Which ships have Starlink?

[TonicTraveler]

Vista currently has Starlink.  Do any other O ships currently have Starlink?

[EJL2023]

My understanding is Vista is the only one currently. I believe I’ve seen Riviera is scheduled to have it by year end and then other ships added thereafter starting in 2024.  Perhaps Marina will have it done when refurbished in May, 2024. But all speculation.  And yes, speculation is always rampant on here!

[harryw]

I haven’t heard of Starlink. Is it known for more reliable internet connections at sea?

[EJL2023]

7 minutes ago, harryw said:

I haven’t heard of Starlink. Is it known for more reliable internet connections at sea?

Yes. 

[YourWorldWithBill]

The Oceania website says that Riviera will have Starlink by the end of this year, but I was told on a phone call with someone at O that they expect Riviera to have Starlink within a month or two.

 

To answer @harryw's question, rather than just being able to email, with Starlink streaming services are supposed to work:; videos, etc. 

[Snaefell3]

5 hours ago, harryw said:

I haven’t heard of Starlink. Is it known for more reliable internet connections at sea?

"Unreliable" usually means that the ship did not buy enough satellite bandwidth so that when shared among all the passengers signed on at a given time, there wasn't enough to go around.  Right now, it's cheap for a ship to buy enough bandwidth from Starlink.  Doesn't mean that will always be the case or that O won't decide cost cut.

 

There are currently 3 classes of internet-at-sea satellites:

• GEO-orbit satellites: The kind we learned to hate.  They are in equatorial orbit and stop working in high latitudes (Antarctica).

• MEO-orbit satellites: Bandwidth costs 1/10 as much and ships usually buy at-home speeds for passengers.  They are in equatorial orbit and don't work even as far north as Seattle.

• LEO-orbit satellites: Only provided by Starlink. Very new. Very cheap bandwidth (might be loss-leader; time will tell).  They are in polar orbit and work from North Pole to South Pole.

 

On a recent Alaska cruise we got great bandwidth in Skagway, but then found out the ship had linked to terrestrial Verizon service in town.  Sneaky!  😉

 

On a recent TA we had good bandwidth off a MEO-orbit satellite from MIA to the Azores, then terrible bandwidth after Ponta Delgada when the ship had to switch to a GEO-orbit satellite.

 

(GEO = geosynchronous orbit.  MEO = Medium (height) Earth orbit.  LEO = Low Earth Orbit)