A new cruise ship, ‘Celebrity Beyond’, will offer passengers Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service for the first time after months of speculation.
These new technologies are ideal for industries such as cruises and air travel that require better-quality Internet access. In three months, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will authorize the technology’s use in the open ocean.
A subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group, Celebrity’s New beyond celebrity The ship may be the first to use it officially, but it will not be the last, as the technology is expected to be installed across all of the company’s fleet. Here’s a look at Royal Caribbean Group’s decision to start using Starlink in its fleet, plus more information about what Starlink is and what passengers on the cruise can expect from it.
As those who have been on a cruise will attest, internet speeds at the best of times can be much slower than most passengers, with speeds rarely double digits. This can lead to frustration and stress – two words that should never be associated with cruise travel. However, the days of terrible latency and slow connections may be over, following the announcement by Royal Caribbean Group that Starlink is set to roll out to its fleet in a press release this week.
Starlink will be installed on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Beyond Cruises, and Silversea cruise ships, along with all new ships for each brand, the press release said. Providing Internet access through a group of highly-advanced satellites located in low Earth orbit, Starlink is set to be a gamechanger for cruises, allowing guests to perform high-bandwidth tasks such as video streaming and calling A cruise ships a possibility – and it may make remote working.
Following this announcement, the first ship to install Starlink technology will be Celebrity’s newest ship, Beyond Celebrity ahead Starlink will be well-timed for its five-night voyage to the western Caribbean this November and its 9-night sailings to Aruba, Curaçao, and the Caymans in December. The ship can hold 3260 passengers and has a variety of Caribbean-based sailing itineraries from Fort Lauderdale, Florida ready for booking on its website.
The adoption of the technology at Royal Caribbean Group comes after a successful testing period at the beginning of the year. Starlink was tested on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, and the press release stated that Royal Caribbean had “received positive feedback from guests and crew.” After the upcoming installation of Starlink ahead, Royal Caribbean expects the technology to be on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea cruise ships by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
Speaking about Starlink’s rollout, Jason Liberty, President, and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group said:
“As a company, we aim to responsibly provide our guests with the best holiday experiences ever, and this new offering, which is the largest public deployment of Starlink’s high-speed Internet to date in the travel industry, builds on that objective. This technology will provide game-changing Internet connectivity on our ships, enhancing the cruise experience for guests and crew alike. It will enable more high-bandwidth activities such as video streaming as well as activities such as video calls “Using Starlink is another example of our continued focus on innovation and excellence for our guests, our crew, the communities we visit, and our shareholders.”
The cruise industry isn’t the first to offer Starlink access to its passengers. Hawaiian Airlines revealed back in April that they would allow passengers to use the service for free on their flights, becoming the first airline to do so – though it will take until next year or beyond for passengers to be able to use it. Have to wait.