Carnival Corporation has begun rolling out SpaceX’s Starlink satcom service to its Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises ships, with several of its other brands set to follow, as the company plans a major upgrade to its onboard connectivity.
The deal is the latest in a series of moves that has seen Carnival nearly triple its ship bandwidth for guests and crew since 2019.
The initial roll-out of Starlink began in December 2022 with Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises, with plans in place to expand the service to brands including Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises, Costa Cruises, and Cunard in due course.
“For many of our guests, it has become more and more important to maintain the type of connectivity at sea that they’ve become accustomed to at home, and of course to share the unforgettable experiences of their cruise with friends and family,” said Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation.
“We are in the business of delivering happiness, and 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.”
“The added bandwidth will give the brands the capabilities and flexibility to introduce new guest services and features, as well as help boost operational functions like onboard equipment monitoring and real-time communications between ship and shore teams. And importantly, adding Starlink’s innovative technology to the company’s existing connectivity platform will also help our amazing crew stay in touch with friends and loved ones.”
