Latest adding Starlink: NCL, Oceania, Regent, Aqua Expeditions
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' three brands — NCL, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises — and the privately owned Aqua Expeditions are the latest operators planning to implement Starlink high-speed Internet fleetwide.
April 6, 2023
Elon Musk's SpaceX provides a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites that reduce latency, the time it takes for data to travel between the sender and the receiver. Besides speed, Starlink's broadband service also improves capacity and reliability.
Starlink service is currently in testing on Norwegian Breakaway
Norwegian Breakaway in testing
NCLH is currently testing Starlink, beginning with Norwegian Breakaway, with the intent to roll out the service across its entire fleet in a phased manner.
If trials are successful, the company is targeting to equip seven additional vessels by year-end, including all three of its newest ships, Oceania Cruises’ Vista, Norwegian Viva and Regent’s Seven Seas Grandeur.
A comprehensive rollout plan is under development and details on the timeline and availability on specific ships will be communicated once finalized. NCLH said that in addition to enhancing the passenger and crew experience, the extra bandwidth will allow for more flexibility for onboard services and improve the ship-to-shore connection for operational needs.
Aqua Expeditions
At small-ship company Aqua Expeditions, Starlink service is available on Aqua Mare, Aqua Nera and Aqua Blu as of last month, with Aria Amazon and Aqua Mekong to follow in September.
Aqua Nera is among the vessels that implemented Starlink service in March
With SpaceX operating more than 2,500 satellites, the coverage is wide and reaches many remote locations where expedition ships operate, including the jungles of the Peruvian Amazon, East Indonesia’s Coral Triangle, the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia and the Galápagos Islands.
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Norwegian Cruise Line HoldingsNorwegian Cruise LineOceania CruisesRegent Seven Seas CruisesAqua ExpeditionsAbout the Author
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