{"id":417496,"date":"2026-07-30T03:05:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T03:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/417496\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T03:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T03:05:25","slug":"high-seas-higher-standards-the-world-residences-at-sea-san-francisco-bay-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/417496\/","title":{"rendered":"High Seas, Higher Standards: The World Residences at Sea – San Francisco Bay Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

By David Landis, The Gay Gourmet\u2014<\/p>\n

Hasn\u2019t everyone thought of travelling the world, and especially in luxury\u2014even better, at sea?<\/p>\n

Lately, the luxury market for oceanic cruises is booming. Brands like The Ritz-Carlton and the Four Seasons have their own specialty luxury lines.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s The World Residences at Sea, which truly is in a class all its own.<\/p>\n

The World describes itself as \u201cthe planet\u2019s largest private residential yacht,\u201d but it\u2019s not a typical cruise ship. The vessel has 165 owner studio- to 3-bedroom apartments (plus a multi-bedroom penthouse), but there are 200 or fewer residents on the boat at any time. Owners not only own the ship, but also get to decide where in the world it will cruise.<\/p>\n

Luxury, of course, doesn\u2019t come cheap. The World requires approximately $10 million in assets (and two references) to be considered for ownership. Apartments are priced around $3 million up to $15 million; HOA dues begin around $200k per year and are up to $1 million per year. But what you get for that outlay is beyond every lavish expectation. Even better, you become part of The World\u2019s own community, which one staffer described aptly as a \u201cnomadic tribe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"A meal served on The World Residences at Sea<\/p>\n

The Gay Gourmet was lucky enough recently to tour\u2014and dine\u2014aboard The World when it was anchored in San Francisco. It\u2019s a wow!<\/p>\n

The affable Residential Director Eddie Wong lives on the boat, and was my well-informed personal guide. He took me from bow to stern and port to starboard, pointing out the many first-class attributes aboard The World.<\/p>\n

When you enter, you feel like you\u2019re at a 5-star hotel, with soaring ceilings and a community room that hosts performances often geared to the locale that The World is visiting. While in San Francisco, members of the San Francisco Gay Men\u2019s Chorus performed and apparently were a big hit!<\/p>\n

You want to feel pampered? You\u2019ve come to the right place. With 300 staff, that ratio of service personnel to guests is 1.5. You never feel like anyone is hovering, but, whatever you need, they\u2019re always there to help.<\/p>\n

The residences range from 290-square-foot studios to 3,242-square-foot, multi-bedroom apartments. All are beautifully appointed, with renovated kitchens and baths, ample storage, expansive living spaces, and outdoor decks to boot.<\/p>\n

\"\"David Landis and The World Executive Chef Lionel Catherin
Photos by David Landis<\/p>\n

The World boasts 6 restaurants (4 fine dining and 2 casual), two swimming pools (one indoor, one outdoor), a golf simulator, a full-service spa featuring a plethora of wellness experts, an intimate bar\/lounge, a library, a sports bar, informative lectures at the yacht\u2019s own theatre, a grocery store with fresh produce and local products, and more. Plus, The World tailors bespoke service to each individual\u2019s taste.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

While onboard, I met several residents and that included some LGBTQ+ folks. All were incredibly welcoming and warm. That made me understand how hospitable the community is that thrives there. You could feel the sense of belonging that the residents share.<\/p>\n

\"\"Mastro\u2019s San Francisco Terrace<\/p>\n

Of course, the Gay Gourmet wanted to know about dining options. The Executive Chef aboard The World is Lionel Catherin. He oversees the culinary operations across the ship\u2019s multiple venues, including the fine dining Art Deco restaurant Portraits (which includes a staggering more than 15,000 bottles in its wine cellar), and the contemporary steakhouse Marina. Other dining options include casual dining at Fredy\u2019s Deli & Cafe, East(Pan Asian), and the pool grill. We opted to dine at the Tides, which is a Mediterranean-style restaurant with both indoor and outdoor dining. My lunch companion was an amiable resident who has lived on The World for a couple of years. She explained to me that everything is homemade, a feat when you\u2019re out at sea. That includes the baked goods\u2014a breadbasket and breadsticks worthy of Tartine status\u2014which started our meal. Our lunch was a perfect grilled shrimp salad with a tahini dressing that didn\u2019t overpower the seafood, along with a clean and crisp glass of chablis. When I asked for Louie dressing to accompany my salad, the response was, \u201cOf course!\u201d<\/p>\n

My lunch pal also explained that she loves to cook onboard for her family, and any ingredient she needs is delivered to her within about a day. I\u2019m not even sure how that\u2019s possible, but that\u2019s The World for you!<\/p>\n

In short, and in the words of my favorite Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim, Take Me to The World.<\/p>\n

