“The World – Residences at Sea” docks in Greenwich, London after having been away for a month during an extensive dry-dock
A few weeks ago, “The World”, a renowned luxury cruise ship, was spotted docked in the River Thames around the Greenwich area of London. The cruise ship diary of the Port of London authority confirms that the ship arrived on the 14th of July and remained there for at least a week.
“The World” is quite a sight to behold, towering high above the dockside and even giving some of the nearby buildings some competition in size.
The ship was docked on the Thames in a great location, where it was visible both from Tower Bridge as well as the O2 Arena on the other side. It added an extra bit of beauty to an already amazing view of the Thames riverside, a location that’s included in every single guide to exploring London.
From the edge of the Thames you were able to get a real sense of the scale of this large cruise ship. It may not be one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, but it’s nothing to scoff at, sitting at an impressive 196 metres in length. I wasn’t able to see this for myself, but I can imagine that a bird’s eye view of the ship from a public skyscraper like the Shard would have been spectacular.
A Journey on “The World”
Before docking in the United Kingdom, the journey of the cruise ship had been pretty amazing, and the destinations afterwards are just as impressive. This year’s trip began in South Africa, before visiting Madagascar and then countries such as Oman and India. The ship then cruised through the Mediterranean towards the Faroe Islands and England, which is where I spotted it in London. Since then it has travelled to Iceland and Greenland and will ultimately end in Hong Kong for the New Year.
The cruise also has a year-long enrichment program which sources talented performers and other cultural representatives from each country that they visit. This sounds like the ideal way to get residents on the ship to engage directly with foreign cultures before they step on to land. Other rarer events include visits from Nobel Prize nominees who come to educate the residents on topics in their respective fields. Of course, most cruise ships have entertainment, but even a week on “The World” sounds like it would be an incredibly enriching experience.
Another aspect that sets “The World” apart from its competition, even with larger and brand-new cruise ships, is its niche appeal. Although technically a cruise ship, “The World” is promoted as a private residential ship. This means that rather than aiming at a customer base of short-term travellers, people are incentivised to purchase actual homes on the ship and stay for a long-term journey.
This means that rather than having a large range of rooms with locations based on affordability, the ship has 165 unique homes. Each home is located on the outer edge of the ship to provide their owners with a personal veranda. Getting a home on “The World” obviously isn’t cheap, and it’s certainly not something I would ever see myself being able to justify paying for, but the idea of living on the water and seeing new sights every day is definitely an appealing one. Unfortunately, I’ll just have to settle for looking at it from the outside.
Of course, it’s too late to see this amazing ship in the UK now, at least until next year. But if you’re desperate to see it in person then look at the route and see if you live anywhere nearby. After all, it’s called “The World” for a reason. Odds are that you’ll cross paths with it at some point. Aside from that, if you’re sitting on a lot of disposable income and you have an entire year to spare, then why not try and get a home on the ship for yourself.
The Extensive Dry-Dock
Residents of The World, the largest, privately owned residential yacht on earth, returned recently after having been away for a month during the most extensive dry-dock in the ship’s history to discover several stunning redesigned spaces. The refurbishments took place at the Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz, Spain with over 850 contractors and crew working around the clock to elevate the private mega-yacht’s already supreme standards of quality and design.
“Our residents are keen to continually reinvest in their ship to keep it in top working condition and appearance,” said CEO Pamela Conover. “Several popular public areas were redesigned and enhanced for our residents’ and guests’ comfort and enjoyment and that exceed the ship’s world class standards of luxury and style. We also made functional renovations to several areas that are out of public view that improved operations. Our dedicated crew can now deliver an even higher level of exceptional, personalized service.”
The result of The World’s 2019 dry-dock is an astonishingly beautiful ship that is home to its residents’ unique travel lifestyle. This summer the ship continues its global journey with visits to ports of call across the United Kingdom, Portugal, Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland before embarking on a history-making expedition across the Northwest Passage and on to explore the vast regions of Asia.
(The World – Luxury Residences at Sea)
