Some people in social media groups always get arrogant when someone asks them about internet connectivity. They usually make a comment about how they put their phone in the safe as soon as they get on board.
“It’s a vacation, I’m going to disconnect, people are too married to their devices,” or something similar is said that doesn’t answer the question. The reality is that just a few years ago taking a cruise forced people to disconnect.
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The internet on board was poor and it was difficult to send an email or text, let alone make video calls or work. Since the return of cruises due to the covid pandemic, when both Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) – Get a free report and rival Royal Caribbean added Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet to its ships, that has changed.
Starlink is not the same as the high-speed ground service offered on land, but it is functional and allows people to work and use their phones the same way they do on land. That has changed cruising in the sense that people who couldn’t completely disconnect for work or personal reasons can now cruise comfortably.
You may prefer to scroll through TikTok or YouTube over reading a book, or you may need to attend some video conferences during your cruise. That is now possible if you pay for an onboard Internet package.
Those packages allow passengers to connect their phones via WiFi. A new offering from Carnival, which it plans to roll out fleet-wide, will give passengers another option.
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Image source: Carnival
Carnival Cruise Line adds 5G service
Cruise lines generally push their onboard WiFi service, because it is a great source of income for them. Several phone providers offer wireless packages at sea that allow customers to pay an additional fee to use their phones.
That only works on certain ships that have the correct technology.
Carnival Cruise Line, however, plans to expand its customers’ internet options by partnering with Wireless Maritime Service (WMS) to bring 5G mobile connectivity to its ships. This will advance with the cruise line’s upcoming Carnival Jublilee and the technology will eventually be rolled out to the entire fleet.
“The continuous improvements we are implementing on all of our ships, like SpaceX’s Starlink satellite Internet service, make it much easier for guests to share their memorable cruise experiences with friends and family,” said Carnival Vice President, Luis Terife, in a press release.
To access the service, which will be available on some ships starting in 2024, guests will need to purchase a plan from their wireless service provider. Not all wireless service providers offer plans that work at sea.
Royal Caribbean and Carnival connect more
The addition of Starlink to their fleets has greatly improved connectivity for both Royal Caribbean and Carnival. The new system, however, slows down on sailing days, when more passengers are on board using their WiFi packages.
Offering improved phone connectivity should give Carnival a way to push some of its customers to use the new system, which could lighten the load on its Starlink satellites. Internet on any cruise ship is still dependent on the ships having a clear path to the satellites.
And while Musk’s technology has greatly improved the experience, the internet connection on the ship still fails and often works better in some parts of the ship than others.
“Our multi-vendor, multi-orbit strategy minimizes single-vendor supply chain limitations and improves overall connectivity in support of our operations and enhanced experience for our guests and team members,” said Vice President of Global Infrastructure of Carnival, John Harshaw.
Carnival’s main rival, Royal Caribbean, also works with cellular networks, but does not offer 5G connections.
“Royal Caribbean works with cellular networks to provide the ability to connect your device via ‘cellular at sea’. These roaming rates for using your device are determined by your cellular provider. Before sailing, it is recommended that you contact your cell phone provider for more information about these rates and special packages available,” the company shared on its website.
Not putting your phone on “Airplane Mode” while on board any cruise line can run up a large unexpected bill when you arrive on land, unless you purchase one of these “cell phone at sea” packages. Even then, you may want to turn that feature on and off to avoid going over package limits and facing additional charges. .
