Storylines: Many cruise enthusiasts fantasise about living on ships for long periods of time, if not permanently.
For many cruise enthusiasts, it’s a means to see new locations, meet new people, and embark on new adventures on land and ashore during the day while relaxing in the comforts of cocoon-like staterooms at night—all while taking in breathtaking ocean vistas around the clock.
Some passengers take prolonged world cruises (usually 90-120 days in length) to accomplish this ambition, while others choose sequential back-to-back vacations on one or more cruise lines. An expensive condo-style boat dubbed The World has offered another option since its introduction in 2002: the purchase of multimillion-dollar “residences at sea.”
Storylines cruise enthusiasts
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However, Storylines, a new residential cruise ship community set to launch in Asia in late 2023, aims to make the idea of living aboard a ship more affordable, allowing a greater segment of the people to participate.
It hopes to attract not only wealthy retirees but also families and the growing number of remote workers. The company recently announced that pre-sale deposits for its first ship were now being accepted.
What do you have to say about the ship?
Alister Punton: In late 2023, the Storylines ship will set sail from Asia. It will be built in China, with our European trade partners doing the finishing work (such as interiors) and other critical components. We’ve teamed together with some of the largest names in the industry to create the cleanest, greenest, and most contemporary ship on the market today.
The new ship is intended to promote a global active residential lifestyle. Although suites can be customised to host more occupants in up to four double bedrooms, all of the 627 residential units available for sale are structured as doubles.
What kind of audience do you believe Storylines will entice?
AP: Our potential citizens are more reflective of a small community than any certain market category. Many aren’t your average cruisers, which is interesting. Professionals, business owners, individuals who can work remotely, families with homeschooled children, and those who are no longer working are among them. Our main priority is to board the ship with the proper people who share our eight basic ideals.
What criteria will be used to select itineraries?
AP: The ship’s schedule is set for the first 312 years, with the goal of completing a full circumnavigation in that time. We expect to stay in most ports for 3-5 days; even one-day ports will involve an overnight stay.
The schedule includes “Flexible Days,” which can be adjusted to meet the needs of the passengers on board. For example, this could mean staying longer in one location or voting on a new destination for the following week.
We also plan ‘Home at Sea’ days, when the ship will be anchored in a premium location (such as the waters around the Croatian islands), allowing residents to take advantage of the waterside marina, go fishing, kayaking, scuba diving, or visit a deserted local island for some bushwalking or beach-fired marshmallows. The options are truly limitless.
Will public areas and amenities differ from those on traditional cruise ships?
AP: Because our tenants would not be changing every two weeks, we built public spaces that are more analogous to a luxury resort than a tourist cruise liner.
Wine and juice bars, yoga studios, pop-up restaurants, culinary facilities, a library, a marina with all the toys, a tech support bar, a deli and market, aboard hydroponics farms, and even a microbrewery are just a few examples.
Onboard the ship, there will be approximately 40 resident lounges. These are private places where ‘locals’ can unwind in comfort, work, read a book, cook a meal, or entertain friends, family, or visitors without having to go to the main public venues. A hot tub, bar service, and cabanas are among the amenities available.
What dining alternatives will the owners have?
AP: The ship’s cuisine options will be unlike any other, from locally grown fresh vegetables to resident lounges with full kitchen cooking facilities.
Residents will be able to go through one of the food areas (much like on land) and find a ‘Main Street USA‘ area with smaller 50-seat restaurants or a ‘hole in the wall’ Chinese-style dumpling house or go to a restaurant with a menu featuring food grown onboard the ship.
We’ll have weekly rotating market garden vegetables and usual basics, as well as regionally specialised cheese and deli goods. Residents will be able to pick what they want, cook it themselves or have it cooked for them, and enjoy it on the back deck or one of the five indoor or outdoor viewing platforms and lounging places overlooking the marina and lower pool areas.
Everyone’s likes, want, and desires will be catered to. Residents will have a say in the types of cuisine and restaurant styles presented on board, as they will in many other elements of Storylines.
What will medical equipment be on board?
AP: To care for our residents, a team of doctors, pharmacists, nurses, physical therapists, and a variety of other remedial and ancillary medical experts will be on board.
We will be close to world-class hospitals for any unexpected medical problems, and the onboard helicopter will be available to use for any medevac scenarios, as we will spend over 85 per cent of our time in port or cruising close to land.
We’ll also have the most up-to-date medical equipment on board, allowing us to address a variety of circumstances.
Will the ship be technologically distinct from previous cruise ships?
AP: When it is launched, this ship will be the cleanest and greenest ship ever. We’ll primarily run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), with the flexibility to switch to other fuels as needed.
For the most part, we’ll have a variety of power-producing facilities with battery banks to power ship generators and auxiliary power. Because our journey is so leisurely, our annual emissions will be comparable to those of a typical tourist ship.
We expect the majority of the herbs and leafy greens to come directly from the ship, which has over 8000 square feet of growing space.
We are happy to offer two firsts in the world: ship-to-plate food production and a restaurant dedicated to serving exclusively food grown onboard.
Guests who work remotely may access all of their favourite sites and programmes from anywhere onboard, thanks to high-speed data available throughout the ship.
What makes this notion similar to or different from a holiday timeshare?
AP: Residents of Storylines have complete ownership of their space and are free to customise it to their liking.
They have the option to live in it, rent it out, leave it vacant, or sell it. Residents will also have a say in what experiences they want to have onboard and ashore, such as destinations, entertainment, and dining.
What does it mean to “own” something?
AP: Residents will have exclusive rights to a lease for their preferred residential unit on the ship for the duration of the contract. We have terms ranging from 12 to 60 years.
Residents will be able to roll over onto another ship in the Storylines fleet without having to repurchase their residential cruise space at the end of the vessel’s oceangoing life, allowing them to truly own their residential cruise space for the rest of their lives. Cruise condo-cabins can be resold or rented out to generate rental income to help offset the costs of living onboard.
What about the cost?
AP: The entrance price for this level of pricing is just $352,235, with current discounts bringing it down to about $297,000. Monthly fees are divided into three categories based on the size of the accommodation and are due quarterly. Monthly all-inclusive costs start at $1,928 per person per month (twin-share).
These expenses cover food and entertainment as well as operating costs such as port fees, staff, gratuities, and upkeep. Residents’ residential units can be rented out when they are not aboard, offering a handsome return to balance their personal lifestyle.
Finally, why did you choose “Storylines” as your name?
AP: We wanted to emphasise the distinction between our new brand and typical cruise lines: Storyline allows residents to construct and re-craft their own life stories, as well as partake in the lives of others.
There is currently no other residential ship committed to a floating global lifestyle that is both affordable and a true maritime community.
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