Storylines is launching a new residential cruise ship that offers a more affordable option for those who want to call a cruise ship home, reports CNN Travel.
Residential community at sea
In what used to be an unrealistic dream, Storylines offers a residential community at sea for residents to live permanently on the water at an “affordable” price aboard its ship MV Narrative.
Storylines is offering a residential community at sea that offers fully furnished one-to-four bedroom residences, studios and two-story penthouses at prices ranging from $400,000 to $8 million. The homes can be purchased, and a limited number of 12- and 24-month leases are available.
MV Narrative
MV Narrative is expected to launch in 2024. Storylines founder and chief executive officer Alister Punton said that there are a total of 547 units on the ship, which is still being built in Croatia.
CNN Travel reported that the ship will offer 20 restaurants and bars, a microbrewery, three swimming pools, a 10,000-book library, movie theater, wellness center, bowling alley and a solar powered hydroponic garden farm.
The initial voyage for MV Narrative will be 1,000 days and will take residents to six continents, with three to five days at each port it visits.
Living fee charged
“What a typical cruise line might do in one month or three weeks, we will take three or four months to do,” Punton told CNN Travel. “So that’s how much we extend the experience out. And they [residents] have opportunities to have input into where the ship goes next.”
In addition to the purchase price of the homes aboard the ship, residents will also be charged a “living fee” of $65,000 to $200,000 per year, which also covers the cost of food and maintenance expenses.
Families who choose to bring their children onto the ship will have access to an education program. Residents will also have access to medical staff including doctors and a pharmacy, as well as the ship’s post office.
Residential cruise ships
While building the ship, the team has worked to establish a sense of community with those who have already purchased units. Known as the Founders Circle, the design team regularly consults with them to ensure that they’re happy with the final product.
“That’s a really important component for us,” said Punton. “Because the ship is really theirs at the end of the day. They’re the ones who’ll be living in it, and it needs to be built for them.”
There are already other residential cruise ships venturing around the world, but they come with a much higher price tag than MV Narrative. The World offers homes for $14 million and annual maintenance fees of up to $1.4 million. The Somino, a residential yacht, will also launch in 2024 and offers the most exclusive address in the world. Condos on this ship cost a minimum of $11 million.
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Source: CNN Travel
