One of the biggest downsides of cruising can be slow and super-expensive wifi connections.
One cruise line addressing the issue is MSC Cruises, with two-thirds of its ships now equipped with SpaceX’s Starlink onboard connectivity.
MSC, the world's third-largest cruise line, says the fleet roll out program will be completed in three months.
The low earth orbit solution is providing faster internet speeds, improved wifi in cabins and public spaces, reduced latency levels and lower operational costs for 15 of the cruise line’s fleet of 22 ships, MSC Cruises says.
The first of MSC Cruises’ vessels to be equipped with Starlink was MSC Magnifica in December 2022.
MSC Cruises has seen on board bandwidth consumption continue to rise, driven by both the increase in the number of connected devices and the number of apps that guests like to use.
Starlink will provide MSC Cruises with enough capacity to keep up with the future requirements of its guests, crew and also the technical requirements of its fleet of vessels.
MSC Cruises’ ships currently equipped with Starlink are MSC Divina, MSC Euribia, MSC Fantasia, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Lirica, MSC Magnifica, MSC Meraviglia, MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesia, MSC Preziosa, MSC Seascape, MSC Seashore, MSC Seaside, MSC Seaview and MSC Virtuosa.
MSC Opera and MSC World Europa will be added in March and the line’s other five ships set for enhanced connectivity ahead of the northern summer 2024 season are MSC Armonia, MSC Bellissima, MSC Musica, MSC Sinfonia and MSC Splendida.
EXPLORA I, the first of six luxury ships of MSC Cruises’ sister company Explora Journeys, is also equipped with Starlink and EXPLORA II will be fitted with the enhanced connectivity when she sets sail in August.
MSC Cruises offers a ‘Browse Internet Cruise Package’ and a ‘Browse & Stream Cruise Package’ onboard its fleet that are tailored for its guests to cover the connection and number of devices needed during a sailing.
No comments:
Post a Comment