Does Startlink work decent on transatlantic routes

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, SE fla said:

They do it in the middle of the night as not to disrupt everyone using the Wi-Fi during prim time hours.

 Hand off between land-based downlink stations happens often and depends on geography and sat location, not time of day (and not controlled by the ship, nor RCI).

[barbeyg]

3 hours ago, resetjet said:

Just because starlink is on the ship,  does not mean they have the satellites overhead yet.  Especially in an ocean.

And the equipment for any wifi is only as good as the maintenance of the equipment (and rebooting as needed).  RCI seems to only reboot when someone trips over the power cord.  😂  Or the complaint line gets long enough at CS.

[Bteam]

So going to bump this up and see if anyone who has done a transatlantic crossing in the last month has any comments on their experiences with the onboard internet that Royal Caribbean offers ?
 

thanks in advance! Bill

[twangster]

In case folks haven't been following SpaceX the v2 mini satellites they launched in February are having issues.  They have stopped raising their orbit and stopped launching more v2 mini satellites for the time being.

 

The v2 mini were supposed to help coverage and the maritime service by allowing greater use of satellite to satellite relay.  For middle of the ocean away from land coverage such as a transatlantic cruising this is critical.   

 

This setback will delay Starlink getting better in the near term.  Be patient, it will get better in the long term but it's not going to be consistent in the near term.  

[cruiseboy89130]

Symphony had problems on their TA

[allegrocontadino]

Hello! Did anyone have any more recent experience with starlink coverage across the Atlantic Ocean during the westbound transatlantic crossings of Nov/Dec 2023?

 

Any reliable and up to date info would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks

[cruiseboy89130]

8 minutes ago, allegrocontadino said:

Hello! Did anyone have any more recent experience with starlink coverage across the Atlantic Ocean during the westbound transatlantic crossings of Nov/Dec 2023?

 

Any reliable and up to date info would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks

It varies A LOT depending on weather and route - so if you really need to depend on it - DON'T do it!

[allegrocontadino]

1 minute ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

It varies A LOT depending on weather and route - so if you really need to depend on it - DON'T do it!

That is my biggest issue. Basically I am splanning to sail from Santo Domingo to Europe in March 2024, with a starlink-equipped ship (not RCL). I do not need streaming facilities but for work reasons (and with 6 sea days in a row!) I need constant connection to check my text emails etc. Therefore I am looking for some feedback on the subject before booking (or not).

 

[cruiseboy89130]

4 minutes ago, allegrocontadino said:

That is my biggest issue. Basically I am splanning to sail from Santo Domingo to Europe in March 2024, with a starlink-equipped ship (not RCL). I do not need streaming facilities but for work reasons (and with 6 sea days in a row!) I need constant connection to check my text emails etc. Therefore I am looking for some feedback on the subject before booking (or not).

 

It can be anything from great to an total outage for 2 days.....depending on the route and weather....

If 2 days of outage would cost you your job .....only you know the answer!

It is a gamble to if you need it that much!

We have had any of that on many TA's!

Edited January 1 by cruiseboy89130

[allegrocontadino]

Thanks... Will have a second thought on this... In more than 50 cruises all over the world I never had a lack of wifi for more than a few minutes. But never ventured on a TA mainly for this reason...

[Bteam]

1 hour ago, allegrocontadino said:

Hello! Did anyone have any more recent experience with starlink coverage across the Atlantic Ocean during the westbound transatlantic crossings of Nov/Dec 2023?

 

Any reliable and up to date info would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

We were on Symphony of the Seas from Barcelona to Tampa back in October/ November. The Starlink was decent with a few issues here and there but never more than a few minutes at a time. 

I don't know if I'd want to depend on it for Zoom type business calls but for checking in and getting things done while on a trip it was good. 

 

Happy New Year! Bill 

[SE fla]

When has the Symphony of the seas been to Tampa?

[Spike2015]

We were on Odyssey transatlantic in October and we had great service!

[Bteam]

34 minutes ago, SE fla said:

When has the Symphony of the seas been to Tampa?

Yeah my mistake. Let's go for Port Everglades/ Fort Lauderdale for $100 Alex. 

 

That bridge would be a little bit of an issue... 😲

[Morecruisesplz]

Barcelona to FFL in October was not great. I guess it all depends on the weather and satellites. Many times it wasn't available at all and other times it kept dropping out. I did see people working on their laptops on the high counters at the back of the aqua theater during the day. I am not sure if the signal was more stable there or why that area seemed popular. 

[SE fla]

5 minutes ago, Bteam said:

Yeah my mistake. Let's go for Port Everglades/ Fort Lauderdale for $100 Alex. 

 

That bridge would be a little bit of an issue... 😲

It’s ok I was on the same cruise. It worked great for what I needed

[Morecruisesplz]

4 hours ago, allegrocontadino said:

Thanks... Will have a second thought on this... In more than 50 cruises all over the world I never had a lack of wifi for more than a few minutes. But never ventured on a TA mainly for this reason...

I am not sure how this is possible.  We also are at about 50 and bad weather can easily knock out wifi for a day or so. Not every cruise but it does happen. 

[allegrocontadino]

6 hours ago, Morecruisesplz said:

I am not sure how this is possible.  We also are at about 50 and bad weather can easily knock out wifi for a day or so. Not every cruise but it does happen. 

It is, actually. Always had great coverage with Celebrity, NCL, Royal, Tui, Costa, MSC, Celestyal, even with the now "dead" Pullamantur, and never had a blackout. I must have been very lucky apparently. Sailed in Europe, Persic Gulf, Indian Ocean, Caribbean, Asia. But missing the transatlantic where I heared that most of the connectgion troubles are... Might be worth waiting a few more years, unfortunately.

Edited January 2 by allegrocontadino

[cruiseboy89130]

3 hours ago, allegrocontadino said:

It is, actually. Always had great coverage with Celebrity, NCL, Royal, Tui, Costa, MSC, Celestyal, even with the now "dead" Pullamantur, and never had a blackout. I must have been very lucky apparently. Sailed in Europe, Persic Gulf, Indian Ocean, Caribbean, Asia. But missing the transatlantic where I heared that most of the connectgion troubles are... Might be worth waiting a few more years, unfortunately.

On a TA we had a 2 day blackout more than once....not a lot of times....but quite a few times!

[pcur]

On 2/27/2023 at 6:44 PM, Bteam said:

The subject says it all. 🙂

 

We will be in the April 22nd sailing from Port Carnival to Amsterdam transatlantic on jewel of the seas. Was wondering if the star link (if the ship has it operational ) has coverage for the whole cruise? 
 

Thanks in advance! Bill 

Bill:  I'M on the Jewel Transatlantic leaving 4/5/24 from Ft Lauderdale to Southampton.  You might want to check your info.  But, the answers here are very helpful, anyway!!!