Royal Caribbean is the first cruise liner to request Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet onboard its ships

[Hamartia Antidote]

first planes.....now cruiseships...gotta love it.

Royal Caribbean is the first cruise liner to request Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet onboard its ships

Royal Caribbean urged the FCC to quickly approve SpaceX's application to operate Starlink on ships, trucks, airplanes, and other moving vehicles.

www.businessinsider.com

Royal Caribbean is looking to offer Elon Musk's Starlink internet onboard its cruises.

SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet could soon be available for passengers onboard Royal Caribbean cruises.

In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday, first reported by PC Magazine, Royal Caribbean Group said it wanted to be able to offer Starlink on its fleet of cruise ships.

"We believe we have identified a true next-generation solution for our vessels," John Maya, vice president of operational excellence, said in the letter to the FCC, per PC Mag.

It's the first cruise liner to file a request with the FCC about offering Starlink internet on its ships. Carriers, including Hawaiian Airlines and exclusive jet firm JSX, have inked deals with Elon Musk's company to offer passengers in-flight Wi-Fi.

Despite the deals, the FCC hasn't yet approved Starlink for use on moving vehicles.

Royal Caribbean urged the FCC in the filing to quickly approve SpaceX's application to operate Starlink on ships, trucks, planes, and other modes of transport.

"We believe our work with SpaceX, the first of its kind in the cruise industry will set the standard for other cruise operators and will mean a leap in terms of guest experience and business operations while at sea," Maya wrote in the letter.

Royal Caribbean says it has a total of 24 ships but it's not clear from the FCC filing how many vessels will have Starlink to start with.

SpaceX launched a Starlink service option in May designed for RV owners and costing $135 a month, but the company's website said Starlink should not be used while in motion. Musk tweeted: "Starlink does work on vehicles in motion, including planes, but not yet reliably."

Royal Caribbean, SpaceX, and the FCC didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of normal working hours.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

​

I tried Elon Musk's Starlink internet on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship

I went on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas to put the SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet to the test.

www.royalcaribbeanblog.com

I tried Elon Musk's Starlink internet on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship​

Once we started the speed test, it showed that we were connected to SpaceX Starlink, meaning that the Starlink trial onboard Freedom was still active.

It was instantly clear that this internet service was above and beyond what Voom typically offered.

The Surf package showed a download speed of 9.01 Mbps and upload speed of 20.34 Mbps. The Surf & Stream gave a download speed of 77.03 Mbps and upload speed of 15.72 Mbps.

On both devices, we tried watching YouTube videos and Netflix shows to see how they would work. Both packages allowed us to instantly start watching the videos, with no lag or buffering time.

Shortly after these tests, John moved to the Star Lounge to take a Zoom call using the Surf & Stream service. The zoom call connected easily, and there was no buffering or freezing for his video and audio.

The next morning we docked in Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal’s private island in the Bahamas. We were excited to test the speeds while on the island, which includes wifi access if you purchased a package on the ship.

To our surprise, the service remained strong even on the south side of the island, with Surf showing download speeds of 19.93 Mbps and upload speeds of 8.19 Mbps, while Surf & Stream showed download speeds of 52.50 Mbps and upload speeds of 10.10 Mbps.

Later that day while sailing between CocoCay and Nassau, we tried using Facetime on each package to see how the video and audio quality would be. We were happy to see that both were crystal clear on each end.

Overall, Starlink has blown my cruising Wi-Fi expectations out of the water.

While we did notice that the service slowed in our interior room, we were still able to stream shows and use the internet much faster than the typical Voom packages we’ve experienced in the past.

We were particularly impressed with the Surf package, which to our surprise allowed us to stream almost as well as the Surf & Stream package. That may or may not remain a feature if Starlink gets approved for general use on cruise ships.

While many people continue to work remotely, if adopted permanently Starlink will be a great solution for working from a cruise, or just stay connected while out at sea.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Royal Caribbean to equip its cruise ships with Starlink

Today Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines announced it will be adding Starlink to its whole fleet, after a pilot service on one of its ships got rave reviews.

techcrunch.com

Royal Caribbean will equip all its cruise ships with Starlink internet​

After SpaceX announced its Starlink Maritime service last month, it was only a matter of time before some household name in boat world went all-in on the satellite service. Sure enough, today Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines announced it will be adding the service to its whole fleet, after a pilot service on one of its ships got rave reviews.

