Starlink High Speed Internet Coming to HAL

[Crazy For Cats]

Carnival Corp is rolling out Starlink to all ships in the fleet.  I think this is good news.

The link to the announcement.

https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-cruise-starlink-internet-global-fleet/?fbclid=IwAR1zuvbjV7xMXTszPaBjFIUR4HV2mcSlikG6vWRMMAwAOqUFJugMp3AdjiY

Edited January 18, 2023 by Crazy For Cats
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[Colorado Klutch]

Wondering if the cost will go up with the bandwidth.

[robotpony]

This is great news; I'm hoping to sail further and work in between the exciting parts. I would pay a bit more to be able to cruise for more days.

[aliaschief]

Used Star Link on our Azamara cruise this week. How fast? Was able to download a Kindle E-book in two minutes. 
Keep in mind that the system is depending on satellites in the area you’re cruising. As new satellites are launched the better the coverage.

It definitely worked in the Caribbean. Fastest and most consistent WiFi ever on a ship.

[VMax1700]

Not wishing to be pedantic about it, as any increase in connectivity would be welcome, however, if you read the actual Carnival Corp press release (here), it does not specifically state which brands will be getting the Starlink update.  It mentions "plans to expand Starlink to several of the company's other world-class cruise brands, which include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard."

 

So it will be rolled out to several of the other brands and then mentions all the other brands, but does not confirm which brand will receive the update.

[AFNavigator]

1 hour ago, Colorado Klutch said:

Wondering if the cost will go up with the bandwidth.

Considering Royal Caribbean has an 8+ month Starlink jump on Carnival (first Royal install was back in June), Royal's future pricing changes will probably be an indicator of CCL line future pricing changes.  Royal hasn't changed their pricing yet though so we'll have to wait and see.

[Crazy For Cats]

Here is another article that says CCL plans on rolling it out to HAL

"Fleet roll-out of the system began in December 2022 with Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA ships, with plans to expand Starlink to Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, and P&O Cruises (UK)."

 

https://www.travelmarketreport.com/Cruise/articles/Carnival-Corp-Partners-with-Starlink-for-Carnival-Cruise-Line-Fleet

[Torquer]

1 hour ago, aliaschief said:

Keep in mind that the system is depending on satellites in the area you’re cruising. As new satellites are launched the better the coverage.

Actually that is not really true.  Unlike conventional communications satellites that are in geosynchronous orbit that always stay above a fixed position on the earth,  StarLink satellites are constantly moving over the earth's surface.  So at one moment, your internet connection might be going through one StarLink satellite and a few minutes later it is automatically switched to a different satellite.  The antennas use phased array technology so they electronically point to a different position in the sky versus normal satellites, like the ones on HAL ships, that physical rotate and tilt to point at a satellite as the ship moves.

 

So in theory, internet coverage will be just as good in the middle of the Pacific ocean as it would be for a StarLink user in a major city on land.  Actually, it might even be better since there will be fewer StarLink users competing for bandwidth on that satellite than the many land-based users in a big city.  Of course, it will likely be a long time until StarLink or any satellite gives as good performance compared to land-based cable or fiber optic internet.

[Lildare]

I was on Koningsdam 12/22-1/7 in the Mexican Riviera and had amazing internet speeds, I was streaming YouTube live and never ran into a throttle situation I’ve experienced pre 2020 on past cruise.  I purchased Premium internet with 4 devices, was in a cabin on deck 5 all the forward and another cabin deck 4 mid ship and there was no difference in connectivity.  The ship was full with many teens so I was anticipating slow speed.   I think I could have worked and done a video and voice Teams call but I did not try it.  I have cruised many times so I knew the speed was not normal based on being on the same ship 2021 in Mexico and Zaandam 2021 in New England.  I doubt Star Link has rolled out already unless something has changed?  What has everyone else been experiencing lately?  

[Alphen]

I could be wrong, but on our last cruise on Rotterdam in October, I could not help noticing that the captain, in one of his talks, mentioned that they indeed were (already), using Starlink!

[Navybikermom]

That is indeed good news. We’ve had very sporadic connections on the Zaandam Panama Canal cruise. Very frustrating. 

[Florida_gal_50]

9 hours ago, Lildare said:

I was on Koningsdam 12/22-1/7 in the Mexican Riviera and had amazing internet speeds, I was streaming YouTube live and never ran into a throttle situation I’ve experienced pre 2020 on past cruise.  I purchased Premium internet with 4 devices, was in a cabin on deck 5 all the forward and another cabin deck 4 mid ship and there was no difference in connectivity.  The ship was full with many teens so I was anticipating slow speed.   I think I could have worked and done a video and voice Teams call but I did not try it.  I have cruised many times so I knew the speed was not normal based on being on the same ship 2021 in Mexico and Zaandam 2021 in New England.  I doubt Star Link has rolled out already unless something has changed?  What has everyone else been experiencing lately?  

You we’re lucky.  I was on the koningsdam for 2 weeks in November.  While there were some websites I didn’t have a ton of problems with I could never access my bank account or airline. 

