Taking a cruise offers passengers a chance at escape for a few days as they spend time at the pool, partake of a wide variety of foods, use exercise facilities or simply stare out across the ocean breathing the sea air.
But in a world where people are accustomed to being in constant and instant communication, the pleasure of being away has increasingly become a source of stress for many.
On land, there’s a comfort in knowing that you can be in touch with whoever you need to be, whether its relatives, your dog’s kennel, or important business connections.
But it's different when you're at sea.
Communications at Sea Have a Long History
More than 100 years ago, the newly launched Titanic offered its passengers wireless communication services. It is said that they proved so popular that important ice warnings were lost in the stacks of messages with ultimately tragic consequences.
Of course, ice isn’t a problem for the vast majority of modern cruise ships, as they tend to stick close to warm and sunny areas of the globe.
But human beings being what they are, the demand for communications services at sea has only grown over the years.
Cruise lines have responded with various attempts to provide internet services.
Notably Royal Caribbean (RCL) has offered its Voom service as the "fastest internet at sea." As TheStreet.com’s Managing Editor Daniel Kline noted earlier this year, “that may be true, but it's a bit like saying ‘this is the best middle school cafeteria pizza.’”
Royal Caribbean has been offering two packages Voom Surf, for around $18 per day (it varies by ship and by voyage), basic email checking and text messaging and Voom Surf & Stream, for around $24 per day, which promises 24-hour access to emails, internet, and messaging apps as well as video streaming, and real-time social media and video calls.
But while those offerings promise a lot, they are hit or miss depending on factors like the location of the ship and how many passengers are using the service.
Testing a New Service
Earlier this year, however, Royal Caribbean launched a test on its Freedom of the Seas ship of a new service that uses Elon Musk’s Starlink system of low-earth orbit satellites. At the time, Brandon from the Weekend Cruiser, said the service offered the promise of a six-fold increase in speeds, and virtually no dead zones.
It now appears that Royal Caribbean has completed its testing and has decided to move ahead rapidly with a full rollout of the service on all of its ships. This comes after the company won approval from the Federal Communications Commission last month to install the receivers on its ships.
In a press release Tuesday, the company said SapceX’s “broadband internet service will be installed on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises ships, along with all new vessels for each of the brands.”
The company said it plans to begin deployment immediately, “leveraging the insights obtained from the trial onboard Freedom of the Seas, which has received tremendous positive feedback from guests and crew.”
Royal Caribbean said “the installation is slated to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2023.”
In a statement, Jason Liberty, president and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean Group, said "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.” Liberty said the move is “the biggest public deployment of Starlink's high-speed internet in the travel industry so far.”
The company has yet to release any details on pricing and packages it plans to offer.
