'The World' is a luxury ship that travels the world full time — here's how much an apartment on it costs

A floating apartment. A residential yacht. A holiday home that travels the globe.

The World, a luxury liner, has many descriptions, but "cruise ship" is not one of them, said resident Jim Minarik.

"The only thing that's similar between the world and a cruise ship is they float on the water," he said. "If our ship was a cruise ship, there'd probably be 1,500 passengers. When we're really busy, we have between 200 and 300."  

The World has 167 privately owned apartments, ranging from 290-square-foot studios to 3,240-square-foot four-bedroom residences.

Minarik and his wife bought their apartment in 2020 with plans to spend one to two months a year on the ship. However, he said, they now spend up to half of the year on board.

"We just found we love so much about the community, the way of travel — it's very leisurely and comfortable," he said. "You're continuously seeing something new."

Minarik said the couple were so enamored by the onboard experience that they eventually bought a second, larger apartment on The World, keeping the first apartment for family and friends.

Like many cruises, The World has multiple restaurants and bars, yoga classes and a gym, two pools, a medical center and round-the-clock room service.

But the similarities mainly end there. For starters, on this ship, the owners call many of the shots.

"It's a democratic society on board," said Residential Director Eddie Wong. "They vote on things like the itinerary, they vote for refurbishments on the ship," as well as its board of directors.

Itineraries change yearly, Wong said. The schedule for 2026 has been finalized, he said, and includes stops in Antarctica, French Polynesia and Easter Island, the latter of which he called "one of the most sought-after locations