These 5 major cruise liners say Elon Musk's Starlink internet will roll out on their ships this year for guest WiFi

Cruise liners like Royal Caribbean are installing Elon Musk's satellite internet, Starlink, on ships.

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• Five big cruise liners are installing Elon Musk's satellite internet, Starlink, on their ships.
• Guests on Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises are expected to have Starlink access this year.
• SpaceX offers Starlink Maritime, an internet service for boats that costs $5,000 a month.

Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet, is available for homes, businesses, RVs, and boats. Five cruise liners have begun offering their guests more reliable WiFi while at sea.

(Photo by Hannibal Hanschke-Pool/Getty Images)

Starlink Maritime costs $5,000 per month, plus a one-time $5,000 fee for the kit, and offers 350 Mbps download. The service was launched in July last year.

A SpaceX Starlink internet terminal in Odesa, Ukraine, March 15, 2022.

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Source: Starlink

Carnival Corporation in January announced it had agreed to install Starlink across its global fleet.

Carnival cruise ship.

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Carnival said in a statement it began rolling out Starlink on Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises ships in December last year. The company wants to expand Starlink to its other brands, including Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, and Seabourn, it added.

The company said Starlink would provide faster and more reliable internet on its ships. 

"Starlink makes it as easy as possible for our guests to share all their great moments and memories, giving them even more joy out of their cruise vacation," Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation, said in the statement.

Royal Caribbean said in August that Starlink would be available across its fleet of Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International ships.

Royal Caribbean International

In its August statement, Royal Caribbean Group said all ships were expected to have Starlink by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

"This technology will provide game-changing internet connectivity onboard our ships, enhancing the cruise experience for guests and crew alike," Royal Caribbean Group CEO and president Jason Liberty said in the statement. "It will improve and enable more high-bandwidth activities like video streaming as well as activities like video calls."

Royal Caribbean said it performed a trial on one of its ships, Freedom of the Seas, and said Starlink performed well enough to adopt the internet service across its entire fleet.

American Cruise Lines announced in January last year that it'll add Starlink to its fleet of riverboats and small cruise ships in 2023.

American Cruise Lines

American Cruise Lines said in its press release that Starlink would be free for guests on all cruises in 2023. The internet service would offer connectivity and faster upload speeds in almost every place where American Cruise Lines sails, it added.

The company said it tested out Starlink in 2022 and guests who used the service responded with "rave reviews."

 

 

American Queen Voyages recently said it was upgrading its fleet of seven ships to Starlink internet.

American Queen Voyages

Three of American Queen Voyages' vessels already offer Starlink so guests can use the satellite service. The company plans to test out Starlink and install it on all ships before they take to the seas in 2023.

Cindy D'Aoust, president of American Queen Voyages, said in the statement that Starlink would make the experience onboard for guests and crew better as they can "enjoy the comforts of at-home Wi-Fi at sea."

Meanwhile, Starlink will help crew members communicate easily with family back home.

Windstar Cruises is also jumping on the Starlink bandwagon.

Windstar Cruises

The Florida-headquartered cruise line announced in February it was planning to provide Starlink across most of its ships by mid-2023. 

Windstar, which operates six vessels, said one of its ships called Star Legend will have Starlink in spring this year. After this, the company wants to install the service on four other ships.

"When the ships are inside the service area, faster speeds will alleviate much of the frustration felt at peak use times," Gregg Wagner, Windstar's technology director, said in the news release.

Musk said Starlink Maritime terminals were "important for maintaining the connection in choppy seas and heavy storms."

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