Next stop Rio! Versatile ship serves as floating hotel for Rio Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Norwegian Getaway (145,655 GRT) sailed from Miami July 24, 2016 to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, non-stop, on the first leg of a 40-night private charter brokered by ship charter specialists Landry & Kling. This “floating hotel” will sail right into the heart of the Olympic city, providing 2,000 additional guest rooms, and convenient hospitality venues in a prime location during the summer Olympic Games.

The ship will be berthed at the Pier Maua in Rio from August 4 – 22, to provide supplemental housing primarily for corporate sponsors, as well as members of the International Olympic Federation and the National Organizing Committees.

The “Floating Hotel Getaway” offers diverse dining options and nightly entertainment with a Miami vibe, all under one roof. Corporate sponsors, event officials and others staying onboard will also find it easy to attend the business meetings and hospitality functions organized by Landry & Kling in coordination with Norwegian Cruise Line.

The core planning team for this massive project included key representatives from the Rio 2016 Committee, Landry & Kling Events at Sea, and Norwegian Cruise Line. Prior to the ship’s Miami departure, they met on board with the master of the vessel and his senior officers for a final review of all plans for the 40-night charter which required 2 repositioning voyages to/from the dockside program in Rio, and many years of planning.

“Finally, the day has come,” exclaimed an exuberant Joyce Landry, CEO, Landry & Kling. “We’ve been involved with this massive project since 2007, when Rio’s bid committee asked us to help obtain cruise lines’ letters of support for the charter concept. Later, we developed a detailed RFP to source the ship, kept the complex contract negotiations moving, and served as Rio’s liaison with Norwegian throughout the planning process. We’re excited to finally implement our plans aboard ship in Rio, during this historic event!”

This 40-day charter of the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Getaway is Landry & Kling’s largest single ship charter in the company’s history of ground-breaking dockside charters which began in Boston with a 15-day charter of Cunard’s QE2 for DECworld ‘87 (Digital Equipment Corp). The company also masterminded the five-ship charter project for Jacksonville Super Bowl 2005, World Cup Cricket in the West Indies 2007, Summit of the Americas 2009 in Trinidad, and many others. Landry & Kling holds the record for dockside cruise ship charters for global events.