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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.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

April 6, 2023

1 Min Read
CRUISE Starlink
LOGO: SPACEX, PUBLIC DOMAINA, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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.

CRUISE Norwegian Breakaway

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.

CRUISE AquaNera

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.

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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