A CRUISE ship will dock in Newport in the run up to the UEFA Champions League Final in Cardiff.

Meanwhile hotels in the region are close to capacity, if not completely booked, with just under 100 days to go until the event on Saturday, June 3.

One hotel in Monmouthshire has been entirely booked up by a single company involved with the event.

The MS Magellan, sailing for Cruise & Maritime Voyages, will be present in the docks on the weekend of the event.

Some of the ship’s functions are set to be used in connection with the final before setting sail on Sunday, June 4.

According to Booking.com, Newport is 100 per cent reserved between Friday, June 2 and Sunday, June 4.

The entirety of the Celtic Manor Resort has been hired out ahead of the event, along with the nearby Travelodge and Holiday Inn at The Coldra.

Magor has two hotels along the M4, the Hampton by Hilton and the Days Inn hotel at the Road Chef services, and both have been fully booked.

Further along the A48 in Chepstow, the St. Pierre Marriott Hotel & Country Club is also fully booked on the day.

Wales will be the smallest country, and Cardiff the smallest city, to have hosted the event in recent history.

Around 200,000 people are expected to attend the UEFA Champions Festival fanzone on the week of the final.

The match, which will be played at the National Stadium of Wales, is set to be beamed out to 200 countries worldwide.

Speaking yesterday, First Minister Carwyn Jones said: “To host the world’s biggest annual sporting event is a huge honour and I look forward to welcoming people from all over the world to Wales in 100 days’ time.

“Wales has a proven track record for successfully staging major events and I am confident we will once again rise to the challenge and provide a fantastically memorable experience to the thousands of football fans who will visit our capital city.”