A private residential cruise ship that travels the world is touring Haida Gwaii.
Some people may go to a cottage by the lake for the summer, or to a timeshare in Mexico for the winter — but then there are the select few who come aboard The World and make their floating studio apartment home for three to four months of the year.
The largest private residential yacht on earth, home to 165 residents and guests, arrived at Prince Rupert’s Northland Terminal on Tuesday, Aug. 22 and departed Wednesday, Aug. 23 for Haida Gwaii. There are 12 decks on the 196-metre vessel, which can hit a maximum speed of 18.5 knots.
This is the third time The World visited Prince Rupert – 2003 and 2009 were the last ports of call to the harbour.
The cost of being a resident on The World starts at approximately $12.6 million for a studio apartment and can soar up to $31.5 million for the penthouse, according to the most recent article written about the ship in April 2017 by Yacht Style Magazine.
Aboard The World, residents can have a private chef service or visit one of the seven cocktail lounges and bars. A crew of 280 from 42 countries provides many of the services, including personal training, spa treatments and medical care. The vessel also offers two swimming pools, a tennis court, mini-golf, an art gallery and a night club.
This year, the ship is travelling to 100 ports of call in more than 20 countries starting in Sydney, Australia, then on to New Zealand, East Asia, Japan, Hong Kong and then it crossed the Pacific to tour the west coast of the U.S. and Canada all the way up to Alaska and then back down to Prince Rupert, over to Haida Gwaii, Saltspring and Vancouver.
After travelling to Canada, the ship heads south to Central America and on to the Panama Canal, completing the 12 month journey in Miami for New Years.