Royal Caribbean Group has announced its plan to implement SpaceX’s Starlink, making the group the first in the cruise industry to adopt its high-speed, low-latency connectivity for a better onboard experience.

The broadband internet service, developed by SpaceX’s billionaire founder Elon Musk and his team, will be installed on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises ships, along with all new vessels for each of the brands. Starlink will come at no additional cost to guests.

Royal Caribbean Group says deployment of the Starlink technology across the fleet will begin immediately.

For Celebrity Cruises, the service is scheduled to first roll out on Celebrity’s newest ship, Celebrity Beyond, on Sept. 5, one of the first ships to get the tech upgrade over the holiday weekend. Starlink will be on all of Celebrity’s Edge Series ships by the end of 2022.

Installation fleet-wide for Royal Caribbean Group will continue into 2023 and be complete by May.

The technology’s trial onboard Freedom of the Seas has received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from guests and crew, says Jason Liberty, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group.

“Our purpose as a company is to deliver the best vacation experiences to our guests responsibly, and this new offering, which is the biggest public deployment of Starlink’s high-speed internet in the travel industry so far, demonstrates our commitment to that purpose,” said Liberty.

“This technology will provide game-changing internet connectivity onboard our ships, enhancing the cruise experience for guests and crew alike. It will improve and enable more high-bandwidth activities like video streaming as well as activities like video calls. Using Starlink is one more example of our continued focus on innovation and excellence for our guests, our crew, the communities we visit and our shareholders.”

Liberty added: “Our work with SpaceX is another example of how Royal Caribbean Group continues to lead the cruise industry in innovation and adoption of cutting-edge technology.”

Source: Travelweek