Ever wondered what wealthy people get up to away from prying eyes?
Well, one former passenger on board world’s most exclusive private residential ship has now dished the dirt on what really goes on among some of the wealthy elite who choose to escape by hitting the high seas.
Peter Antonucci, who worked as a commercial litigator in the New York City, spent five years living on board the vessel which has a strict invite-only policy.
The 64-year-old compared the vessel, on which condos start at around $2 million, to a frat house, claiming that the exclusive community was riddled with heated clashes and sordid affairs.
Peter Antonucci, who worked as a commercial litigator in the New York City, spent five years living on board the vessel which has a strict invite-only policy
There are 165 luxury residences on board The World, which travels to over 100 destinations per year as part of an itinerary planned two to three years in advance
The living spaces ranged from stylish studios to sprawling three-bedroom apartments
The residential ship, named The World, launched in 2002 to offer a ‘lifestyle of residential luxury adventure that was previously unimaginable.’
Peter first booked a taster voyage on the ship with wife Tami and was soon enticed by almost every aspect – from the hospitable crew to the regimented itinerary.
The couple then bought their first cruise ship condo in 2014 for a price in the region of $1.6 million and would spend up to eight months of the year on board.
They ended up moving suites at various points during their tenure – having owned four separate condos at different times – with the price tag rising to about $4 million.
The millionaires’ playground, which spans 644 feet and boasts 12-desks, is usually shrouded in secrecy but Peter has since shared what really goes on behind closed doors.
He explained to DailyMail.com that he had a better insight than most after being elected to sit on the Board of Directors for The World.
‘All the extreme conduct violations are bought to the board’s attention so that’s what it comes down to,’ Peter said.
‘I knew where all the skeletons could be found – I knew who slept with who, who assaulted who, who stole… And beyond that obviously I have two eyes and two ears. You see things and you intuit things.’
Peter first booked a taster voyage on the ship with wife Tami and was soon enticed by almost every aspect – from the hospitable crew to the regimented itinerary
Elaborating further on the dynamics of the residents, Peter explained that there were parties ‘every day’
The millionaires’ playground, which spans 644 feet and boasts 12-desks, is usually shrouded in secrecy but Peter has since shared what really goes on behind closed doors
He explained: ‘The dramas and stories and subplots didn’t all happen overnight – some took months or even years.
‘As residents, we salaciously sat and watched them brewing. A lot of people on the ship were entranced by the gossip.
‘The ship was powered more by rumors than diesel fuel.’
Elaborating further on the dynamics of the residents, Peter explained that there were parties ‘every day.’
‘Here you have a small group of very successful, entitled people floating around in a steel basin in the middle of the ocean,’ he said.
‘When you are at sea for six or seven days people just go from bar to bar, and what could possibly go wrong?
‘Did you have people getting smashed? Of course. Did you have people diving into the pool fully dressed? Yes. Did they stay fully dressed? Not always.
‘Did you have people doing drugs? Of course you did. Any time you have a group of people, you’re going to have that stuff.’
Peter added: ‘A lot of the stuff I’ve seen on The World is somewhat analogous to a fraternity house.’
He not only drew parallels to the antics of college students but also identified comparisons with HBO’s dark comedy The White Lotus.
The satirical drama follows a star-studded cast – including Jennifer Coolidge – as their affluent characters embarked on sun-soaked vacations marred with affairs, hedonism and sinister secrets.
‘To be clear, people on the ship were not murdering each other… it wasn’t that bad.
‘But you had entitled owners screaming at staff when they couldn’t get their way and you had guests come on who were inappropriate, barely dressed and grinding against each other on the pool deck.’
Peter shared: ‘A lot of the stuff I’ve seen on The World is somewhat analogous to a fraternity house’
Residents are reportedly allowed to make renovations and decorated according to their personal tastes
He said there were also incidents of heated arguments, punches being thrown and affairs that went on for ‘months or years’ – even between residents and crew.
Asked about how rule breakers were dealt with, Peter explained: ‘You can’t really throw people off right away when they are paying $5 million to buy on and they are paying $500,000 a year in maintenance fees.
‘But there were protocols for dealing with them.’
Peter, who kept a journal during his time on board, has since written three novels about a fictional ship – with titles including Billionaire’s Paradise, Scandal at Sea: Billionaire’s In The Deep and Tides of Betrayal.
He maintains that his books were merely inspired by true events – but said he was initially shunned by other residents after they found out about his projects.
The author, who described himself as a provocateur, said: ‘People know that I’m not afraid to say things.’
‘When I was writing the books everybody was very concerned, saying “I can’t believe you’re going to write this,” they ignored me, they wouldn’t talk to me and I was isolated.
‘Then the book came out and it was all fiction and they all came up to me and said “why am I not in your book?”‘
A spokesperson for The World told DailyMail.com: ‘We had earlier been in touch with Mr. Antonucci, who has assured us in writing that his works are unrelated to The World or its residents, and that his publications are fictional works of art about a fictional ship.
‘We wish him well in his creative works of fiction, which we understand have no relation to The World or any of its residents.’
Peter moved off the ship in 2019, adding: ‘I left because of two things. One, I had been on for enough years that I had seen the world a few times. Two, I personally was sick of the gossip and the rumors and the cattiness’
HBO ‘s dark comedy The White Lotus (pictured) follows a star-studded cast – including Jennifer Coolidge – as their affluent characters embarked on sun-soaked vacations marred with affairs, hedonism and sinister secrets
There are 165 luxury residences on board The World, which travels to over 100 destinations per year as part of an itinerary planned two to three years in advance, ranging from stylish studios to three-bedroom apartments.
The cost is between $2 million and $15 million, excluding the annual ownership fees, but only a handful are resold each year, according to Business Insider.
Residents are reportedly allowed to make renovations and decorated according to their personal tastes.
Most passengers on board are said to have an individual net worth of at least $10 million.
Peter told DailyMail.com that the demographic was ‘very international,’ adding: ‘It slants towards almost exclusively retirees – more than 80 per cent.
‘One of the things about the ship that is impressive, most of the residents are self-made.
‘They’re not trust fund babies but that’s a good thing and a bad thing.’
He continued: ‘It’s a good thing because they understand what it is like to build a corporation and develop something.
‘But it can be a bad thing because they’ve never been told no and when they have an idea they just go with it.’
Peter moved off the ship in 2019, adding: ‘I left because of two things.
‘One, I had been on for enough years that I had seen the world a few times. Two, I personally was sick of the gossip and the rumors and the cattiness.’
He now splits his time between Connecticut and Palm Beach, Florida.
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