Carnival Cruise Wraps Up Fleetwide Install of Starlink Internet

Carnival Corporation (CCL), which owns nine cruise line brands, has completed the fleetwide rollout of Starlink, equipping over 90 ships with more reliable connectivity and higher internet speeds.

The parent company, Carnival Corporation, began installing Starlink in vessels in December 2022. After implementing the technology in Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises, it has made its way to the ships of Carnival’s other brands, including Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises UK, P&O Cruises Australia, Costa Cruises, Seabourn, and Cunard.

Previously, online access on ships was notoriously slow. Internet connections at home were faster. But with SpaceX’s satellite internet, Carnival boasts that the upgrade “rivals on-land connectivity experiences.” It mentioned that guests can now use it for bandwidth-hungry tasks like working remotely, sharing pictures and videos, scrolling through social media, and streaming. 

In addition to elevating the guest experience, crew members can use Starlink to enhance the fleet’s operations. 

“Starlink has been a game-changer for the onboard connectivity experience our cruise lines deliver to their guests, and we’ve already seen a surge in guest satisfaction and positive feedback from the super-fast and reliable Wi-Fi service we provide onboard,” shared Carnival Corporation CEO Josh Weinstein.

We can attest to the high upload speeds of 25 megabytes per second (MBps) and over 100 MBps onboard download speeds on a recent sailing of Holland America Line’s ms Koningsdam.

Will the Prices of Onboard Internet Change?

Starlink Maritime offers lower initial and long-term costs for cruise operators. Installing it on ships costs around $10,000, while the monthly subscription is about $5,000 (depending on bandwidth usage). Meanwhile, conventional internet had cruise lines paying up to $150,000 a month. 

Carnival Cruise Line, which has more vessels than its sister companies, raised Wi-Fi prices by up to 20% last December. While the new technology is faster, it hasn’t become cheaper, at least where Carnival is concerned.

Based on recent estimates, Starlink has become available on over 200 cruise ships.