendous sights make truly unforgettable experiences. “When we visited Wrangel Island in Arctic Russia,” one long-term owner recalls fondly, “we saw 104 polar bears in three days.” Later that same year, he and his wife were in the scorching deserts of Algeria, admiring some of the finest Roman ruins in the world.

The World is the only ship of its kind in operation today and remains in a class of its own. Life on board is a carefully honed balance of relaxation and enrichment. The wide choice of dining venues that includes the Michelin star-level Portraits restaurant, a cigar club, and a wine cellar stocked with up to 15,000 bottles. The World Spa & Wellness Center offers sophisticated beauty treatments and therapies, while fitness facilities include two swimming pools, a full-size tennis court, a golf simulator and a jogging track. Activities ashore can range from a sunrise bike ride past the colossal moai of Easter Island to hiking on far-flung Pitcairn Island and snorkelling pristine reefs in the Seychelles.

More than 80 lecturers conduct talks and discussions about The World’s diverse ports of call, which number over 100 annually; topics range across wildlife, history, food and art. Nobel Prize winners have been welcomed aboard, such as Shuji Nakamura, co-inventor of the blue LED light, and the former Polish president Lech Wałęsa; both the journey and the destinations visited are unfailingly stimulating. As Wolber puts it: “The World offers a unique lifestyle that exists nowhere else on the planet. A home here is a life filled with global adventure at the pinnacle of luxury.”

The World