Post #33 Starlink on Ships; Spring ’24

Date

26.03.24

I am not an internet tech. nor I.T. trained. I like the ocean; have been a passenger on ~ 35 ocean cruises. I am not a travel agent. I keep reasonably informed (I believe). You may wish to follow along my thoughts, ideas I share here after my own research; partly my own personal opinions & conclusions. Your own thinking & conclusions are also necessary. Hopefully I can save you some time by sending some of your thoughts in helpful directions & towards useful questions.

Many people now consider high-speed WiFi connectivity a want or even a high priority when ocean cruising. & Not just when docked but also when out at sea. Starlink service on ships makes this all a good/better possibility. Here is some Spring ’24 update on which of the (my idea of) mainstream cruise lines serving North America have Starlink. Mainstream: I am noting some (4 star & 5 star) relatively inexpensive cruise lines/ships. Plus: other cruisers’ recent comments on how well it’s performing, e.g. speed tests.

Princess Cruises: Approaches satellite access differently. Their ships are said to have the only cruise industry WiFi network that combines GEO, MEO, & LEO/Starlink satellites with 5G land networks “to deliver a strong connection regardless of .. location”.

Lines said to have Starlink on all ships: Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Cunard, Holland America, & Royal Caribbean.

Lines still rolling it out to all ships: MSC Cruises (~2/3 of ships now have), & Norwegian Cruise Line (at least 7 ships now have).

And: “Disney Cruise Line does not currently use Starlink WiFi.”

Some additional factors affecting internet service/speed/reliability: Possible speed throttling by the ship, cruise ship’s capacity (how many passengers on ship are using internet), global positioning (area being cruised), & costs/challenges of outfitting a cruise ship with ship wide connectivity. Also: severe weather, intense (rain/snow) storms can be detrimental to a strong signal. & Reminder: you *might* get a strong internet signal inside your sleeping cabin… or try roaming the ship a bit e.g. signals are often stronger in main public areas (like the atrium).

If it’s one of your important goals to experience Starlink Maritime service speeds during your cruise, then before booking on a ship I strongly suggest that you should double check (ask the cruise line directly and/or ask them via your cruise booking agent) your specific questions. E.g.: whether your intended ship has Starlink service, & whether it is functioning well on that ship & on your intended itinerary route.

Other cruisers’ recent comments about WiFi on board, as seen on internet:

– Internet speed tests on different cruise lines scored “most consistently in 3-5 Mbps range”, & ranged up to “60 Mbps speed”.
– Since introduction of Starlink services: “speeds do seem to be trending upward”.
– VPNs “don’t always work” on board & there may be some content filtering (e.g. blocking of “adult themes” websites).
– Unless cruising on NCL (& with a top-tier premium package) “you should just assume you can’t access with a VPN”.
– Many cruise lines offer different levels of Internet under various names, e.g. “Social, Basic, Premium” service levels.
– Many cruise lines have intenet prices that vary based on level of service, & may charge in the $20-$30/day range (for one device). Though some cruise lines have periodic promotions, when internet might be “included” (= no extra charge).
– “Caribbean, Bahamas, Mediterranean” itineraries: some of the fasted speeds; “passengers sailing in the Caribbean have reported speeds as high as 50 to 100 Mbps”.
– Alaska itineraries have tended to slower internet connections. Though some said: now with “Starlink … WiFi speeds on Celebrity Cruises [can be] exceptionally fast”, as they “could stream Netflix, Amazon Prime, & Disney Plus from [their] balcony in Alaska”.

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