Travel the world from the comfort of your home. This is the promise of the company Storylines, whose cruise ship MV Narrative is due to set sail at the end of 2024. The company, created several years ago, wishes to improve the image of cruises and attract new audiences. Unlike other residential cruise ship projects, which often target the ultra-rich, Storylines caters to “Mr. and Mrs. Everyone” (or almost), thanks to a more affordable price. The company offers more than 500 residential accommodation on board the future cruise ship. All apartments are furnished and prices range from $ 400,000 to 8 million euros.
According to founder Alister Punton, all apartments will be sold by the end of 2022. The boat, meanwhile, is still under construction in Croatia. Once completed, it will have many amenities: nearly 20 restaurant and bar concepts, three swimming pools, a library housing ten thousand books, a cinema room, a wellness center and even a track. bowling. Everything is done so that the happy owners do not miss anything.
By the end of 2024, the MV Narrative should embark on its first 1,000-day trip around the world. Stopovers of 3 to 5 days are planned in each port. “What a typical cruise line might do in a month or three weeks, we’ll take three to four months to do.”, the founder of Storylines told CNN Travel. “This shows how much we extend the experience. And residents have the opportunity to give their opinion on the ship’s next destination.”
Long-term purchase or rental
Future residents will have several possibilities. They will be able to rent accommodation on the boat for 12, 24 or 60 years, but also to buy it. “With an outright purchase, resident owners benefit from a perpetuity clause, meaning they are able to move to a new residence on a future vessel without additional purchase, making it a long-term investment. term”, explains Alister Punton. As with classic real estate investments, these apartments can of course be rented or resold.
In addition to the purchase costs, residents will have to pay “living expenses” ranging from $ 65,000 to $ 200,000 per apartment. These cover the maintenance of the boat, but also the food. “Once you’ve paid your fees, you can pretty much put away your wallet or credit cards and save for the rest of the year if you want to.”, assures the founder of Storylines.
The project has already won over many people, of all ages. Among them, couples with children. Once again, everything is planned so that young people can attend school, thanks to numerous educational spaces and the school program offered on board. A medical team is also planned, as well as a post office.
What environmental cost?
But to function and move, this floating city expends a considerable amount of energy. A problem taken seriously, says Storylines. The company maintains that the project was designed to have a reduced environmental footprint. Several sustainable development projects are in fact planned, such as the creation of a hydroponic garden powered by solar energy to grow the products used on board.
“We will undoubtedly be the greenest cruise ship in the world”, says Alister Punton. With this in mind, the MV Narratives will run on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), one of the cleanest combustion non-electric marine fuels. But that’s not all. “So it’s about how we source our food, how we store food in bulk, how it is grown on board the ship, how waste is turned into energy, how much use is limited. plastics and all that stuff “, insists the founder.
In 2019, the ConsoGlobe site estimated that a 2,500 passenger cruise ship emitted, even at the dock, “aas many fine particles, sulfur oxides or nitrogen in a day as 12,000 cars “.