Exploring the world

The World isn’t like any cruise ship. Bowen explains that The World takes about three and a half years to get its way around the globe, while cruises will circle the globe three to four times a year. This means that the ship is cruising at a leisurely pace, allowing residents to choose when and where they would like to get on and off.

Itineraries are also designed by the residents on the ship. Having been in operation for 22 years, The World has never replicated a single itinerary. Bowen explains that residents on the ship are always asking: “Where haven’t we been and where can we go that’s new?”

For example, while many travellers visit Antarctica for 8 to 10 days, residents may turn that experience into a three to four-week journey. Residents may decide to bring on a team of 25 to 30 Antarctic experts from different fields who might inspire the itinerary.

At the end of the day, The World provides residents with the freedom of where they want to go and what they want to do. “All owners can look at the itinerary of the next few years and decide which parts of it they want to do,” Bowen says.

A home on board

When it comes to residences, individual owners can renovate it however they like. This allows owners to treat their residences like their homes, rather than a suite.

The ship offers an array of amenities to help make residences feel at home, from having an extensive wine cellar to tennis courts. “You can have a dinner party cooked by one of the chefs or even get a celebrity chef on board to do a cooking demonstration,” he says.

The 285-team onboard offers full-time personalised services. “[They are] quite intense. They want to know everything about you as a resident that you’re prepared to share … data is collected so you don’t have to ask for something twice,” he shares.

Bowen continues: “This is family and they get treated like family. I love being on board when I see Mr and Mrs X walking up with a carry-on bag … and the crew welcomes them home.”

Another thing that sets The World apart is its privacy and security on board. Bowen shares that to come on board and experience the ship prior to ownership would require signing a nondisclosure agreement and a security vetting process.

“Residents know that when they see somebody on board… they know that they are supposed to be there… not somebody that came in off the street and potentially disrupted their privacy,” he says. Over the years, the ship has found a balance between opening up a little and keeping the residents’s privacy.

Looking ahead, Bowen shares how The World will continue to evolve and adapt according to the needs of the residents. “The management company has become very good at listening and interpreting the needs and wants of the residents,” he says adding that it’s something that’s “impossible to replicate” due to the way the ship has evolved over the years.

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