- Thomas Legner, 61, is the general manager of The World, the largest private residential yacht.
- The ship has 165 apartments that residents own as it continuously sails around the world.
- Legner says the ship is nothing like a cruise — it's like an exclusive country club on the water.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Thomas Legner, the 61-year-old general manager of The World. It has been edited for length and clarity.
The World is the largest private residential yacht on earth. It's nothing like a cruise ship; it's more like a country club on the water.
There are 165 apartments on the ship, and we have an average of 200 residents on board. Our youngest resident is five years old, and our oldest resident is 80.
I joined the ship as the general manager in January 2014. I was previously the general manager for the Intercontinental in Vienna, and before that, I worked for the Four Seasons.
I wanted to join The World because no other ship is like it. Residents vote on where we sail to each year. We've traveled as far as Antarctica and Papua New Guinea.
It's not a cruise. It's an exclusive home at sea.
As it's not a cruise ship, we don't have a captain's table or welcome drinks.
The World is someone's home. Most people live on the ship for five to seven years, but some residents have been with us since The World launched 22 years ago.
Our residents can live on the ship all year round if they wish, but as they often have other homes, they will split their time between residences.
There are four ways to come on board the ship: buy an apartment, be invited as a guest, be a potential buyer and enjoy a trial stay, or join the members-only club Exclusive Resorts. The club owns four properties on The World as part of its offering, but there is a waitlist to come on board.
There are always rumors about who owns a home in The World. We have had politicians and TV stars on board in the past, but we don't divulge any of the ship's residents.
I'd just say everyone is a leader in their field. At the moment, only a small number of apartments are available to buy.
Staff member's presence should be felt, not seen
We have six restaurants on board, an art gallery, a swimming pool, a fitness center, a golf simulator, and a spa. We also have a boutique and grocery store.
The staff understand they are working in someone's home. We are respectful and polite.
None of the crew members except the captain would ever address a resident or guest by their first name. We treat them the same way luxury hotel staff would treat their guests.
I'm a great believer that service should be felt but not seen. We have a profile on each resident that lists all their preferences, from allergies to whether they like large or small ice cubes in their drink.
The residents may buy ingredients in the ship's grocery store and cook in their apartment, but if they go to a restaurant, they should only have to tell us once what they like or dislike.
The whole ship focuses on residents' preferences. That can be the type of linen they want in their apartment to what port activities they like.
We plan sailing itineraries two years out. We will create a schedule once the residents have voted on destinations. We are now working on the schedule for 2027.
Crew and residents have one-in-a-lifetime experiences
We are always looking to create special moments for the residents.
On one occasion, when it was a perfect day at sea, we stopped the ship on the equator. We placed one Zodiac, an inflatable boat, north of the equator and another south of the equator. Guests could swim across the equator in the middle of the Atlantic.
The crew also enjoys special moments. When the residents go on excursions, the crew may ride dune buggies through the Namibian desert or dine under the stars in Wadi Rum in Jordan.
It's our job to field the residents' requests. They could want a table at a Michelin-star restaurant with a waiting list, which we've managed, or they might need a private jet at the last minute.
I might have broken out into a cold sweat in a previous life, but now we just make it happen. The key to dealing with last-minute requests is being flexible and having alternatives if the initial request isn't possible.
We have issues that other ships don't have
As a residential ship, we have issues that other ships might not face. One of our biggest is storage.
We probably have 80 golf bags in storage. Residents will also bring their furniture and artwork but don't want to display everything. They might want to switch the Picasso for the Rembrandt.
We will never disclose where the ship is at any given time. The crew is also briefed to never advertise on social media that they're on The World and the ship's location for security reasons.
The pandemic presented the biggest challenge for me as a general manager
The most challenging day for me as GM was in March 2020 at the pandemic's start. We had just arrived in Fremantle, Australia when the airports and ports started closing. The guests and half of the crew flew home.
The rest of the crew stayed on board to maintain the ship.
I remember standing on the bridge with the captain. He said it was the first time he hadn't known whether to turn left or right, as we didn't have a destination. The uncertainty was difficult.
The best day on the ship was welcoming everyone back in July 2021. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. We hadn't seen some people for over a year, and everybody was in tears.
My favorite part of the job is interacting with the crew and the residents and creating amazing experiences.
A couple of weeks ago, somebody told me that The World is like Four Seasons on steroids. Our crew members make something so memorable that people don't want to leave.