Starlink rolling out, please post ship, latency, and bandwidth you are seeing.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Sky Princess, May 15, 11:00am

 

[Bgwest]

6 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Sky Princess, May 15, 11:00am

 

How is the performance?

[Rick&Jeannie]

47 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

How is the performance?

I can do most anything that I normally do...which isn't really that much.  However...I have noticed a trend over the past few cruises where I cannot get to my email (Comcast/Xfinity) either through my normal email client or their web portal. Nothing to do with Starlink...they appear to be blocking some ports and have been doingso for some time. I can only check my email in ports. Very aggravating!

[outtoseacruise]

44 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I can do most anything that I normally do...which isn't really that much.  However...I have noticed a trend over the past few cruises where I cannot get to my email (Comcast/Xfinity) either through my normal email client or their web portal. Nothing to do with Starlink...they appear to be blocking some ports and have been doingso for some time. I can only check my email in ports. Very aggravating!

Do you use an IP Phone App through your laptop or Wi-Fi Calling on your cell? If so how were your calls? What we are starting to see from the Princess installs is not what Starlink's potential is that I have seen on other installs on other brands of ships. The question would be are they throttling it or is it a problem with the intranet and equipment on these specific ships? 

I have seen some ships get it installed where the performance is where it should be with bandwidth an latency a lot better than what we are seeing on the Princess installs. 

It will be interesting to see how it performs as you continue north on your cruise.

[Rick&Jeannie]

48 minutes ago, outtoseacruise said:

Do you use an IP Phone App through your laptop or Wi-Fi Calling on your cell? If so how were your calls? What we are starting to see from the Princess installs is not what Starlink's potential is that I have seen on other installs on other brands of ships. The question would be are they throttling it or is it a problem with the intranet and equipment on these specific ships? 

I have seen some ships get it installed where the performance is where it should be with bandwidth an latency a lot better than what we are seeing on the Princess installs. 

It will be interesting to see how it performs as you continue north on your cruise.

Have not done any calling out myself but I did receive a call via WhatsApp yesterday from my son.

[outtoseacruise]

On 5/11/2023 at 8:24 AM, billco said:

I was on the recent Sapphire Princess Alaskan cruise. Performance was better than what I had gotten in the past at that latitude with SES, but not great. Surprisingly, when back in Vancouver, I noticed we were back on SES.

After looking at your pics of the install and expanding the images it appears they are doing a different type of install as seen on other ships. Those appear to be fixed (from bolts that you can clearly see on mount and antenna) and don't pivot or move like other mounts seen on other ships? The image I attached is a different mount that pivots that they have mounted on other ships.

[Bwana Tom]

Any word on the Enchanted Princess getting Starlink? Hoping it will be onboard for our Mediterranean Passage and Western Mediterranean cruises in November/December 2023.

[MissP22]

10 minutes ago, Bwana Tom said:

Any word on the Enchanted Princess getting Starlink? Hoping it will be onboard for our Mediterranean Passage and Western Mediterranean cruises in November/December 2023.

You would have thought they could have had it installed during the recent dry dock. 

[outtoseacruise]

10 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

You would have thought they could have had it installed during the recent dry dock. 

Dry dock isn't a requirement to add it as we have seen with most of Royal's ships getting it while cruising. It just makes it easier not having noise and constantly worried about trash and keeping the guest are clear and not disturbing them. 

[Mercruiser]

2 hours ago, outtoseacruise said:

After looking at your pics of the install and expanding the images it appears they are doing a different type of install as seen on other ships. Those appear to be fixed (from bolts that you can clearly see on mount and antenna) and don't pivot or move like other mounts seen on other ships? The image I attached is a different mount that pivots that they have mounted on other ships.

The Starlink "Flat High Performance" antenna do not pivot. They have a much wider angle of view than the residential dishes with the motorized pivots. A pivot mechanism would be failure-prone in high winds. In contrast, old-school satellite dishes in marine environments have to be enclosed in the giant golf-balls (radome) on the top decks. The radomes protect the enclosed pivoting satellite dishes from the wind.

 

The antennas you mention on other ships are probably the same "Flat High Performance" antenna with different mounting hardware. But, I'll agree, the antennas in your photo look very similar to the pivoting residential antennas. I just think they are the FHP antennas on a mast mount.

 

See description here https://www.starlinkhardware.com/starlink-launches-maritime-service-tier/

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by Mercruiser

[Mercruiser]

2 hours ago, outtoseacruise said:

After looking at your pics of the install and expanding the images it appears they are doing a different type of install as seen on other ships. Those appear to be fixed (from bolts that you can clearly see on mount and antenna) and don't pivot or move like other mounts seen on other ships? The image I attached is a different mount that pivots that they have mounted on other ships.

Also, this photo appears very similar to the installation in this 2022 news article. You can see the same mast mount in detail here:

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/starlink-s-new-flat-antenna-for-maritime-doesn-t-seem-special-costs-an-arm-and-a-leg-200232.html#agal_2

 

 

[Steelers36]

On 5/11/2023 at 5:36 PM, cruiserdf said:

I am not sure if he didn't understand you can't just switch which email service you use. 

