You Can Actually Book Tickets For The "Floating Olympic Village"
Some athletes have cardboard beds. Others are staying on a luxe cruise ship.
While most of the 2024 Summer Olympic athletes make their way to Paris, France for the Games, surfers have a completely different destination: Tahiti. Instead of staying in the traditional Olympic Village with cardboard beds, these water-bound athletes get to call a cruise ship their new home away from home — and it already looks like a whole mood.
Saffi Vette, a surfer from New Zealand, shared on TikTok exactly what it’s like living on the first-ever “floating Olympic Village.” With the German team playing music from their balcony, she said, “Vibes are high here.”
They may be far away from the rest of the Summer Games, but you won’t see the surfing athletes complaining about their Olympic experience. In fact, Tim Elter from Germany shared that those on the cruise ship get their own spacious cabins with non-cardboard beds. A *huge* win.
Why Are Some Athletes NOT In Paris?
The reason why surfing is taking place in French Polynesia versus the French capital is because the waves in Tahiti’s Teahupo’o village are iconic and provide the perfect setting — unlike anything you’d find in the Seine.
You may even want to book your own trip to Tahiti after watching the Olympics. If so, you can stay in the same cruise ship as the athletes — but it’s going to cost you.
The Cabins On The Olympic Floating Village Are $$$
The Tahitian Olympic Village is actually the Aranui 5, a luxury cruise ship with destinations like the Marquesas and Austral Islands. After the games, the ship will go back to being a passenger vessel for those with wanderlust and vacation days.
The first sailing on the schedule is for Aug. 17; the 11-night cruise will depart from Tahiti and travel to places like Fakarava, ‘Ua Huka, and Bora Bora. A standard cabin for one to two adults is $6,393 per person, but you can save a bit by booking one of the dormitory-style rooms. One of the beds in this eight-room cabin is $4,138 a person, or about $376 a night.
If you feel like *really* splurging, the Presidential Suite for up to three people on the Aranui 5 is $12,692 per person with three rooms, two bathrooms, and a private balcony. Every guest on the ship also gets to enjoy the onboard amenities like three meals a day, an outdoor swimming pool, spa, gym, and tattoo studio.
I think our athlete village in Tahiti is better than the actual one in Paris.
TikTokers got a tour of what some of these spaces look like during Kanoa Igarashi’s TikTok of boarding the ship. The Japanese surfer said, “I think our athlete village in Tahiti is better than the actual one in Paris.”
