A former lawyer who spent six years aboard the world’s most exclusive invitation-only cruise ship has revealed its secrets.
His explosive remarks paint a fascinating picture of a ship named “The World,” where passengers are involved in violent conflicts and incidents.
Peter Antonucci, a 64-year-old former commercial litigator in New York, compared the giant 644-foot, 12-story residential ship to an apartment house.
The World launched in 2002, promising passengers a “luxury residential adventure lifestyle previously unimaginable.”
Home to 165 ultra-luxury apartments, from stylish studios to three-bedroom apartments, the ship sails to more than 100 destinations each year, shrouded in secrecy.
The condos reportedly cost between $2 million (£1.6 million) and $15 million (£11.9 million) each, excluding annual ownership fees, and buyers must be invited by residents to purchase them. In addition, secondment from another person is required.
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Residents are reportedly required to have a personal net worth of at least $10 million (£7.9 million).
After previously enjoying a “taste voyage,” former passengers Peter and his wife Tami fell in love with the ship’s crew and daily life, and bought their first cruise ship condo in 2014 for around $1.6 million. I bought it at
They changed suites multiple times during their stay, and left in 2019 after getting “tired of the gossip, rumors and nonsense” and “seeing the world a few times.”
Peter, director of The World, reveals what really goes on on the world’s most elite cruise ships.
He told the Daily Mail: “Any extreme conduct violation will come to the attention of the board, so that’s ultimately the issue.
“I knew where all the skeletons were to be found. I knew who slept with whom, who assaulted whom, who stole… and obviously I didn’t have an eye for it. I have two ears, I see things, I intuit things.”
Peter said the ship’s “drama, story and subplots” took months and years to build up.
He explained: “As residents, we obscenely sat and watched the beer being brewed, and many people on board were absorbed in the gossip.
“This ship was powered more by rumors than by diesel fuel.”
He claimed there were parties on board the ship “every day” and that many of the things he witnessed “resembled fraternity houses.”
The former lawyer added: “Here we have a small group of very successful and qualified people floating in a steel basin in the middle of the ocean.
“When you’re at sea for six or seven days, people just move from bar to bar, so what could possibly go wrong?
“Was anyone beaten up? Absolutely. Did anyone jump into the pool fully clothed? Yes. Did they stay fully clothed? Not always.
“Was anyone doing drugs? Of course they were doing drugs. Anytime you’re in a group, you’re going to get stuff like that.”
Peter said “Life on the World” is similar to what viewers might have seen on HBO’s dark comedy “White Lotus,” in which “an entitled owner tells his staff… “Screaming,” with “inappropriate and barely clothed” guests “grinding against each other on the pool deck.”
He also claimed that guests would get into heated arguments, throw punches, and sometimes spend years in tangles with crew members.
It’s a tough job reprimanding people who pay $5 million in condominiums and $500,000 in annual management fees, but Peter said there are “procedures” for dealing with troublemakers.
The former lawyer has written three novels about fictional ships since leaving The World.
A spokesperson for The World told the Daily Mail: “We had previously been in contact with Mr. Antonucci, and he stated in writing that his work has nothing to do with The World or its inhabitants, and that his publications are based on fictional stories about certain people. He assured me that it was a work of art. An imaginary ship.
“We wish him every success with his creative work of fiction, which we understand has no connection to The World or its inhabitants.”