Should you decide to do so, you could create a new email address and forward all of your current email to the new one and gradually work at letting people know and updating your email address with various service providers you do business with.  Eventually, you will be converted over and can conveniently leave behind sources you'd rather not be receiving emails from.  

[cruiserdf]

8 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Should you decide to do so, you could create a new email address and forward all of your current email to the new one and gradually work at letting people know and updating your email address with various service providers you do business with.  Eventually, you will be converted over and can conveniently leave behind sources you'd rather not be receiving emails from.  

Not sure why I would change email clients just to use a different email client for 75 days a year on Princess Cruises.  Hopefully Princess IT will eventually (soon) figure it out and support at minimum the major email clients.  Princess IT has never been know to be very good.  The medallion roll-out only took several more years than planned to implement.  Starlink may be the same.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, cruiserdf said:

Not sure why I would change email clients just to use a different email client for 75 days a year on Princess Cruises.  Hopefully Princess IT will eventually (soon) figure it out and support at minimum the major email clients.  Princess IT has never been know to be very good.  The medallion roll-out only took several more years than planned to implement.  Starlink may be the same.

I agree.  I guess I got an idea you were wondering about changing.

[outtoseacruise]

On 5/15/2023 at 8:51 AM, Bwana Tom said:

Any word on the Enchanted Princess getting Starlink? Hoping it will be onboard for our Mediterranean Passage and Western Mediterranean cruises in November/December 2023.

Before the casino offers went away for July I booked 2 weeks in a balcony on Enchanted Princess yesterday. Since it is port intensive I will have my T-Mobile 15GB International Data Pass on my phone and hotspot if it is still on o3b/SES. Hopefully someone will post that it is active and how it is performing by then? If not I will update in July. 

[RedEarth]

On 5/15/2023 at 1:51 PM, Bwana Tom said:

Any word on the Enchanted Princess getting Starlink? Hoping it will be onboard for our Mediterranean Passage and Western Mediterranean cruises in November/December 2023.

The mounting plates were being welded on to the railings while I was onboard just week (on a sea day), and a couple days later the antennas were fitted, but they weren't up and running yet (internet was very slow but I didn't try speedtest). I would hope it would be live by the time you cruise though!

[MissP22]

2 hours ago, RedEarth said:

The mounting plates were being welded on to the railings while I was onboard just week (on a sea day), and a couple days later the antennas were fitted, but they weren't up and running yet (internet was very slow but I didn't try speedtest). I would hope it would be live by the time you cruise though!

Thanks for the info. 

[PrincessLuver]

On 5/15/2023 at 5:51 AM, Bwana Tom said:

Any word on the Enchanted Princess getting Starlink? Hoping it will be onboard for our Mediterranean Passage and Western Mediterranean cruises in November/December 2023.

 

Starlink became fully operational on the Enchanted Princess on Saturday May 20, 2023.  A great improvement over the internet service that was being provided prior to that on the Enchanted.  Very happy!!

 

[outtoseacruise]

4 hours ago, RedEarth said:

The mounting plates were being welded on to the railings while I was onboard just week (on a sea day), and a couple days later the antennas were fitted, but they weren't up and running yet (internet was very slow but I didn't try speedtest). I would hope it would be live by the time you cruise though!

Ty, should be very close to going live in the next 7-10 days based on what your saying and previous installs I have seen.

[outtoseacruise]

14 minutes ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

Starlink became fully operational on the Enchanted Princess on Saturday May 20, 2023.  A great improvement over the internet service that was being provided prior to that on the Enchanted.  Very happy!!

 

Awesome, any chance to see or get the latency & bandwidth information? 

[Coral]

The Crown Princess doesn't have it yet 😞 

[MissP22]

2 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

Starlink became fully operational on the Enchanted Princess on Saturday May 20, 2023.  A great improvement over the internet service that was being provided prior to that on the Enchanted.  Very happy!!

 

You didn't happen to do a speed test?

[Musky Ike]

On 5/15/2023 at 11:20 AM, Rick&Jeannie said:

I can do most anything that I normally do...which isn't really that much.  However...I have noticed a trend over the past few cruises where I cannot get to my email (Comcast/Xfinity) either through my normal email client or their web portal. Nothing to do with Starlink...they appear to be blocking some ports and have been doingso for some time. I can only check my email in ports. Very aggravating!

Same issue with the email site through our cable company. Fortunately most of the important stuff is on gmail. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 5/15/2023 at 10:20 AM, Rick&Jeannie said:

I can do most anything that I normally do...which isn't really that much.  However...I have noticed a trend over the past few cruises where I cannot get to my email (Comcast/Xfinity) either through my normal email client or their web portal. Nothing to do with Starlink...they appear to be blocking some ports and have been doingso for some time. I can only check my email in ports. Very aggravating!

I have discovered a solution to my Comcast issue. I will be posting an in-depth discussion in a few days.

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 5/15/2023 at 10:20 AM, Rick&Jeannie said:

I can do most anything that I normally do...which isn't really that much.  However...I have noticed a trend over the past few cruises where I cannot get to my email (Comcast/Xfinity) either through my normal email client or their web portal. Nothing to do with Starlink...they appear to be blocking some ports and have been doingso for some time. I can only check my email in ports. Very aggravating!

I have discovered a solution to my Comcast issue. I will be posting an in-depth discussion in a few days.