[aliaschief]

On 1/18/2023 at 6:17 PM, Torquer said:

Actually that is not really true.  Unlike conventional communications satellites that are in geosynchronous orbit that always stay above a fixed position on the earth,  StarLink satellites are constantly moving over the earth's surface.  So at one moment, your internet connection might be going through one StarLink satellite and a few minutes later it is automatically switched to a different satellite.  The antennas use phased array technology so they electronically point to a different position in the sky versus normal satellites, like the ones on HAL ships, that physical rotate and tilt to point at a satellite as the ship moves.

 

So in theory, internet coverage will be just as good in the middle of the Pacific ocean as it would be for a StarLink user in a major city on land.  Actually, it might even be better since there will be fewer StarLink users competing for bandwidth on that satellite than the many land-based users in a big city.  Of course, it will likely be a long time until StarLink or any satellite gives as good performance compared to land-based cable or fiber optic internet.

Thanks for the explanation. I had no clue how the system worked but was amazed by how well it delivered the best WiFi we have ever had on a ship.

[GeorgeCharlie]

If you are interested in seeing SpaceX's Starlink constellation, have a look at this active map.

 

https://satellitemap.space/#

 

I am a early Starlink beta user and I'm located at the outer edge of their service area. Their service area is limited to location of ground stations and this will remain a limitation until they get their satellite-to-satellite laser communication links working - hopefully within the next year, or two.

[Lildare]

6 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

You we’re lucky.  I was on the koningsdam for 2 weeks in November.  While there were some websites I didn’t have a ton of problems with I could never access my bank account or airline. 

Yes, I’ve cruised enough to know something was not right about this experience!  😉

 

I hope it was not just a fluke.  I’m planning for another cruise and would like good Wi-Fi like that again.

[Radbooks]

I was on the Koningsdam in December and I thought the internet was much better than in the past. I just had the included wi-fi and never had trouble getting to any websites.

[Florida_gal_50]

32 minutes ago, Lildare said:

Yes, I’ve cruised enough to know something was not right about this experience!  😉

 

I hope it was not just a fluke.  I’m planning for another cruise and would like good Wi-Fi like that again.

You and me both.  Especially when I upgraded to premium the last few day as I had some obc to burn up.

[Florida_gal_50]

30 minutes ago, Radbooks said:

I was on the Koningsdam in December and I thought the internet was much better than in the past. I just had the included wi-fi and never had trouble getting to any websites.

I think the hampster fell off the wheel on my cruises.  We were over capacity on my cruises so maybe everyone was on it. 

[Radbooks]

2 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I think the hampster fell off the wheel on my cruises.  We were over capacity on my cruises so maybe everyone was on it. 

Maybe they were doing the change when you were on board in November? We were packed to the gills too!

[Florida_gal_50]

2 minutes ago, Radbooks said:

Maybe they were doing the change when you were on board in November? We were packed to the gills too!

Nov 12 to 26.  Lots of kids on the second week so who knows if that made it worse.  It was fine in March but I think we were at 40 percent occupancy so it should have been.

[mwj]

9 hours ago, Navybikermom said:

That is indeed good news. We’ve had very sporadic connections on the Zaandam Panama Canal cruise. Very frustrating. 

Yes, we experienced sporadic internet connections on Zaandam as well. Guest services acknowledged the issues. Hope they improve with next dry dock.

[boze9999]

18 hours ago, Lildare said:

I was on Koningsdam 12/22-1/7 in the Mexican Riviera and had amazing internet speeds, I was streaming YouTube live and never ran into a throttle situation I’ve experienced pre 2020 on past cruise.  I purchased Premium internet with 4 devices, was in a cabin on deck 5 all the forward and another cabin deck 4 mid ship and there was no difference in connectivity.  The ship was full with many teens so I was anticipating slow speed.   I think I could have worked and done a video and voice Teams call but I did not try it.  I have cruised many times so I knew the speed was not normal based on being on the same ship 2021 in Mexico and Zaandam 2021 in New England.  I doubt Star Link has rolled out already unless something has changed?  What has everyone else been experiencing lately?  

I was also on the KD in Mexico from 12/29-1/7. I upgraded to Premium and was able to do zoom calls everywhere, whether on the water or at port. Definitely better than past times. I don't know if it was Starlink, but it made my life much better!

 

[Florida_gal_50]

2 hours ago, boze9999 said:

I was also on the KD in Mexico from 12/29-1/7. I upgraded to Premium and was able to do zoom calls everywhere, whether on the water or at port. Definitely better than past times. I don't know if it was Starlink, but it made my life much better!

 

I don't think starlink is anywhere close to coming to hal yet.

[Lildare]

53 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I don't think starlink is anywhere close to coming to hal yet.

I agree, I know someone who is on Koningsdam for the Hawaii & Tahiti cruise in February and will get an update on wi fi for this ship.  I was shocked by what I experienced.

[HALcruiser2001]

22 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Thanks for the explanation. I had no clue how the system worked but was amazed by how well it delivered the best WiFi we have ever had on a ship.

 

Only parts of the post a re e accurate.