The Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises operator announced its partnership with SpaceX for onboard internet access.
Royal Caribbean Cruises is equipping its cruise ships with onboard internet access powered by SpaceX's Starlink satellite network, the company said on Tuesday. The Miami, Florida based cruise company said that the partnership seeks to improve the internet experience while out on sea.
The Verge reported that Royal Caribbean cruise ships already sampled SpaceX's Starlink internet service over the summer and are now ready to launch it on September 5 with a ship called "Celebrity Beyond." The cruise company said they are looking to fully deploy the Starlink internet service across its fleet by the first quarter of 2023.
What to Expect from Royal Caribbean's Partnership with SpaceX's Starlink
In a press release, Royal Caribbean CEO Jason Liberty said that the partnership between the company and SpaceX would provide "game-changing internet connectivity" while onboard their fleet of cruise ships. Liberty remarked that with the Starlink internet service, passengers and crew would be able to stream videos and make video calls.
SpaceX's vice president of Starlink Commercial Sales Jonathan Hofeller added that the addition of their internet service on Royal Caribbean cruise ships will make the experience "even more luxurious," CNBC reported. Unlike traditional internet services that are delivered via underwater cables in the ocean, SpaceX's Starlink delivers high-speed internet through an interconnected internet network of 2,700 satellites that had been launched into low Earth orbit.
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SpaceX Expands Its Starlink Internet Service to Many Clients Globally
Earlier this year, just two days after Russia launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine, SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk took to Twitter to announce that the internet service would be active in Ukraine and that the company would add more terminals, enabling Ukrainian forces and hospitals to remain online. According to POLITICO, Ukraine's aerial reconnaissance force used SpaceX's Starlink to connect to drones that targeted Russian tanks, command centers, and other military vehicles.
Proving its efficiency in high-risk locations such as Ukraine, SpaceX's Starlink also caught the attention of the US Air Force, which earlier this month confirmed that they have signed a contract for internet service in Europe and Africa to support American operations there, Insider reported. More recently, Starlink also teamed up with T-Mobile to "end mobile dead zones."
Earlier this summer, SpaceX also launched a boat-focused internet service called Starlink Maritime, which currently provides internet services to coastal areas in North and South America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The company hopes to cover most of the oceans by the first quarter of 2023.
Aside from adding Starlink internet service to Royal Caribbean cruise ships, SpaceX is also teaming up with Hawaiian Airlines and charter carrier JSX for in-flight Wi-Fi. Those who remain on the ground can also enjoy SpaceX's Starlink internet service for their version designed specifically for RVs.
The Starlink internet service for RVs comes with a monthly price tag of $135 and has been given the seal of approval by some content creators who live on the road, like YouTubers Melanny Rendon and Evan Hendricks, who said it was a "game changer" for them to have access to unlimited high-speed internet despite camping in remote places, Interesting Engineering reported.
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