By
Sandra Speares |
Founded by Shannon Lee and Alister Punton with a vision to give global travellers the ability to live out their passion for exploration while still maintaining work, family and home life, Storylines offers a unique cruise experience.
The brand was developed to enable a diverse range of people to travel the globe for extended periods of time in total freedom and comfort. The company attracts global citizens who have a positive mindset and want to explore the planet while doing good in the world.
According to chief executive Punton, the brand allows people to capitalise on the fact that they now have more freedom than ever before to work and study from anywhere in the world, rather than having to be grounded to one location to be able to work and educate their families. The ship will offer all the amenities of a land-based community, including a school, offices, restaurants, bank, post office, doctor’s office, gym, pools, theatre, bowling alley, golf and even a personal watercraft marina.
“The best part is that we deliver lucky residents to a new destination every week, where they can awake in the comfort of their own bed to yet another incredible view of the sparkling coast,” says Punton.
Elaborating on the brand’s operating model, Punton says: “Storylines is the developer and shipowner and will partner with a cruise ship operator/management company. Residents of the ship are investors in the company’s investment fund, and they hold shares for the long-term leasehold of their home. Some of the ship’s residents own the right to occupy their residence for 24 years whereas others own the same rights for the entire lifetime of the vessel.
“Residents can come and go as they please and embark/disembark at any port stop. Some plan to live on the ship full time while others plan to use it as a vacation home or travelling office. They can rent their home out when they are not using it, or they can lend it to family, friends or business colleagues. The homes are fully inheritable, and they can also be re-sold at any time.”
Storylines’ ship MV Narrative will be 741 feet long and 98 feet wide and is designed for residential life, with 547 residences ranging in size from 237 to 1,970 square feet. The prices of the residences on the ship range from $1 million to $8 million for the lifetime of the vessel with a limited number of 24-year leases available starting at $647,000.
In addition, the vessel will have many amenities including an aft marina for residents to access the sea directly for swimming, kayaking and other water sports. It was designed for easy boarding onto inflatable tenders to enable it to access remote destinations without docks.
To ensure it can comply with changing maritime regulations, the ship was designed with environmental sustainability in mind. It will be powered by LNG, the cleanest fuel for powering ships, and additional features such as a solar-powered hydroponic vegetable garden and new ship technologies that convert waste to power.
“The experience will place a high priority on lifelong learning with frequent workshops, lecturers, visiting artists and other experts in their fields sharing their knowledge,” says Punton “It will also feature the world’s first traveling school, where students will learn about the world in a global classroom with financial literacy, languages and service learning incorporated into the curriculum. The company is also dedicated to conservation, preservation and philanthropy by giving back to the communities we visit.”
In Punton’s view, all of this makes Storylines different from other high-end cruise lines.
“Traditional cruise ships visit as many ports as possible in the short amount of time that the itinerary allots, often resulting in mere hours to explore each destination,” says Punton. “By contrast, Storylines provides a lifestyle model for global citizens, not tourists on vacation.
“The itinerary takes three years to circumnavigate the globe, with an average of three days in port and three months in each geographical region. Those sailing onboard our continuously navigating ship will have access to luxury travel as a lifestyle.”
This article was first published in the Autumn/Winter 2022 issue of Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed. Subscribe to Cruise & Ferry Review for FREE here to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox or your door.