Refugees’ cruise ship turned into floating hotel for Fringe
was once a cruise ship used as an emergency measure to host refugees fleeing war in Ukraine.
Now the MS Ambition, which was docked in Glasgow’s King George V docks for six months until March last year, is to return to Scotland as a “luxury” floating hotel for visitors to the Edinburgh Fringe.
US magazine Playbill, which has chartered the vessel, confirmedthe ship is to take anchor in Leith for a week in August. It was home to about 1,170 people from Ukraine, chartered by the Scottish Government with another cruise ship, MS Victoria, which was situated in Edinburgh.
The ship, which will be docked at Leith from August 8 to 15, costs £1,250 for seven nights in a cabin, or £179 for an overnight stay, with a suite starting at £3,550.
It features two swimming pools, as well as five restaurants and three bars. The onboard Palladium Theatre, which seats 500 people, will host a series of “larger-scale special events” exclusively for guests staying on the ship.
Accommodation is at a premium for this year’s Fringe, with visitors and actors complaining that they are unable to secure a place to stay – or are being forced to pay over the odds for a room or flat.
Earlier this month, TV star Gail Porter revealed she had pulled out of a planned run of shows due to the cost of staying in her home city during the event. Ms Porter said she had been unable to find any suitait ble accommodation in the city centre under £2,000 for a tenday run.
Critics pointed to the lack of short-term let accommodation for both spectators and performers travelling to the Fringe – and said cruise ships should not be necessary.
The new Short Term Lets licensing scheme has led to a huge reduction in the number of properties on offer for visitors. Fiona Campbell, chief executive of the Association of Scotland’s Self-caterers, said: "Edinburgh is facing an all too predictable accommodation crisis for this Festival, and perhaps beyond, unless action is taken.
“Despite the addition of a cruise ship, there’s a local solution already available – and that is to allow the remaining professional self-catering businesses to continue operating.”