This Walmart Heiress’ $150 Million Yacht Is Outrageously Luxurious
If your last name is Walton, you’re no stranger to the finer things in life. It has become apparent the heirs to the Walmart empire have exquisite taste when it comes to boats. Nancy Walton Laurie recently listed her 270.6-foot superyacht for $98 million. Not to be outdone, her sister, Ann Walton Kroenke, invested millions into her luxurious floating mansion, the Aquila.
Only the best for the Walmart heiress
Ann Walton Kroenke is the niece of Walmart founder Sam Walton. According to Forbes, she has an estimated net worth of $9.2 billion and is married to billionaire sports mogul and real estate investor Stan Kroenke.
The wealthy couple purchased the massive yacht, built in 2010 by Derecktor and sailed under the name Cakewalk. In 2016, the British shipyard Pendennis retrofitted the ultra-luxurious yacht, giving it a multimillion-dollar makeover. According to Pendennis, the renovation took 12 months to complete and involved stripping back to the bulkheads in most areas while revitalizing all five deck levels.
Renamed the Aquila, the vessel is one of the largest yachts refitted in the United Kingdom. Pendennis explains, “The team completely updated the social spaces, modernized [the] technical systems and lighting, and restyled the boat across an area of over [8,073 feet], the scale of which was unprecedented by any of the suppliers in such a short time period.”
At the project’s height, an international team of more than 1,000 people worked on the elaborate renovation.
In 2017, the extravagant vessel received the World Superyacht Award.
A boat built with wealth in mind
According to AutoEvolution, Walton Kroenke’s newly fashioned yacht is worth $150 million. Measuring 280.9 feet, the vessel is the largest customized yacht built in the United States since 1930.
Opulence knows no bounds with a fully equipped gym, two massage rooms, and an impressive cocktail area dubbed “the London Bar.” The forward sun deck features a hot tub, and the party deck includes a DJ booth, smoke machine, AV system, and intricate light show.
The owner’s deck is off-limits to guests. It features an office, lounge, private massage room, magnificent his and her living quarters, a hair salon, and a 646-square-foot private master deck with a sitting and dining area that overlooks the bow.
Boat International explains that the megayacht has seven staterooms accommodating 14 guests and 26 crew members. The top speed is 19.56 mph) powered by two 3,306-hp MTU diesel engines.
In addition, the Aquila features a stunning 36-foot waterfall chandelier that illuminates the luxury yacht as it cascades down all four decks, ending at the lower deck as beacons of light bounce off the white marble flooring. The ship also boasts a surrounding grand staircase, but guests can use an elevator if they prefer.
You can spend a week on the Walmart heiress’ yacht for a hefty price
Burgess Yachts handles charter management of the Aquila and explains the decks are divided into sections to meet the needs of everyone on board. Each deck includes ample space for relaxing, socializing, and alfresco dining.
The interior focuses on tranquility and peace with clean lines, tasteful lighting, and soft furnishings. Guests will never be bored with an indoor cinema room that shows movies on an 85-inch screen. An incredible sea-level “beach club” offers a seemingly unlimited supply of water toys. An inflatable aquapark, water trampoline, three jet skis, five tenders, two flyboards, three stand-up paddleboards, waterskis, fishing gear, and more will keep guests entertained all day.
Burgess reports that Ann Walton Kroenke’s superyacht is available to rent in the summer for about $984,000 a week and will sail the West Mediterranean Sea. The cost to sail the Caribbean and around Central America for the winter months is $1 million.
