Ownership of a luxury home on The World offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore the globe from the comfort of your own home at sea. Since being delivered in 2002, the 196-metre private residential yacht has visited more than 1,000 ports of call on all seven continents. But with owners representing 165 residences on board, how is the sailing itinerary decided? And what are the highlights for 2022 and beyond?
Shared ambition
The World works on a collective ownership basis and is home to a community of residents from more than 20 countries. Despite the diversity of the residents, they are united by a common thirst for knowledge and the desire to explore the planet. As a result, The World’s sailing itinerary blends a unique travel lifestyle of total luxury with expeditions, adventure, education, fitness and gastronomy.
Plan and prepare
An important factor in owning one of the 165 exquisite private residences on board The World is the ability to influence the sailing itinerary. By working together with the yacht’s captains, an itinerary planning department in its Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based management office and a resident itinerary committee, the community can have a say in where in the world they will go as the ship circumnavigates the globe every two to three years. The current ambitious 2022 journey was agreed upon by a resident vote held three years ago to allow sufficient planning time. The route will bring the mega yacht to five continents with three expeditions organised along the way.
Learn from the experts
These expeditions are specially planned, deep explorations of a region, often to more remote areas that would be challenging for one to visit on their own. To enhance the experience, residents are accompanied by a selected team of experts such as anthropologists, naturalists, historians, marine biologists and archaeologists who provide a deep understanding of the chosen destination’s history, culture, landscape, flora and fauna and more. Their breadth of knowledge is unparalleled and is shared through activities such as lectures, onshore outings and informative treks. This year’s expeditions include journeys to discover the Tuamotus and Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia, Polynesia’s Austral Islands, and Iceland.
Among some of the ship’s incredible expedition experiences are exploring the exotic inner Seychelles, jungle trekking in Borneo and wildlife watching in the Svalbard Archipelago. Residents have been known to swim across the equator off the western coast of Africa joined unexpectedly by a pod of pilot whales nearby, kayak alongside penguins, whales and seals in Antarctica, and take a helicopter over Greenland’s majestic glaciers and fjords.
Indulge in the itinerary
Thanks to the vessel’s expert planning team, informative booklets are created for residents to learn about each destination visited. The detailed guide and map outline the destination and timings for each day’s activities such as diving and golfing adventures, fitness activities, dining recommendations and galleries. Once fully clued up, all that is left is for residents to indulge in some of Earth’s most incredible natural wonders.
Unlike most passenger vessels, The World spends nearly twice as many days in port than at sea, so the residents have time to explore every area in depth. Experiences have included exploring the World Heritage Sites of Cusco and Sacred Valley of the Incas via the storied Belmond Hiram Bingham train, venturing to the highlands of Jamaica to drive through the Blue Mountain National Park, a private visit to the Trebotti Organic Winery in Tuscany and a unique “meet and greet” with a herd of elephants at Samui Elephant Sanctuary, Thailand.
A warm and inviting community
There is a close-knit community bond on The World that has nurtured good friendships between residents. Some of the 150 families who call The World “home” choose to take part in expeditions together and these shared experiences enhance life on board. Together, residents have had once-in-a-lifetime encounters such as watching an indigenous Papua New Guinea tribe conduct a fire dance ceremony and playing golf in the Antarctic snow after retracing Sir Ernest Shackleton’s historic steps – all of which has created a warm and welcoming sense of community.
While there is plenty of team spirit on board The World, residents also enjoy time alone, particularly once inside their own luxury apartment. After walking through their front door after a day of experiencing the likes of a hike in the Corsican Mountains or a sunset camel safari in Australia, residents often relax on their balconies while a meal is being prepared in their kitchen by a private chef. The residences are sanctuaries at sea, where personal belongings such as books, family photographs and art collections help to make it a home.
Join the voyage
So far, residents have already experienced many global adventures and ‘firsts.’ The mega yacht broke the record for the furthest south sailed, reaching 78°43•997´S and 163°41•421´W at the Bay of Whales on a 22-day expedition of the Ross Sea, including 12 days in Antarctica. The World was also the largest passenger vessel to undertake a 24-day transit of Canada’s Northwest Passage from west to east during its record-breaking 2012 voyage and return in 2019 to accomplish 24-day, double transit sailing from east to west. The World’s incredible expeditions are set to continue with 2023 highlights including two unforgettable back-to-back journeys to Antarctica.
To learn more about ownership opportunities and the unique residential lifestyle of this one-of-a-kind yacht, contact The World’s Residential Advisor by calling +1 954 538 8449 / +44 20 7 572 1231 or clicking here.
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