The AIDAblu cruise ship. Photo: Carnival Corporation

Cruise ship titan Carnival Corporation has signed a deal for SpaceX’s Starlink Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite internet service and is already rolling out Starlink on Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises ships. This is SpaceX’s second cruise deal for Starlink, following Royal Caribbean.

Carnival announced Jan. 18 that it began installing Starlink on Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises ships in December and also plans to bring the satellite internet to Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises in Australia, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises in the United Kingdom, and Cunard.

“The added bandwidth will give the brands the capabilities and flexibility to introduce new guest services and features, as well as help boost operational functions like onboard equipment monitoring and real-time communications between ship and shore teams,” said Josh Weinstein, Carnival Corporation CEO. “And importantly, adding Starlink’s innovative technology to the company’s existing connectivity platform will also help our amazing crew stay in touch with friends and loved ones.”

Carnival Cruise Lines is a longtime customer of satellite operator SES, and the announcement clarified that Starlink is part of a “growing portfolio” of communications, satellite, and technology providers in the company’s connectivity ecosystem.  

In 2020, Carnival brand Princess Cruises got early access to SES‘s O3b mPOWER network, and Princess President John Padgett recently attended the launch of SES’s first O3b mPOWER satellites. 

Carnival Cruise Lines said it has nearly tripled fleetwide bandwidth over its nearly 100 ships that visit more than 700 ports around the world. 

“High-speed, low-latency broadband internet is critical in our modern age, and we’re excited to provide Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA’s guests an internet experience that makes their travel even more enjoyable,” said Jonathan Hofeller, vice president of Starlink sales for SpaceX.