The latest trend of buying residences at sea extends beyond avid cruisers. In fact, there are many people who don’t particularly like vacation cruise ships who are drawn to this forward-thinking concept due to the ease of traveling the world with everything taken care of. Itineraries, navigation, maintenance, housekeeping, provisioning, cooking, cleaning and staffing are all provided for, making it easy for residents on a ship to travel the world in a convenient and unique way.
Feeling at home, comfortable, and able to do things we want to do when we want to do them is the ultimate experience we all seek when traveling around the world, but there are some methods of travel that don’t deliver on those ideals and it has led many people to inquire about the best possible way to travel the world.
Some people say world cruises are the easiest method for global travel since you only have to unpack once, itineraries are already planned and chores are nonexistent. However, there are plenty of global travelers who don't love the idea of big cruise ships with rushed port visits, flashy entertainment and crowds. They are looking for more culturally immersive experiences and they want to travel around the world in sustainable luxury. 
Their issue with cruising derives not from the mode of transportation itself, but from the actual goings-on. Here are some of the criticisms non-cruisers have about the large commercial cruise liners:
- Crowds and queues
- Set dining times
- Less-than-stellar entertainment
- Hidden costs
- Intoxicated and misbehaved guests
- Buffets and more buffets
- Feeling rushed to see the destinations with only hours in ports of call
- The impression that everything is about separating you from your money
- The general lack of sophistication and culture
Interestingly, Storylines, one of the newest and most exciting entries in the ‘condo at sea’ market, is attracting its fair share of non-cruisers into the fold. So why are so many people who don't love cruising buying private residences on the ship? They say it's due to:
- Not living out of a suitcase (unpack once)
- Not dealing with jet lag
- Not having to lug all that luggage around to each new destination
- Always having the familiar comforts of home
- Having friends around
- Modern conveniences
- No language barriers
- Healthy lifestyle
- Not having to cook or clean
- Time to discover the destinations
- Freedom to disembark for land trips then meet up with the ship at a future port of call
- Not having to deal with all the logistics involved with flights, hotels, itineraries, etc.
They also say that Storylines has addressed all the issues that come along with the large cruise liners. Here's what future resident Mark had to say:
“I'm not a big fan of cruise ships but I bought a condo on a ship. The high turnover of thousands of guests can be problematic as we all know now, but that won't be the case on MV Narrative. Also, it is built for residential life, not vacationing. I prefer high quality organic and local food over vast quantities of buffet food and the Narrative has addressed that as well. I've traveled a lot of different ways including RVing, home stays, flights/hotels, and this is by far the most convenient way to travel the world that I have found."
Another Storylines resident, Cynthia, says, “We are not cruisers. The ship will be our home. It will be filled with residents who share our love of travel and exploration. It will be a city on water. We also like that it’s an all-inclusive life; most things are covered in the monthly fees. There will be medical care on board. There will be families, singles, retirees – all ages on board to make it a true community.”
That's what the Storylines lifestyle is all about and that's why it's attracting so many 'non-cruisers'. It's about living amongst a community of like-minded explorers and traveling around the world from the comfort of home.