MS The World: Life on Board the World’s Largest Residential Cruise Ship

BY Sonal Panse • June 3, 2019

MS The World. (Bob Adams / Flickr)

The World is a privately-owned, 644-foot, luxurious, residential ship. It is a floating home with a private veranda from where residents can view constantly changing scenery.

About MS The World

Knut Utstein Kloster first came up with the idea of a residential ship. He is a Norwegian shipping magnate whose family successfully runs various cruise ships. The Swedish company Öresundsvarvet built the ship’s hull in Landskrona, and Mekaniske Verksted of Rissa, Norway, made the other parts. The ship officially launched in March 2002 in Oslo.

Residensea, a business based in Miramar, Florida, USA, operates MS The World, and they have registered the ship in the Bahamas. The ship’s home port is Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Alongside Residensea, the ship’s residents are involved in its management. They have an elected board of directors and a number of committees. These decide what types of activities will be available to the residents, the sea and ocean routes the ship is going to follow, in which countries and ports the ship is going to dock and for how long, and how to manage the ship’s finances.

Their responsibilities also include managing over 250 staff members that are necessary for operating and maintaining the ship, providing services such as housekeeping, and managing the other facilities on the ship.

The World cruise liner in Spain. (Rab Lawrence / Flickr)

Residences on MS The World

Residents of the ship enjoy a rich and exclusive lifestyle. There are only 165 individual residences on the ship. These are categorized into four types, ranging in size from 1,350 square feet to 3,200 square feet. Designed in different configurations, the residences and other facilities are spread across 12 decks and are accessed by six elevators.

There are studio residences with one or two bedrooms and a lounge-kitchenette and two-bedroom residences with kitchen and spacious dining area. Also, there are three-bedroom residences with a foyer and gourmet kitchen.

All these residences have stylish and comfortable modern décor that includes en suite bathrooms, spacious living rooms, and verandas. Furthermore, the residences also have all modern amenities like internet and high-quality audio and video systems.

People from over 40 countries own residences on the ship. Some of them live onboard all year round, while some come aboard only for specific durations. Some residents often rent out their residences. At any time, at least 200 people are resident on the ship.

Food and drinks on MS The World

If residents don’t feel like dining in one of the six restaurants on board or cooking a meal themselves, a master chef will prepare one especially for them in the resident’s kitchen. All the chefs on The World can cook a variety of international cuisines with the best ingredients.

When the ship is in port, the kitchen staff visits the local markets to buy fresh and indigenous ingredients. Any of the residents, who are interested in food, can accompany the staff to the local markets to expand their culinary knowledge and to get acquainted with the local food culture. The staff also arranges local dining experiences.

The Beverage Team creates unique cocktails with local fruits and spices, so the cocktail menu changes at practically every port. Residents can drink cocktails in several lounges and bars on board.

The ship also offers an extensive wine list for residents to choose from. The management often invites winemakers on board to discuss the wine production with the ship’s residents and arranges for visits to vineyards for wine-tasting and fine dining. When buying new wines, the staff always considers the wines that the residents prefer.

Onboard activities on MS The World

Since there are plenty of things to do on board, there is little likelihood of the residents getting bored. There are many activity areas and rooms as well as shops on two decks of the ship.

There is a well-stocked grocery store and a boutique for clothes. In addition, residents can get beauty treatments at the health spa and sauna, meditate in the relaxation room, and pray in the religion room Harmony.

There is also a full-size tennis court, a billiard room, a gym, a yoga room, a jogging track, and indoor and outdoor swimming pools. Moreover, there is a golf centre with hi-tech simulators. For those interested in golfing or diving, the ship’s staff can recommend the best courses and dive spots at the places the ship is going to dock.

Residents can watch films in the full-size theatre Colosseo, read books in the library, gamble in the casino, and dance in the nightclub. There is even a theatre for live music performances.

The business room has the usual telecommunication facilities for residents to conduct business meetings. A licensed stockbroker is also available to facilitate stock market transactions.

The ship has a helicopter landing pad for residents who wish to hire a helicopter to transport them when the ship is docked or near land.

In some ports, residents can launch sailboats and kayaks from the ship’s retractable marina deck.

Besides all these activities, residents can take classes to learn languages, dancing, cooking, music, photography, and lots more.

Expeditions from MS The World

The staff arranges expeditions to locations that are likely to provide the residents with new cultural experiences. Residents can get to know diverse biological environments, observe exotic flora and fauna, and learn about local history. Industry experts in these areas help organize these expeditions and give talks on related topics. With this available knowledge, residents find it more fascinating to explore new areas, participate in local festivals, and observe wildlife. Many of the residents maintain blogs about the expeditions as well as life onboard.

Some of The World’s noteworthy expeditions include the Northwest Passage and the Bay of Whales. In 2012, the ship followed the route of Roald Amundsen who, in 1906, was the first sailor to go through what is now called the Northwest Passage from Nome, Alaska, to Nuuk, Greenland. The World is also the first cruise ship to navigate south into the Bay of Whales in the Ross Sea, Antarctica.

For the exclusive group of very rich people who live on the ship, The World is indeed the world where life and business go hand in hand in restful luxury.

Enjoyed this article? Also, check out “Seawise Giant: The Enormous Vessel That Remains the Biggest Man-Made Ship Ever Built“.

Official Website:
The World: Residences at Sea

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