On the face of it, The World looks like any other cruise ship. But the similarities end at the gang-plank. You can’t reserve a room or suite for a brief excursion. You buy a residence, just as you might a condo — it is currently the only privately owned on-the-sea resort. There are 165 such homes, and the company boasts that ownership gives you the privacy of your own residence combined with the mobility of a moving ship and the services and facilities of a luxury cruise liner.
What’s particularly cool about The World is that it travels continuously around the planet (hence the name), and you can do hop-on/hop-off. Let’s say you happen to be in Venice and you’re in no hurry to get back home to New York. Join the cruise when in comes to Venice and leave it when it arrives in New York or someplace close a month or two later.
This year’s itinerary included two and three day visits to 104 ports in 30 countries. And these destinations are not dictated by the ship’s managing company. The residents and the captain work together to come up with the itinerary. In fact, the residents vote on everything, including the type of fuel used and Christmas decorations.
