VANCOUVER, B.C. - The company that planned to use a cruise ship as a floating hotel during the Vancouver Winter Olympics is scuttling the plan, leaving hundreds of people - including some terminally ill kids - high and dry less than two weeks before the Games begin.
Edmonton-based Newwest Special Projects said in a news release Tuesday evening that slow sales and higher than anticipated expenses forced the company to drop plans to moor the Norwegian Star in Vancouver harbour.
"We sincerely apologize to the guests who have booked with us for this inconvenience," the company said in a news release.
Newwest said it would be issuing refunds to those who'd booked rooms on the ship and help find people other accommodations.
No one answered the company's telephone Tuesday evening, nor was anyone available at Newwest's U.S. media relations firm.
The move is a blow to the families of 13 terminally ill children who'd been provided rooms on the ship through Make-A-Wish Canada.
Executive Director Ross Hetherington said he's found rooms for two of the families but needs more help.
"I guess we're looking for leads in case there's any corporate or businesses out there that have rooms, any hotels that perhaps have a spare room, they can host a Wish family," he told Vancouver radio station CKNW.
"We've tapped all our resources. People are trying (but) this was a curve ball for us."
Newwest began cutting prices last fall for its Olympic packages, which also offered a pre-Olympic cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver that was supposed to start on Saturday.
Prices on Newwest's website, which was still displaying an ad for the floating hotel Tuesday night, ranged from US$275 to US$575 a night.
The company did not say in its release how many people the cancellation had inconvenienced but said 1,108 staterooms had been available aboard the Norwegian Cruise Lines ship.
"Suffice it to say I think it's several hundred," said Walt Judas, a vice-president of Tourism Vancouver.
Before Newwest confirmed its decision, travel agencies selling the cruise ship packages reported they were cancelling bookings.
"We've heard rumours all week but we just got the official word this evening," said Judas.
"It's disappointing to be sure but our main concern is that we find accommodation for the guests that have booked on the cruise ship, and that's what we're endeavouring to do now."
Judas said he was confident rooms would be found for those who lost their berths aboard the Norwegian Star.
"I don't think it reflects badly on the city provided we can find alternate accommodation for all those folks that were booked," he said.
"So that's the goal now, is to be able to help those folks that were affected by this and ensure that they still can attend the Games and enjoy themselves while they're here."