Another extreme.

Cruise ships have become communities of a kind, and some of them are more than just floating hotels. The World of ResidenSea, for example, launched in March 2002, is a luxury ship that's a resort community as well as a permanent residence for those who can afford the multi-million dollar price tag. The ship offers several restaurants, a gym and spa, two heated swimming pools, sailboats, water-skiing, wind surfing, ocean kayaking, and a golf course and casino. The World includes 110 apartment condos for up to 285 residents and 88 rental guest suites for apartment owners' guests. The ship, which has a capacity of 1,090 passengers, has a continuous round the world itinerary and offers extended stays at many of the destinations.

According to the ship's website, residents and prospective buyers are successful entrepreneurs and an affluent mix of well-travelled individuals from North America (40 percent), Europe (40 percent), Australia, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The luxurious Queen Mary II was launched in 2004. The largest cruise liner in the world, the QM2 carries 2,600 passengers, paying between $2,900 and $37,000 to cross the Atlantic. The ship is as long as four football fields, has a ballroom, planetarium, 14 restaurants, a 1,000-seat theatre, and 24 massage parlours.

Another new vessel (Freedom Ship) is on the drawing board. It will have 18,000 residential units, plus 2,400 timeshare units, 10,000 hotel units, 3,000 commercial units, and plenty of restaurants, banks, and casinos. lake The World, Freedom Ship will continuously circle the globe, and it will include a multimillion-dollar hospital practising Western and Eastern medicine, schools, a library, a 1,158-metre landing strip for private planes and small commercial aircraft, as well as a marina for residents' yachts, a large shopping mall, a golf driving range, bicycle paths, and more than 100 acres for outdoor recreation.

FACT FILE

The (U.S.) Clear Cruise Ships Act of 2004 requires the cruise industry to establish uniform pollution treatment standards which would be enforced by the country's Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency.