A CRUISE ship has started selling luxury homes, promising world travel from the comfort of your home – for a fraction of what it could cost the average person.
Storylines cruises have taken it upon themselves to engineer what has been a pipe-dream for many. Under one price, they offer a home, travel costs, all bills, as well as food and entertainment.
The amenities available on board are extensive. There are 20 restaurants and bars on board, a swimming pool, a school, a library, a bank, and hobby areas – just to name a few.
People who live on board permanently will get access to medical services, a farmer's market, private kitchens, a gym and spa, 24-hour room service and a co-working space.
All of which comes under, what they've dubbed, their "all-inclusive living" plan.
On their website, Storylines write: "Lock your wallet away, you won't need it.
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"Your annual all-inclusive living fees cover everything you need to live aboard a residential ship while cruising around the world.
"You can live a five-star life for less than your living expenses in most major cities worldwide."
Residents have the option to purchase a lease anywhere between 12 to 60 years long.
At this point in time, pricing starts from just $352,235 with current discounts reducing entry pricing to under $297,000.
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All-inclusive monthly fees are also affordable, beginning as low as $1,928 per month per person.
Austin Wells, from San Diego, was one of the first to buy the studio flat on Storylines' new MV Narrative cruise ship.
Paying $300,000 (£246,465) for a studio, it comes with 12-year lease onboard.
Inside the 237 square foot – one of the entry-level rooms – is a foldaway bed, pantry, desk and separate shower room
Austin, 28, said: "The thing that most excites me is I don’t have to upend my daily routine, in order to go see the world.
"My working hours will be shifted towards evenings, nights and very early mornings, but that does open up the ability for me to see a city midday to afternoon.
"This is probably the first time ever that there is even the ability to have a standard job and even consider working and living from a floating apartment complex."
San Diego, California, where Austin is from, has an average rental price is $2,500 (£2,053.88) per month.
His room onboard the ship will set him back around $2,000 (£1,643.10) per month – saving $500 (£410.77) on rent alone.
He said he also hopes to make friends onboard, as he will be "travelling the world with them too".
The ship will be divided into 11 different types of homes including a Global residence, which has two floors, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large balcony, a dining room and a walk-in closet.
These residencies cost quite a bit more, however. With some properties fetching upwards of an eye-watering $10 mil price tag.
Mimi Bland, 59, is a wealthy divorcee who has also purchased a property on Storylines' MV Narrative.
Mimi sold her three bedroom home, worth $634,000 (£500,000), in the Buckinghamshire village of Farnham Common to be able to afford the luxury cruise home.
This, combined with her savings, allowed her to splash out on one of the $1 mil (£850,000) properties on board.
Mimi said: “I want to see the world while working and without ever leaving the comfort of my own home and meet lots of other ambitious people who are looking for a new life of excitement and fun.
“I am 60 next year and it is time for a re-set. I love my life helping highly successful executives to de-stress their lives and achieve a better work-life balance.
“But I realised that I needed to do that for myself and embark on an exciting new journey of adventure and discovery."
Storylines boss Alister Punton said: "We have partnered with some of the industry's biggest names to deliver the cleanest, greenest and most modern ship available today.
"The new vessel is designed to foster an active global residential lifestyle.
"All of the 627 residential units available for sale are configured as doubles although suites can be configured to host more residents in up to four double-bedrooms."
Residents will also be given the opportunity to rent out their apartments, with Austin's being capable of fetching $4,500 (£3,696.97) a month.
Alister added: "Storylines’ residents wholly own their space and can decorate it to their tastes.
"They can live in it, rent it out, leave it vacant and, of course, sell it.
"Residents will also have input into choosing experiences on board the vessel and ashore including destinations, entertainment and dining."
The ship will dock at ports for between three to five days to allow residents to explore local sites.
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Travelling up through Italy would involve stops at Naples in the south through to Rome and then Venice in the north.
The cruise ship will be home to around 1,000 residents when it launches in 2025.
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