The Olympics are going cruising! The Norwegian Jade cruise ship will serve as a floating hotel for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Russian officials said that they want to have seven ships docked in the Black Sea to offer more accommodations for the thousands of people that expected to travel there for the XXII Winter Olympics from Feb. 5-23, 2014. The 2,402-passenger Norwegian Jade will be one of them, USA Today reports.
The ship typically cruises around Europe throughout the year, but for the duration of the Olympic Games, the ship will be chartered in Russia. Due to this, the passengers who were booked on cruises between Jan. 29 and March 1, 2014 will be bumped off the trips. Those who had trips booked are being offered $50 to $100 in onboard credit on alternative cruises as compensation.
According to The Associated Press, another ship that has been booked for the Olympics is owned by Costa Cruises. It is not clear which ship it is. The ship is said to have 12 decks and 726 cabins.
The ships that are being used for the Winter Games will be located at two ports in the Black Sea.
"Four of the liners will be docked in the Cruise Harbour of the Bolshoi Sochi Port, and three more at the Sochi Imeretinsky Port. The ships will have three to five star ratings. Some of them, including cruise liners Princess Maria and Princess Anastasia, are currently serving the international St Petersburg - Helsinki - Tallinn - Stockholm route," General Director of Svoi TT Sergei Voitovich said according to Russia Behind the Headlines.
This isn't the first time cruise ships have been used as accommodations for the Olympics. They were also used the the games in Sydney, Athens and London.
The cruise ships are being chartered by TUI Travel, Europe's largest tour company, for the Sochi games.
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