Cruise Lines Announce Star Link Service -NCLH Nowhere To Be Found

[Sabbycat]

On 1/22/2023 at 7:33 PM, AMHuntFerry said:

Hurray! I can continue to enjoy vacations on O where many people appear to put their phones in the safe as soon as possible (or at least carry it discreetly while in the ship's public spaces).

Perhaps worry more about yourself and less about others. As long as people use their technology politely, i.e. quietly, is it really any business of yours?

 

I personally like to check the news, email and communicate with my friends and family at home.  Everyone is different. But why judge others.

[LHT28]

43 minutes ago, Sabbycat said:

Perhaps worry more about yourself and less about others. As long as people use their technology politely, i.e. quietly, is it really any business of yours?

 

I personally like to check the news, email and communicate with my friends and family at home.  Everyone is different. But why judge others.

As long as you are not  doing it during a meal with others  I am sure no one cares

 

 Nothing worse than dining with people who  are on their phones checking emails 

JMO

[AMHuntFerry]

4 hours ago, Sabbycat said:

Perhaps worry more about yourself and less about others. As long as people use their technology politely, i.e. quietly, is it really any business of yours?

 

I personally like to check the news, email and communicate with my friends and family at home.  Everyone is different. But why judge others.

I'm not sure why you assume I'm judgemental about other people from this statement, unless praising the current polite use of cell phones/tablets on O is judgemental in a good way. 🍸

[the more ports the better]

I was the OP on internet news as it was relayed to my by the internet manager on Riveria in January so I am assuming that it will be installed on all ships over the next several months once NCL and Regent are completed.

 

The bad news is that I just sailed on Royal Caribbean’s new Wonder of the Seas with 22 kids and grandkids, plus my mom.  We stayed in top suites so had the best internet service included.  Royal has Starlink and service was terrible.  We have several members of our family in telecom, engineering, Physics, tech, AI, etc and all agreed that Royal Caribbean did not purchase nearly enough band width from Starlink to service the ship.  In the middle of the night, it was lightning speed up and down but was overwhelmed quickly as people logged on. Due to lack of band width.

 

if anyone from O is listening, please purchase maximum bandwidth and charge us a fair price.  Everyone will be happy!

 

Also, on another subject, we love to travel and see the world but having family all together on a fun ship like wonder is what life is all about. 

[ToxM]

5 hours ago, the more ports the better said:

I was the OP on internet news as it was relayed to my by the internet manager on Riveria in January so I am assuming that it will be installed on all ships over the next several months once NCL and Regent are completed.

 

The bad news is that I just sailed on Royal Caribbean’s new Wonder of the Seas with 22 kids and grandkids, plus my mom.  We stayed in top suites so had the best internet service included.  Royal has Starlink and service was terrible.  We have several members of our family in telecom, engineering, Physics, tech, AI, etc and all agreed that Royal Caribbean did not purchase nearly enough band width from Starlink to service the ship.  In the middle of the night, it was lightning speed up and down but was overwhelmed quickly as people logged on. Due to lack of band width.

 

if anyone from O is listening, please purchase maximum bandwidth and charge us a fair price.  Everyone will be happy!

 

Also, on another subject, we love to travel and see the world but having family all together on a fun ship like wonder is what life is all about. 

The problem is greedy passengers. As much bandwidth as you give people, they will use it and more. The answer is to manage expectations and block services unless a premium is paid. If you advertise a free service that will allow you to collect email and a paid service in say three tiers that will allow usage to streaming level then thats much more realistic. 

 

At some point Starlink (or maybe Amazon) will allow ponybacking off other people’s satellite links with your own account for a certain fee. That’s the day when Starlink becomes truly useful for cruise passengers.

 

 

[bob brown]

The day will come when everyone will have a sat-phone instead of a cell phone, and all calls, any where in the world will be a “local call”.

At that time, you would purchase as much or as little data package as you need or want directly from the sat company, and not depend on what the ship offered.

I believe that is what Musk’s Starlink and other providers are aiming for…

[Charles4515]

On 3/21/2023 at 3:22 AM, bob brown said:

The day will come when everyone will have a sat-phone instead of a cell phone, and all calls, any where in the world will be a “local call”.

At that time, you would purchase as much or as little data package as you need or want directly from the sat company, and not depend on what the ship offered.

I believe that is what Musk’s Starlink and other providers are aiming for…

Not any time soon like you describe. There has to be a network that could handle everyone. And there has to be a network that routes calls. What is coming sooner is that the satellites will be “cell towers” and the network will be your carrier’s network. The carrier will work with the satellite providers. Current phones will work. Initially it will probably only work for text.

[bob brown]

7 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

Not any time soon like you describe. There has to be a network that could handle everyone. And there has to be a network that routes calls. What is coming sooner is that the satellites will be “cell towers” and the network will be your carrier’s network. The carrier will work with the satellite providers. Current phones will work. Initially it will probably only work for text.

Why couldn’t Starlink or any other satellite company be their own network?

I believe Musk’s ambition is to put the “legacy” cellular networks out of business, unless they act quickly and put up their own satellites…they’d best hurry, as Musk has a huge head start…

[Charles4515]

41 minutes ago, bob brown said:

Why couldn’t Starlink or any other satellite company be their own network?

I believe Musk’s ambition is to put the “legacy” cellular networks out of business, unless they act quickly and put up their own satellites…they’d best hurry, as Musk has a huge head start…

Starlink is a broadband provider. They don’t have their own network. If Musk wants a network he would have to license spectrum for that and be approved by regulatory authorities in every country. Also there are billions of cell phones. Why would people ditch their cell phones for satellite phones? To use on cruise ships? Could the satellites even have the capacity to replace the cell networks? It makes more sense for Musk to hook up with existing cell carriers. 

