A cruise start-up planning a continuous circumnavigation of the globe at the end of 2025 is to offer referral commissions to travel agents.
The level of commission for referrals to the Storylines ship NV Narrative, currently under construction in Croatia, has not been confirmed.
However, founder and chief executive Alister Punton said: “The average value of a Storylines residence is over £1.5 million, so referral commissions can be quite high compared to a typical travel ticket sale.”
The ship can accommodate 1,000 ‘residents’ living in 547 cabins and suites.
Prices start at £850,000 and rise to up to £6.5 million for the most luxurious apartments.
The ship will feature 11 types of accommodation from one beds to a suite over two floors with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining room, balcony and walk-in wardrobe.
NV Narrative will dock at ports for between three to five days to allow ‘residents’ to explore local sites one it enters service in Europe at the end of 2025.
Amenities on board include a gym and spa, recreational activities like golf simulators, a running track, bowling, three pools, watersports and 20 restaurants and bars.
On-going annual fees ‘to cover a 5-star luxury lifestyle’ while on board, such as food and drink, cleaning service and laundry, are added to the cruise fare.
The source of financing for the project has not been disclosed but Punton said: “We have various offers for project and company funding.”
He added: “The founders come from the property sector and adopted the same principles of lifestyle communities into a luxury global living concept.
“They have surrounded themselves with maritime professionals in order to take the best parts of ‘world cruises’ and ‘international real estate’ and meld them together to create a one-of-a-kind lifestyle.
“Storylines is a global company with employees in 12 countries and future residents from 25 countries.
“Our core team includes ship designers and engineers and our construction project manager; then we have our sales, marketing, HR and technology teams and other experts including legal, medical, sustainability and client relations.
“The vessel, to be named MV Narrative, will start its continuous circumnavigation of the globe at the end of 2025, departing from Europe.
“It will stop at each port of call for days not hours and remain in geographical regions for about three months at a time. The ship will visit about 100 destinations in each three year circumnavigation. This unique itinerary allows the residents onboard to really explore the countries and create deeper and richer experiences.”
Punton said: “We all have this image of cruises – that they are long holidays for pensioners and people in their twilight years going around the world as couples.
“Storylines’ superyacht is not like that at all – it is a residential cruise liner for working people and young families who have realised during Covid that they can work from anywhere and they don’t want the hassle and expense of being tied to one property.
“It is for people who have a wanderlust but also enjoy the comforts of their own home and would find jetting from hotel to hotel too stressful and expensive.
“The other exhausting thing about travel is meeting new people and the exciting thing about the Storylines’ cruises is that there is a whole community of like-minded people laid on so that you are never lonely.”
The plans come as Life At Sea Cruises, a new US offshoot of Turkish firm Miray Cruises, unveiled plans to adapt 1,074-passenger ship MV Gemini to start a cruise lasting three years from Istanbul on November 1 with prices between $197,988 and $725,988.