Costa Serena is one of the official accommodation venues for the 20th Asian Games. The cruise ship is berthed at Kinjo Pier in the Port of Nagoya, where it is hosting around 4,000 athletes and team officials representing 43 nationalities during the event.
The ship docked in Nagoya on September 15. For the project, Costa Cruises worked with JTB Nagoya and AINAGOC, the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games Organizing Committee, to transform Costa Serena into temporary accommodation designed around the specific needs of athletes. The central question was simple: what does an athlete need in the hours between two competitions?
That principle has shaped the ship throughout. Dining hours have been adjusted to training and competition schedules rather than the usual cruise timetable, while menus have been developed around the nutritional needs of athletes from different sporting disciplines. A range of dietary requirements is also accommodated, ensuring that athletes competing at different times of the day have access to the right meals at the right time.
The onboard fitness facilities have also been expanded and re-equipped for the project. Additional dedicated training areas have been created, allowing delegations to maintain their preparation routines without having to leave the ship.
A fully staffed Medical Centre is operating onboard in direct coordination with the Games’ medical services. This gives delegations immediate access to medical care and a clear referral pathway into the official medical network supporting the Asian Games.
Recovery is another important part of the setup. The ship’s pools, thermal areas and quiet spaces have been repurposed as places for athletes to relax and recover, while the cabins have been configured with their need for uninterrupted rest between training sessions and competitions in mind.
Kinjo Pier is located close to the cluster of competition venues in the port area, allowing athletes to leave the ship and board dedicated shuttle services directly. Transfers from Chubu Centrair and onward connections to the competition venues were also planned together with the Organizing Committee, helping to reduce travel time that would otherwise take away from training and recovery. A multilingual guest service desk operates around the clock.
Cabins are assigned according to sport rather than national delegation. Athletes and team officials from 18 disciplines, including judo and gymnastics, are accommodated onboard.
“Costa knows how to do this,” said Francesco Muglia, Chief Commercial Officer and Senior Vice President of Costa Cruises. “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 time, 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 of Costa Cruises, describes Costa Serena as the first cruise ship to be used as a floating hotel in Japan for a major event. He says the project demonstrates the flexibility and value a cruise ship can bring to large-scale events.
By combining accommodation, dining, training facilities, recovery areas and social spaces in one integrated location, a cruise ship can provide substantial temporary capacity without the need for new permanent infrastructure, while offering a distinctive environment for thousands of participants. Costa Cruises sees the project as an example of how cruise ships could support new approaches to hosting major international events.
Costa Serena will remain berthed at Kinjo Pier in Nagoya until October 6, 2026.
Pictures Costa Cruises
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