Viva WiFi (star link)

[doolfan]

This will be our very first cruise and I’m looking for some information on what kind of expectations I should have for WiFi. I’m traveling with my daughter who is just graduating with a degree in communications (but specifically in social media marketing). Staying connected on social media and being able to post videos of what she is doing in real time is very important to her. We’re traveling on viva which I understand has starlink. I upgraded us both to unlimited WiFi (but not the streaming). The woman I spoke with on the phone said the streaming version was more for if we wanted to bring a gaming system and play video games. Will unlimited WiFi with starlink be good enough to allow us to fully use our phone for social media (both watching reels and posting videos) and watching movies/TV on apps?  I’m looking for people’s actual experiences.  I’m taking it with a grain of salt when someone on a phone in a call center tells me what “should” work. Thank you!!

[jules181]

You'll be able to use social media.

You won't be able to watch movies/TV.  You need the streaming package for that.  

 

[UKstages]

very few people here on cruise critic have experience using starlink onboard NCL ships, as it is in the process of being rolled out. the marketing materials would have you believe that starlink will deliver download speeds of up to 100 mbps. in actual practice, most people have reported speeds in the neighborhood of 2 - 4 mbps. of course, speeds will vary according to how many active internet users there are at any given time, but many believe NCL throttles the bandwidth. that being said, you should be able to participate in social media. uploading videos may take a bit of patience.

[cruiseny4life]

I was fortunate to be on Pr1ma with Starlink back in November. I had no issues using social media (Facebook, Insta, LinkedIn, Snap) and YouTube. There was some slight buffering on videos, but nothing terrible. The ship seemed to be mostly full, though it was an older crowd given it being a Transatlantic. Others may not have used internet as much as a sailing to the Caribbean or around a spring break.

[SoloAlaska]

Worse case you can upgrade onboard. I usually upload all my videos when in port to avoid any issues. I haven’t had the chance to use star link yet but the reports that are coming out there are times that video content would be painfully slow at best. You need 8-10mbs download for video usually. If it’s a port intensive cruise I find I can make due without any wifi even but I don’t spend my time browsing IG I just mostly post content and occasionally check in.

[BirdTravels]

17 hours ago, doolfan said:

This will be our very first cruise and I’m looking for some information on what kind of expectations I should have for WiFi. I’m traveling with my daughter who is just graduating with a degree in communications (but specifically in social media marketing). Staying connected on social media and being able to post videos of what she is doing in real time is very important to her. We’re traveling on viva which I understand has starlink. I upgraded us both to unlimited WiFi (but not the streaming). The woman I spoke with on the phone said the streaming version was more for if we wanted to bring a gaming system and play video games. Will unlimited WiFi with starlink be good enough to allow us to fully use our phone for social media (both watching reels and posting videos) and watching movies/TV on apps?  I’m looking for people’s actual experiences.  I’m taking it with a grain of salt when someone on a phone in a call center tells me what “should” work. Thank you!!

You are sharing a link with 3000 of your newest friends. Up to 100 MB if you are the only one on the Wi-Fi 

 

Real life Viva