Cruise Ship Serving as Floating Hotel for 4,000 Athletes

One of Costa Cruises’ ships is being used as a floating hotel for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games. Costa Serena will host 4,000 athletes and officials at the Kinjo Pier, Port of Nagoya.

The cruise ship arrived in Nagoya, Japan on September 15, 2026, and is being transformed from a vacation ship to a vessel to help athletes as they compete over the next couple of weeks. The ship will remain docked at the port through October 6, 2026.

Dining hours on the ship will revolve around training and competition schedules. Menus are also being changed to meet the nutritional requirements of athletes. This includes dietary needs and athletes having access to meals at the right time.

The ship’s fitness areas were expanded and re-equipped specifically for the games, with additional dedicated training zones created on board so that delegations can maintain their preparation routines without leaving the vessel.

Pools, thermal areas and quiet zones were repurposed as recovery space, and cabins were configured to protect rest between sessions.

Dedicated shuttles will take athletes from the ship to competition venues to help cut travel time and allow for more training and rest.

Cabins on the cruise ship are allocated by sport and not national delegation. A total of 18 disciplines, including judo and gymnastics, will be together on board.

A multilingual guest service desk will be available on Costa Serena 24 hours a day.

Francesco Muglia, chief commercial officer and senior vice president of Costa Cruises, gave the following statement:

“Costa knows how to do this. Across our fleet we look after thousands of people every single day of the year. The difference here is who we are looking after. An athlete competing tomorrow morning needs the right meal at the right hour, a place to train, a way to recover and a quiet cabin. That is what we built, and we would be delighted to show it to anyone who wants to come and see it.”

Francesco Raffa, Asia region director for Costa Cruises, added,

“Costa Serena is the first cruise ship used as a floating hotel for a major event in Japan, and this project demonstrates the flexibility and value a cruise ship can bring to large-scale events. By combining accommodation, dining, training, recovery and social spaces in one integrated facility, a cruise ship provides substantial temporary capacity without the need for new permanent construction, while creating a distinctive experience for thousands of participants. We are proud to contribute to this model and to be part of an event that can inspire new approaches to hosting major international events.”