Starlink will deploy its satellite Internet on Royal Caribbean cruise ships

Royal Caribbean will equip its ships with Starlink antennas. Will there be a real Internet service on cruise ships soon? This can allow the company to stand out.

Cruise giant Royal Caribbean has announced that it will equip its fleet of cruise ships with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband internet service. The antennas are conceived and designed to provide “the best onboard experience for guests and crew members across the fleet.”They will be installed on Royal Caribbean International, Silversea Cruises and Celebrity Cruises ships.

Royal Caribbean will equip its ships with Starlink antennas

A few months ago, SpaceX introduced Starlink Maritime for boats at $5,000 per month on top of a $10,000 hardware investment. By comparison, Starlink home equipment costs just $599 with a $110/month subscription for 50-250 Mbps – Starlink also offers a $500/month premium service with speeds up to 500 Mbps. The maritime service will offer up to 350 Mbps.

Will there be a real Internet service on cruise ships soon?

The company tested its service earlier this year with packages dubbed “Voom Surf”and “Voom Surf & Stream,”according to the Royal Caribbean blog. This seems to indicate that this service will most certainly be offered as a paid option, rather than provided as is often the case on cruise ships. Testers were able to observe decent upload and download speeds – and explained that they were able to watch YouTube and Netflix “without lag or untimely buffering.”

However, these speeds may change when the service is fully launched, depending on its popularity and the number of Starlink antennas Royal Caribbean uses on each of its ships. Depending on the boat, the company can take on board from a few hundred to 7,000 passengers.

It can allow a company to stand out

The cruise industry has been in serious trouble since the end of the pandemic due to recruitment difficulties, inflation and other issues. Starlink could be a good marketing advantage for Royal Caribbean as cruise ships are notorious for poor internet service. Starlink, for its part, continues its journey into the travel industry by announcing partnerships with Hawaiian Airlines and JSC. It also recently launched the Starlink service for motorhomes and other campers.