With Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia just weeks away vacant hotel rooms are disappearing fast, but there is another cheap option, complete with waterfront view.
The most decorated battleship in US naval history is being re-commissioned as a floating hotel for the Papal visit.
The ‘New Jersey’ a 58,000 ton battleship, which is now a floating museum on the Camden waterfront, will open its doors to overnight guests at $75 for a bunk below deck.
The price includes breakfast and dinner.
"We thought it was a great opportunity for us to share this amazing ship with a lot of visitors coming from out of the area and, of course, rooms are something of a premium," Jack Willard of the Battleship New Jersey.
"We are going to serve guests just like the sailors used to get their meals, from the chow line but we’ll have a little better fare for everybody," Willard added.
Up to 400 bunks will be made available during the week of the Pope’s visit in September, although space is at a premium, Willard says.
"We’re not talking the Four Seasons here. The sleeping quarters are cramped; there’s about 20 inches between each bunk but it’s an economical way to stay during the Pope’s visit and quite an adventure. Literally, you’ll sleep in the world’s greatest battleship."
A mass will be performed on the deck on the Sunday by a chaplain who served on the ship in the 1980s.
