Celebrity Cruises' newest ship Celebrity Beyond, is set to become the first vessel in the fleet to offer passengers access to Elon Musk's Starlink Internet at sea. The new technology was introduced as a way to give travelers in remote locations better access to the internet, making them ideal for industries such as cruises and air travel. Now, three months after the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the use of the technology, it will make its way to the open ocean.
A subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group, Celebrity's New After Celebrity Ship may be the first to use it officially, but it won't be the last, as the technology is expected to be installed across the company's fleet. Here's a look at Royal Caribbean Group's decision to start using Starlink across its fleet, plus more information about what Starlink is and what cruise passengers can expect from it.
Starlink on Celebrity - Information for passengers
As those who have been on a cruise will attest, internet speeds can be much slower than most passengers at the best of times, with speeds rarely in the double digits. This can lead to frustration and stress - two words that should never be associated with cruising. However, the days of horrendous delays and slow connections may be over, following Royal Caribbean Group's announcement that it will introduce Starlink to its fleet in a press release this week.
Starlink will be installed on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea cruise ships, along with all new ships for each brand, according to a press release. By providing Internet access via an array of highly advanced satellites located in low Earth orbit, Starlink should be a game changer for cruises, allowing guests to perform high-bandwidth tasks such as video streaming and calling the cruise ship as an option – and can do remote work.
Following this announcement, the first ship to install Starlink technology will be Celebrity's newest ship, Beyond Celebrity. Starlink will be in good time for its five-night voyage to the Western Caribbean this November and a nine-night voyage to Aruba, Curaçao and the Cayman Islands in December. The ship can accommodate 3,260 passengers and has a variety of Caribbean sailing itineraries from Fort Lauderdale, Florida ready to book on its website.
The adoption of the technology at Royal Caribbean Group comes after a successful trial period earlier this year. Starlink was tested on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, and a press release stated that Royal Caribbean "received positive feedback from guests and crew." Following the upcoming installation of Starlink, Royal Caribbean expects the technology to be on board all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea cruise ships by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
