Olympics cruise ship hotel canceled

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Poor sales led organizers to cancel using a cruise ship as a floating hotel during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver this month, media reports said.

Newwest Special Projects of Edmonton, Alberta, canceled chartering the 1,100-room Norwegian Star cruise ship Tuesday, leaving as many as 1,000 people without accommodations, The (Vancouver) Province reported Wednesday.

The ship was due to leave Los Angeles this week to dock and prepare for a charter during the Games, which run Feb. 12-28, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

Initial prices for cabins were $1,300 a night, and with slow sales were reduced to $500 and then fell further to $275 including three meals a day, The Province said.

The cancellation also leaves 11 terminally ill children without lodging. They and their families were part of a Make-a-Wish Foundation trip for children from Canada, Australia and the United States, the reports said.