It should come as no surprise that commercial marine endeavors like this one are embracing Starlink. The test deployment aboard the Freedom of the Seas “received tremendous positive feedback,” and if you’ve ever been on one of these boats, you can probably guess why. Current satellite at sea options aren’t great: expensive and slow, having enjoyed a market with little competition or innovation for the last couple decades.

Starlink Maritime will be a real kick in the pants for existing providers, considering how quickly a huge customer like Royal Caribbean decided to buy in to the new satellite on the block. Even though its coverage is limited to coastal waters for now, the speed is way better and will probably pay for itself with onboard “premium Wi-Fi” charges in the first month.


The service costs the company roughly $5,000 monthly and has at least a $10,000 upfront hardware fee for the special terminals you’ll need to use it. That’s a rounding error in the rolling costs of running vessels as large as modern cruise ships. (An image provided by Celebrity Cruises suggests additional dishes will be used — I’ve asked for more information.)

How many is too many? Starlink dishes in a line on a Celebrity Cruises ship.


Although the Starlink constellation doesn’t yet work mid-ocean (such as on container ships), the plan is to provide that capability in the northern hemisphere by the end of the year and the southern hemisphere in early 2023. Central and South America, all of Indonesia and Malaysia, and the southern half of Africa aren’t on the coverage map, though, which feels like leaving money on the table.

The dishes will be added to all vessels in the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises fleets, in case you’re planning a trip. No specific dates yet, but the company says they should have the service on all ships by the end of Q1 2023.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Huge Royal Caribbean Move Puts Carnival, Norwegian on Notice - TheStreet

The cruise line has a solution for a major passenger pain point and its biggest rivals have to follow.

www.thestreet.com

Huge Royal Caribbean Move Puts Carnival, Norwegian on Notice​

The cruise line has a solution for a major passenger pain point and its biggest rivals have to follow.

Being on vacation used to mean disconnecting from the world. Back in the 1980s into the 90s, that happened because travelers had very limited options when it came to keeping in touch. Domestic phone calls came with a hefty fee and international calling was even more price prohibitive.

In those days, texting wasn't a thing, social media hadn't been created yet, and the idea of taking a photo on your cellphone -- if you even had one of those -- didn't really exist yet. Now, however, expectations have changed. Everyone has a smartphone and, at least in the United States, connectivity issues are relatively rare, and many phone plans work around the world (albeit with an extra charge).

Some people, of course, may still choose to disconnect while on vacation, but many want to take pictures, share them on social media, or via text, while also keeping in touch with people back home. And, in this new "work anywhere" environment many people find themselves in, some of us mix vacation and travel -- something which requires decent internet connectivity.

That has created a conundrum for people who cruise. Internet service on Royal Caribbean International (RCL) , Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) , and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) range from passable to completely unusable. It's a frustrating situation because some passengers simply like having connectivity while others actually need it for work, parenting, or other reasons.

With its deal to put Elon Musk's Starlink on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises ships, the cruise line has set a new standard Norwegian and Carnival must find a way to follow.

Royal Caribbean Makes Connectivity Table Stakes​

On the three major cruise lines, passengers generally pay for internet connectivity unless there's a promotion or loyalty program benefit where they get it for free. When you pay for something that creates an expectation that it will work, which is often not the case.

Royal Caribbean describes its internet as follows:

Royal Caribbean VOOM, the fastest internet at sea, is now available on every Royal Caribbean ship. With six times faster onboard WiFi speed than you’ll find on any other cruise ships in the world, the internet connectivity is unlike anything you’re ever experienced on a cruise ship.

The reality is that those things may all be possible, but they're not the norm. Ship internet -- and I've sailed Royal Caribbean much more than Carnival, but have been on both -- varies even on sailings where it's strong. It's impacted by the weather, the location of the ship, and how many passengers are using it.

It's possible to work on a cruise ship -- the newest Royal Caribbean ships offer the best experience -- but it's a frustrating process. And, while working on a ship may be not all that common, people wanting to use the internet that they paid for for everything from keeping in touch to social media, and streaming video is.

Here's What Royal Caribbean and Starlink Are Doing​

Royal Caribbean tested Starlink on Freedom of the Seas, which sails 3 and 4-day itineraries out of Miami. The cruise line did not share specifics as to how the test went, but social media and other anecdotal reports, some of which included speed test screenshots, suggest it will be a dramatic improvement.

