Carnival Corp. Partners with Starlink for Carnival Cruise Line Fleet

Carnival Corp. has chosen SpaceX’s Starlink to provide reliable, speedy Wi-Fi to its Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises brands. With the new partnership in place, the company has nearly tripled fleetwide bandwidth for both cruise line brands.

Fleet roll-out of the system began in December 2022 with Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA ships, with plans to expand Starlink to Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, and P&O Cruises (UK).

“For many of our guests, it has become more and more important to maintain the type of connectivity at sea that they’ve become accustomed to at home, and of course to share the unforgettable experiences of their cruise with friends and family,” said Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corp. “We are in the business of delivering happiness, and Starlink makes it as easy as possible for our guests to share all their great moments and memories, giving them even more joy out of their cruise vacation.”

Additionally, Weinstein said the added bandwidth gives the brands the ability to introduce new services and features, while also boosting operational functions like onboard equipment monitoring and real-time communication between ship and shore teams.

“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.”

Starlink is powered by a constellation of lower earth (LEO) satellites that provide a stable connection to cruise ships, which are constantly on the go.

It is quickly becoming the go-to satellite provider for the cruise industry, with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea, Hurtigruten, SeaDream Yacht Club and American Cruise Lines all selecting Starlink service for its ships. Starlink dishes have also been observed on some Norwegian Cruise Line ships, though the line has not announced a full partnership.