Telling you someone is worth $16 billion might not mean much, as it’s just another big number. But if I tell you that Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie, with her nearly $16 billion fortune, could spend $1 million a day and still take over 43 years to go through it, the scale of her wealth becomes staggering. She could buy 4,000 Beverly Hills mansions at $4 million each or even 50 megayachts like Jeff Bezos’ $500 million Koru. Yet, the 73-year-old owns just one, the $300 million Kaos, a floating palace in every sense and also the largest yacht owned by a woman.
Simply stating that Kaos is a 361-foot Oceanco-built superyacht doesn’t quite do it justice. But when placed beside one of the world’s largest cruise ships, it still manages to impress, which is truly shocking.
A viral video recently captured this mind-boggling contrast. A woman spotted Kaos moored next to the Carnival Celebration, a 183,521 GT cruise ship with a 6,500-passenger capacity, in the Virgin Islands. What left her, and the internet, stunned was that Kaos, a private yacht for one billionaire and her family, didn’t look tiny beside the massive cruise ship built for thousands and even houses the world’s first roller coaster at sea, Bolt.
It was an eye-opener for sure, as, upon witnessing the stark reality of wealth in real life, the only reaction she had was, “I’m so disgusted.” She clarified that while Kaos may not appear enormous in the video, it was far from a small vessel. Refueling takes an entire week and costs an astronomical $300,000. What truly unsettled her was that Kaos towered over every other yacht docked nearby, dwarfing even the floating mansions of other ultra-wealthy individuals.
The most luxurious accommodation on the cruise is the Carnival Excel Presidential Suite, offering a spacious living area, a separate bedroom, a walk-in closet, a dining area with a wet bar, and an expansive wraparound balcony featuring a private hot tub and ample seating that typically costs around $3,700 per person for a week-long Caribbean sailing. In comparison, the weekly maintenance cost of Kaos is approximately $577,000. Let’s explore the wonders of Kaos in more detail below.
A yacht fit for royalty
Unsurprisingly, Kaos has a pedigree like no other. It was originally commissioned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, the former Emir of Qatar, and was first named Jubilee. Designed by Sam Sorgiovanni, it was crafted with extravagant details fit for a monarch, featuring Crystal Caviar inlays, silk carpets, Iranian white onyx, and Golden Spider stone.
Even after a year-long refit in 2019 at Lürssen to suit Walton’s preferences, with Reymond Langton Design revitalizing its interiors, the yacht retained much of its original regal essence. The four-deck masterpiece draws inspiration from Casablanca, fusing Arabian and European influences across its grand common areas and 31 guest cabins.
Beyond its sheer size, Kaos boasts an owner’s deck, a massive swimming pool, a beach club with an aquarium, a helipad, a 12-person cinema, a hammam, a massage parlor, a gym, and an extravagant addition, “The London Bar,” complete with smoke machines, a DJ booth, and a water wall chandelier.
Everything money can buy, Walton has aboard Kaos. Yet, she hasn’t overlooked her crew. The yacht includes a dedicated gym for them and even a small hospital for at-sea medical emergencies.
It’s a floating fortress of wealth, so grand that only one of the world’s largest cruise ships could make it seem small. The woman’s reaction, “I’m so disgusted,” wasn’t just about the sheer size of Kaos but what it represented, an almost unimaginable concentration of wealth. While thousands of vacationers crammed onto a cruise ship, Walton and her family floated in unparalleled luxury aboard a vessel built for royalty.