Royal Caribbean CEO Jason Liberty certainly set a high bar in his comments on the deal with the Elon Musk-led company

“This technology will provide game-changing internet connectivity onboard our ships, enhancing the cruise experience for guests and crew alike. It will improve and enable more high-bandwidth activities like video streaming as well as activities like video calls," he said.

It's hard to see how Carnival -- which has been working on addressing its internet shortcomings -- and Norwegian won't lose bookings if they don't follow Royal Caribbean's lead here. That could mean making their own Starlink deal (if the Royal Caribbean agreement does not include some form of exclusivity) or finding another option.

Travelers expect reliable internet and put up with cruise lines not offering it when it seemed like it wasn't a service they could reliably provide. Once Royal Caribbean establishes that decent, maybe even good internet can be delivered at sea, it sets a new standard and Carnival and Norwegian will have to try to follow.

 

[Oldman1]

Huge Royal Caribbean Move Puts Carnival, Norwegian on Notice - TheStreet

The cruise line has a solution for a major passenger pain point and its biggest rivals have to follow.

www.thestreet.com

Huge Royal Caribbean Move Puts Carnival, Norwegian on Notice​

The cruise line has a solution for a major passenger pain point and its biggest rivals have to follow.

Being on vacation used to mean disconnecting from the world. Back in the 1980s into the 90s, that happened because travelers had very limited options when it came to keeping in touch. Domestic phone calls came with a hefty fee and international calling was even more price prohibitive.

In those days, texting wasn't a thing, social media hadn't been created yet, and the idea of taking a photo on your cellphone -- if you even had one of those -- didn't really exist yet. Now, however, expectations have changed. Everyone has a smartphone and, at least in the United States, connectivity issues are relatively rare, and many phone plans work around the world (albeit with an extra charge).

Some people, of course, may still choose to disconnect while on vacation, but many want to take pictures, share them on social media, or via text, while also keeping in touch with people back home. And, in this new "work anywhere" environment many people find themselves in, some of us mix vacation and travel -- something which requires decent internet connectivity.

That has created a conundrum for people who cruise. Internet service on Royal Caribbean International (RCL) , Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) , and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) range from passable to completely unusable. It's a frustrating situation because some passengers simply like having connectivity while others actually need it for work, parenting, or other reasons.

With its deal to put Elon Musk's Starlink on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises ships, the cruise line has set a new standard Norwegian and Carnival must find a way to follow.

Royal Caribbean Makes Connectivity Table Stakes​

On the three major cruise lines, passengers generally pay for internet connectivity unless there's a promotion or loyalty program benefit where they get it for free. When you pay for something that creates an expectation that it will work, which is often not the case.

Royal Caribbean describes its internet as follows:



The reality is that those things may all be possible, but they're not the norm. Ship internet -- and I've sailed Royal Caribbean much more than Carnival, but have been on both -- varies even on sailings where it's strong. It's impacted by the weather, the location of the ship, and how many passengers are using it.

It's possible to work on a cruise ship -- the newest Royal Caribbean ships offer the best experience -- but it's a frustrating process. And, while working on a ship may be not all that common, people wanting to use the internet that they paid for for everything from keeping in touch to social media, and streaming video is.

Here's What Royal Caribbean and Starlink Are Doing​

Royal Caribbean tested Starlink on Freedom of the Seas, which sails 3 and 4-day itineraries out of Miami. The cruise line did not share specifics as to how the test went, but social media and other anecdotal reports, some of which included speed test screenshots, suggest it will be a dramatic improvement.

Royal Caribbean CEO Jason Liberty certainly set a high bar in his comments on the deal with the Elon Musk-led company

“This technology will provide game-changing internet connectivity onboard our ships, enhancing the cruise experience for guests and crew alike. It will improve and enable more high-bandwidth activities like video streaming as well as activities like video calls," he said.

It's hard to see how Carnival -- which has been working on addressing its internet shortcomings -- and Norwegian won't lose bookings if they don't follow Royal Caribbean's lead here. That could mean making their own Starlink deal (if the Royal Caribbean agreement does not include some form of exclusivity) or finding another option.

Travelers expect reliable internet and put up with cruise lines not offering it when it seemed like it wasn't a service they could reliably provide. Once Royal Caribbean establishes that decent, maybe even good internet can be delivered at sea, it sets a new standard and Carnival and Norwegian will have to try to follow.

