The Aquatic Life

The luxury units range from two to five bedrooms and span the ship's 15 decks.

The Magellan is 60% larger than any other residential cruise ship, which means more room for amenities like six restaurants, an observatory staffed with a Russian astronomer, a retractable marina and nightly Broadway-style entertainment.

Or, "let's say we're at the coast of France and [someone] wants to go have lunch at the Eiffel Tower," says James. Two helicopters from the ship's all-weather heliport can easily take residents on and off the ship, which docks at each port for one to three days.

There simply is no competition for Residential Cruise Lines, which is owned by prominent Arizona real estate developer Randall B. Jackson.

And for those of you who think the international hype sounds eerily similar to the Titanic, think again. Iceberg-detecting ability has advanced quite a bit in the past century, and the ship can pretty much outrun any storm, assures James.

Calmer Waters

Waterstudio.NL, started four-and-a-half years ago, is the only architectural firm in The Netherlands completely focused on water. Since one-third of this country is reclaimed land, this firm has the right idea.

"We [are getting] some financial results back from water," says Koen Olthuis, architect for Waterstudio.NL.

The Netherlands' history is steeped in water. The houseboat trend started 80 years ago, when retired cargo ship operators docked their concrete ships and converted them to permanent residences along Holland's canals, says Olthuis.

Today the Dutch live in houseboats primarily for the view and their structural uniqueness.

"In Holland we have a lot of water and the cities are very dense," says Olthuis, who notes that houseboats have gone from a solution for low-cost living to an upscale residential option for the rich, some of whom have ordered privately designed houses or live in floating apartments.

Take, for example, the Watervilla Aalsmeer, a moored luxury condo with a streamlined design. The living room was carefully shaped by a sculptor to look like an elongated piece of rock, and the house includes an under-the-waterline lounge and 20-seat cinema.

More then the view, though, is the convenience of water living. France, which has a lot of flood zones, welcomes Waterstudio's floating and semifloating abodes.

	The Floating Tower
	Photo: Waterstudio.NL

The company has projects worldwide, such as Dubai's floating cruise terminal project, which the company will present this month. Once completed, it will be the first floating harbor in the world where three Queen Mary cruise ships can enter at the same time.

"Technically, anything is possible," says Olthuis, who mentioned one of their most impressive buildings still being designed, a 300-foot tall floating hotel tower which turns one degree every minute. The floating houses and apartments, which look the same as their landlubber brethren, only differ in foundation.

American companies have called about technical solutions for New Orleans and other projects, but no formal housing requests have been made in the U.S. yet.

Whether it be for convenience or to satisfy a lifelong water craving, taking up residence on the great blue is sure to be an addictive experience. You might never want to set foot on dry land again.

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