Some people book a vacation because they want to check out from reality. A cruise makes that easy because your communication options are limited. If you don't buy a WiFi package, your phone will only work when the ship is in port, and even then you may be limited depending upon your carrier.
Some cruisers love that. They want an excuse to shut out the world and tell their boss, family, and friends that they're not available.
Many passengers, however, can't simply disconnect and put their phones away for the length of their trip. In most cases, there's either something at home (maybe work, maybe family, or perhaps a combination of the two) that requires having an internet connection while at sea. And, of course, some people simply like being able to watch videos, play online games, or do all the things people regularly do with their smartphones.
Cruise lines, of course, sell internet packages, but even at relatively high prices (roughly $15-20 per day, per device), connectivity has never been all that good. That's something that Royal Caribbean (RCL) has been fixing by adding Elon Musk's Starlink internet to every ship in its fleet.
That's a work in progress as only a few ships actually have the service, but now it appears that Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) has a plan to improve its onboard internet.
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Norwegian May Be Adding Starlink Internet
Royal Caribbean plans to add Starlink to all of its ships. The company actually had to petition the U.S. governernment to allow it to test the service because it was previously not allowed to be used on a moving vehicle. Now,. the government has changed the rules and Musk's internet service could be added, in theory, by any cruise line.
Reddit user u/Asleep_Operation2790 shared some information on the first signs that Norwegian is going to do the same, CruiseHive reported.
"On a Norwegian Breakaway cruise and spotted 11 Starlink dishes. Eight here on the top sundeck and three more behind me. It’s not active yet, that I can see, as speeds are slow, IP address doesn’t show Starlink, and latency is still 600+ ms. But at least the dishes are installed, which means a launch is imminent,” the Reddit user shared.
Cruise Line Internet Is Generally Bad
Royal Caribbean calls its Voom service, "the fastest Internet at sea." The company shares a flowery description of it on its website.
"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."
That sounds like, but it's a bit like saying "our gas station has the best sushi of any gas station" or "I'm the best dressed person at the dump." It's very relative.
Starlink changes that and, while speeds will vary based on location and how each ship implements the technology, it has been a major improvement on the Royal Caribbean ships that have rolled out the technology. If this becomes the standard for cruise ship internet, it makes it easier for people who opt to work onboard or those who want to stream a movie or live television while cruising.