Ships, planes, cars and maybe even phones.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Spotted: Starlink being installed across multiple Royal Caribbean cruise ships

Royal Caribbean has not divulged when its new Starlink internet service will become available, but it's clear work is underway on a number of ships to...

www.royalcaribbeanblog.com

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Royal Caribbean updates: Starlink on more ships, construction photos & more

Ready to catch up on all of this week's Royal Caribbean news? Between all the major headlines, Royal Caribbean is busy with a variety of changes and the...

www.royalcaribbeanblog.com

It looks like two more Royal Caribbean cruise ships have gotten their onboard wifi upgraded to Starlink.

Based on reader reports, Starlink appears to be working on Liberty of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas.

 

[BHAN85]

And what will be the price for cruise customers?

I remember one decade ago, I watched internet prices aboard cruises and it was around 25 USD one day or something like that, something very expensive.

(I lived next to cruise lines stop and my plan was to offer paid wifi to them)

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

https://www.thestreet.com/travel/royal-caribbean-has-mostly-solved-a-huge-passenger-problem

I Used Royal Caribbean's Starlink Internet (And Here's What I Think)​

As someone who works a lot on cruise ships, I put Royal Caribbean's new internet to the test.

Back in the 1980's and through most of the 90's, going on vacation meant mostly disconnecting from work and home. If parents left their kids with a babysitter, they might make a quick call home, but long-distance rates were a thing and cell phones weren't.

That has, of course, changed dramatically with the internet and smartphone era. People are always in touch and it's actually pretty much expected. Your office may not require you to work on nights or weekends, but answering a question during your off hours that helps someone work is pretty much something many employers expect.

And, for families, the ubiquity of smartphones has changed all expectations. Kids no longer leave a note on the fridge talking about where they are, they text. And, of course, location tracking makes knowing where your family is possible in a way it simply wasn't not that many years ago.

Now, the expectation of being in touch always has spread to vacations. That's easy for land-based destinations as most tourist spots have solid internet. It's harder, however on a cruise ship where connectivity has been both expensive and fairly terrible.

Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) - Get Free Report has mostly solved that by adding Elon Musk's Starlink internet to its ships. That's a move Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) - Get Free Report plans to follow and the early verdict says it's going to work.

Starlink Internet on Royal Caribbean Works Well​

As someone with a remote job who works on cruise ships fairly often, decent internet literally makes my life easier. Previously, my experience has been that Royal Caribbean has serviceable internet on its bigger ships that was prone to dropping out, while MSC and Carnival offer internet that barely works.

On a Royal Caribbean ship (or on sister brand Celebrity) I could write, surf the internet, and make phone calls. The internet was never all that reliable and doing something like adding a photo to a story was sometimes impossible. On sea days, it was worse, and there were times I had to wait until late night if I needed to watch a video.

Starlink, which I'm using on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas right now, has mostly solved these problems. Since boarding the ship. I've been able to work as if I was in a Starbucks on land. The connection is notably slower than what I have at home and videos can lag, but performing normal work tasks is easy and I have not had my connection drop out at any point.

Download speeds are better than upload speeds which suggests that video meetings would be easy to watch, but that turning off my camera might be a good idea. These speeds have also been pretty consistent no matter where I am on the ship. That's very different from the old setup, where some rooms had poor connections and I often had to hunt down "hot spots."

Royal Caribbean Has Made No Internet Claims​

The cruise line has been very quiet about the rollout of Starlink. In fact, there's nothing onboard that suggests we have the new internet. You can tell, however, in two ways. First, the speed test I ran shows that my connection is through Musk's internet service.

Second, on ships that offer Starlink, Royal Caribbean only sells what used to be the higher-end "Surf & Stream" internet package rather than offering a lower-bandwidth "Surf" package." The cruise line also still uses its Voom brand and its "Fastest Internet at Sea" tagline, which may have been true, but was relative.

Now, ships with Starlink offer reasonable quality internet at prices that mirror what you paid for the old Zoom. For those of us who work at our regular jobs while cruising, the change is fairly amazing, but it should also benefit people looking to share pictures and videos of their cruise with people back home.

And, while some people are horrified at this notion because they believe you should unplug while at sea, streaming was decent and a viable experience if you want to Netflix and Chill instead of reading a book. Starlink has its limitations but it's a massive improvement that should make it easier for people to work, keep in touch with those on land, and enjoy their cruise in the way they see fit.