This piece of prime real estate on the world’s most exclusive yacht could be yours — for a price
A penthouse on this luxury residential ship has just come up for sale, but is it worth its price tag? Come on board to see how the rich and famous kick back.
Expedition cruising is now one of the more favoured pastimes for the residents of the globe’s largest privately owned residential yacht, The World. It has been widely reported that mining magnate Gina Rinehart is one of the owners aboard the luxury ship, which next year will visit almost 100 ports – starting with Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California and ringing in the new year at Hobart.
The World has 165 apartments with 130 owners from 20 countries, circumnavigating the globe every two to three years following an itinerary that they select.
Most owners hold their apartments for seven to eight years on average, according to Gold Coast-based global ambassador for The World Residences at Sea, Craig Bowen.
Bowen, who has just announced that a rare 286sq m sub-penthouse has come on the market, says that, apart from expedition cruising, New York and the Amalfi Coast are favoured ports of calls for The World’s residents.
How much does it cost to live aboard The World?
The three-bedroom, 3½-bathroom apartment with multiple living areas, a dining area and large flowing balcony on the starboard side of the ship is available for sale at a cost of $US12.5m ($18.45m). There are also annual ownership fees to be paid quarterly for fuel, administrative expenses, operational expenses, as well as food and beverages and a capital reserves contribution in order to keep the ship at the standard of a luxury offering.
Every three years the ship is renovated in a dry dock, allowing owners to also undertake major refurbishments of their apartments, but at other times they can do soft updates – such as changing out their sofas, curtains and floor coverings – with advice from The World’s key designers located at the Fort Lauderdale headquarters.
Australians are the biggest owners
Bowen says that, on a per capita basis, Australians are the biggest owners of The World’s apartments. There are about 24 Australian families among the 130 family owners. “Someone from Australia had a two-bedder which they upsized to a penthouse,” he says. “(Then) all their kids got busy so a three-bedder was an extravagance, so they downsized to a one-bedder. Then there’s an Australian who was an owner for six years. He sold it. And then he called me this week and wanted to get back into it.”
Next March, following visits to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia, residents will turn their gaze towards the Caribbean Sea.
As they voyage to Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, the Grenadines and the Lesser Antilles, they will relish the region’s crystalline waters, rich flavours and vibrant wildlife.
With a crew of 285 plus 25-30 expedition professionals, the ship will cross the Atlantic and journey to the Canary Islands, Funchal and Casablanca, followed by a brief departure to the Mediterranean, with stops in Italy, Malta, France, Spain, and Portugal.
Upon their return to the South Atlantic, residents and guests will immerse themselves in African destinations throughout Namibia and South Africa.
Two more expeditions beckon from September to November next year. During the Madagascar expedition, residents and guests will explore the fourth-largest island on Earth, with its huge diversity of habitats and wildlife, including some species found nowhere else on the planet.
The final 2025 expedition to West Papua, at the eastern extreme of Indonesia, will reveal endless opportunities for exploration across a varied and dynamic marine
With the ship launched in 2002 most owners live on it for five to six months a year.
“Very importantly, whether your apartment is one bedroom or three bedrooms, your access to the community facilities is exactly the same,” says Bowen, adding that Americans own about 45-50 per cent of the apartments.
There are six restaurants, golf facilities with on-board putting greens, a state-of-the-art golf simulator and pro, the only full-size regulation tennis court at sea, swimming pools, a spa, and a fitness centre complete with personal trainers.
Bowen says prices of the apartments have appreciated over time.
For more details, contact: craig@thetravellergroup.net
This story is from the September issue of Mansion Magazine, found in your copy of The Australian on Friday September 27.
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