Bits and Bites<\/p>\n

Thanks to my colleague Ashley Hamik, I recently revisited one of my favorite steakhouses here in the city, Mastro\u2019s. I first visited this restaurant at their Beverly Hills outpost, where we dined next to basketball icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (and his Mom!). It\u2019s a mainstay for me: Even though it\u2019s part of a chain, it feels individual and service is tailored to a luxe level of expectation.<\/p>\n

Located on Geary Street in Union Square, Mastro\u2019s is a great pre- or post-theatre offering. It\u2019s a fashionable place where people actually still dress up to dine out, and creates an eclectic and electric scene. Executive Chef Brendy Monsada oversees the sprawling multilevel operation with culinary finesse. One of my favorite pluses is that Mastro\u2019s does martinis correctly. They are shaken at the table, with a heavy pour, and the remaining cocktail is left in its shaker for a welcome second pour! We sampled the Summer of Luxury menu (available through September 24), which included a theatre-worthy dry ice presentation of a superb shrimp cocktail; assorted breads with homemade black truffle and lemon calabrese butters; a yummy 6-ounce petit filet, cooked to a divine medium rare (why is it that steakhouses sometimes haven\u2019t perfect this art?); one of the best creamed spinaches in town; and the signature warm butter cake, which melts in your mouth (but is probably suitable for a family of four to share!). Everything was delicious, and served with expertise and flair. An added bonus? Mastro\u2019s offers live entertainment every night. In short, put Mastro\u2019s at the top of your steakhouse list, especially when visiting the Square and its environs.<\/p>\n

Good news! Castro mainstay Orphan Andy\u2019s has a new owner. As reported in the previous issue of the San Francisco Bay Times, his name is Michael Goodrich, and he is the General Manager of Bun Mee. He will keep the restaurant\u2019s \u201cgood vibes,\u201d along with its time-tested and popular diner format. The American caf\u00e9 will continue to serve from morning until the wee hours. Especially with the reopening of The Castro Theatre, our neighborhood needs more late-night eateries. And, who doesn\u2019t crave Orphan Andy\u2019s stuffed French toast at any time of the day or night?<\/p>\n

Speaking of which, I recently wandered into Parasol at Caf\u00e9 Flore, the newish restaurant and bar at the former Caf\u00e9 Flore space. Yours truly had the pleasure there of sharing a late-night drink with Oasis owner and former drag laureate D\u2019Arcy Drollinger. The space is bright and airy, boasting a modern design inside, and a gorgeous people-watching patio outside. It\u2019s a buzzy place, where you can \u201csee and be seen.\u201d Even better, they serve until midnight on weekends.<\/p>\n

PIER 39 is getting a bit of the Castro later this year with the upcoming opening of\u00a0 LGBTQ+-owned HOT COOKIE. The best cookies in the Castro will have their own dedicated space at the pier, expanding the enterprise\u2019s storefront locations to four. As part of the retail entertainment complex\u2019s strategy, PIER 39 is \u201cshowcasing locally-owned businesses and creating experiences that reflect the unique character of San Francisco.\u201d Scott Gentner, President and CEO, comments that \u201cour goal (at PIER 39) is to attract high-quality offerings that capture the quintessential San Francisco experience. For locals and tourists looking for a sweet treat, we couldn\u2019t think of a better combination of fun, flavor, and vibe.\u201d HOT COOKIE co-owner and Chief Cookie Provocateur Ryan Jones explains, \u201cAs San Francisco\u2019s premier tourist destination, PIER 39 presents an ideal opportunity to bring HOT COOKIE\u2019s unique flavor to a much broader audience.\u201d And, by the way, who doesn\u2019t love their freshly-baked oatmeal raisin cookies anytime of the day or night? Needless to say, PIER 39 isn\u2019t just for tourists anymore.<\/p>\n

The World Residences at Sea: https:\/\/aboardtheworld.com\/<\/a>
Mastro\u2019s: https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/mry7drsu<\/a>
Orphan Andy\u2019s: https:\/\/orphanandys.site\/<\/a>
Parasol at Caf\u00e9 Flore: https:\/\/www.parasolsf.com\/<\/a>
Hot Cookie: https:\/\/hotcookie.com\/<\/a>
PIER 39: https:\/\/www.pier39.com\/<\/a>
Oasis: https:\/\/www.sfoasis.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

David Landis, aka \u201cThe Gay Gourmet,\u201d is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a retired PR maven. You can email him at davidlandissf@gmail.com<\/a> Or visit him online at: https:\/\/gaygourmetsf.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The Gay Gourmet
Published on July 30, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By David Landis, The Gay Gourmet\u2014 Hasn\u2019t everyone thought of travelling the world, and especially in luxury\u2014even better,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417497,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-417496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}