[RetiredLifer]

April 6, 2023
 Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to Offer Starlink High-Speed Internet On Board Fleet
Enhanced Connectivity at Sea Aligns with Company’s Commitment to Continuously Improve Guest Experience
MIAMI, April 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (the “Company” or "NCLH") (NYSE: NCLH), a leading global cruise company which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line (“NCL”), Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, today announced its plan to improve connectivity for guests and crew at sea by offering SpaceX’s Starlink high-speed internet on its ships. Using advanced low earth orbit satellites, Starlink delivers industry leading broadband internet connectivity which will improve the capacity, speed and reliability of internet on board. The Company is currently testing Starlink, beginning with Norwegian Breakaway, with the intent to rollout this game-changing technology across its entire world class fleet in a phased manner.
“We are thrilled to offer Starlink on board our ships to improve internet connectivity at sea. This initiative is a testament to our continuous quest to find new and innovative ways to enhance the experience for both guests and crew while sailing on our award-winning brands,” said Harry Sommer, president and CEO-elect of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. “Ensuring that this technology meets our high standards of excellence for our guests is incredibly important to us, which is why we are introducing this cutting-edge technology across our fleet in a phased manner. Once deployed, guests and crew will have a faster and more reliable method to stay connected with friends and family including by sharing in real- time the incredible memories they create while at sea.”
If trials are successful, the Company is targeting to equip 7 additional vessels with Starlink by year-end, including all three of the Company’s exciting new additions this year, Oceania Cruises’ Vista, Norwegian Viva and Regent’s Seven Seas Grandeur. A comprehensive rollout plan is under development and details regarding timeline and availability on specific ships will be communicated once finalized. In addition to enhancing the guest and crew experience, the extra bandwidth will also allow for more flexibility for onboard services and improve the ship-to-shore connection for operational needs.

[pinotlover]

Great news for Vista cruisers, if it’s ready by sailing time next month .

 

People must remember that Musk doesn’t yet have the world covered by satellites. Some areas will be fine, others blank.

[pinotlover]

On 3/19/2023 at 4:24 PM, LHT28 said:

As long as you are not  doing it during a meal with others  I am sure no one cares

 

 Nothing worse than dining with people who  are on their phones checking emails 

JMO

I wonder if we will be able to have a new option when making Specialty reservations? Sharing with phones; or Sharing without phones? 🤔

[TonicTraveler]

Looking forward to improved internet services.

Edited April 6, 2023 by TonicTraveler

[pinotlover]

30 minutes ago, TonicTraveler said:

Looking forward to improved internet services.

I believe we all are!!

 

Probably an impossible question for any of you IT guys, but here goes: 

 

When in port, We’re mostly off the ship. Otherwise, during waking hours we’re there. What would it actually take to significantly and noticeably improve internet service during regular high usage times? Would doubling or even tripling the bandwidth do much? A ship’s system running twice as fast as normal would still be painfully slow!! 
 

To get a system TonicTraveler might be happy with, what would it require system wise? 

Edited April 6, 2023 by pinotlover

[PaulMCO]

4 hours ago, pinotlover said:

I believe we all are!!

 

Probably an impossible question for any of you IT guys, but here goes: 

 

When in port, We’re mostly off the ship. Otherwise, during waking hours we’re there. What would it actually take to significantly and noticeably improve internet service during regular high usage times? Would doubling or even tripling the bandwidth do much? A ship’s system running twice as fast as normal would still be painfully slow!! 
 

To get a system TonicTraveler might be happy with, what would it require system wise? 

The issue with the legacy system is not just the uplink bandwidth but the satellite capacity.  Just look at the Caribbean using cruise mapper and consider the bandwidth needed for ALL the ships under the satellites footprint. 

 

Good news is that NCL is rolling out Starlink,  Regents Encore will get it during a 7 day drydock in May.

It is fairly easy to install (having done several) and Musk now claims worldwide coverage of the Maritime Starlink service (then again it is Elon making the claim).   Obviously the ship will maintain the EMC system as it likely will still handle the ships service data plus of course the TV/Entertainment downlinks and maybe the crew internet??

[Aloha 1]

On 4/6/2023 at 8:30 PM, PaulMCO said:

The issue with the legacy system is not just the uplink bandwidth but the satellite capacity.  Just look at the Caribbean using cruise mapper and consider the bandwidth needed for ALL the ships under the satellites footprint. 

 

Good news is that NCL is rolling out Starlink,  Regents Encore will get it during a 7 day drydock in May.

It is fairly easy to install (having done several) and Musk now claims worldwide coverage of the Maritime Starlink service (then again it is Elon making the claim).   Obviously the ship will maintain the EMC system as it likely will still handle the ships service data plus of course the TV/Entertainment downlinks and maybe the crew internet??

Given the increasing number of days where TV is not available due to "port interference", I hope they can do the downlinks from Starnet.

[PaulMCO]

3 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

Given the increasing number of days where TV is not available due to "port interference", I hope they can do the downlinks from Starnet.

Starlink is an internet only provider -- no content.  Legacy system has content and will continue to have same.. 

 

An interesting point about "port interference"   Starlink is NOT immune from same -- requires a clear path to the north.  If you do not have this = no internet.

 

My view from house is clear.but you can see it requires a significant clear area.

[LHT28]

Saw this posted somewhere

interesting article

https://www.inverse.com/science/now-we-know-how-a-solar-storm-took-out-a-fleet-of-starlinks