Any Norwegian ships equipped with Starlink service

[Patricia cory]

Are any Norwegian ships using Starlink service for internet?

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Patricia cory Some NCL ships should already have Starlink available to guests. The rollout was supposed to begin in April of last year. I haven't seen any official remarks about it onboard any fleet members, but the testing process has been long underway. 

https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-testing-starlink-for-all-three-cruise-lines/98106

A recent NCL cruise guest may be able to confirm an individual ship's rollout.

[KeithK]

Norwegian Encore has it

[Cruising Caribbean]

@Patricia cory I'm pretty sure most of the fleet (if not all) is using Starlink onboard now. Which NCL ship are you considering?

@KeithK Thanks for confirming that. Did you uses the service? If so, were you pleased with it? I have heard pretty good things about Starlink and how fast the service is! 

[AftBalconyPlease]

I’ve been told they all their ships have Starlink…however the basic “unlimited” package I bought throttles your speed to 3Mbs max (the internet desk told me.)  Not what I’m used to at home for sure…very slow to load any site with images (e.g. Apple News).   Thought you might like to know!

[3Sisters]

@AftBalconyPlease I know all of the ships should have it onboard by now, but it certainly shouldn't be that slow! What package should you purchased, instead of unlimited, to get faster speed? I was used to images not loading with the old internet service provided. The purpose of Starlink was to make it faster! I have trouble believing that this service you received was Starlink due to the speed. Loading images is a basic thing! Which ship were you on when you experienced such internet speed?

[ConnorWood]

I've actually been curious about the same thing. I haven't come across any specific information about Norwegian ships using Starlink, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are.I keep an eye on cruises from Whittier, and I've noticed that the industry is always looking for ways to improve connectivity for passengers and crew. Starlink's high-speed internet could be a game-changer for ships that need reliable and fast internet access while out at sea.If you're really interested, you might want to check with some Norwegian cruise companies directly or look out for any announcements regarding their use of Starlink.

Edited April 3 by ConnorWood

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@ConnorWood I haven't seen an official release yet stating all NCL ships have Starlink onboard, but the roll out should be complete by now. The Starlink service is a game changer, particularly for the crew! The crew members deserve faster speed internet to connect with family and friends abroad. Crew members have to typically pay for their own wifi service to connect with their loved ones. To me, that service should be included for all crew members. Let's not forget these hard-working individuals are isolated from their family and friends to work and primarily send money back home to their families. This job is trying emotionally, and often physically too. It's very important for the crew's sanity to engage with their loved ones regularly. NCL customer service may be able to confirm or deny the Starlink rollout onboard all of it's ships, but for the most part I have read majority of NCL ships are offering it onboard now. 

[3Sisters]

@ConnorWood I recommend that same thing! Reaching out to the cruise line is always the most reliable source. I have heard great things about Starlink. It's very popular and has rolled out pretty much everywhere by now. I would be surprised if the entire fleet didn't have it by now! 

[AftBalconyPlease]

Just for clarification, on our NCL Sun Panama cruise in April, the Internet desk onboard confirmed the Sun was NOT Starlink. (Thus the crappy speed).  I pointed out to the Idesk person that the Starlink advertisement sign on the wall behind his desk showing a Speedtest at 200 Mbs was a little misleading…oh well.  It’s all about the $$, ethical considerations seem like a distraction.

Edited May 16 by AftBalconyPlease
Misspelling

[3Sisters]

@AftBalconyPlease I'm so surprised NCL Sun doesn't have Starlink onboard yet! Do you think the ship even will at this point? I don't understand what the hold up would be. The fact that the ship is advertising Starlink onboard but not offering it is a huge ethical issue I think. Have you been on other NCL ships that have the service onboard? I would imagine the speed was so much faster than what is was on your last NCL Sun cruise! That's why Starlink is such a hit, because the speed is so much faster than the generic browsing service offered onboard.

[AftBalconyPlease]

This was the poster (giant poster by the way) behind the internet desk on the Sun (see below) when I inquired about where the speed tops out.  I'm not too worried since I don't work onboard while traveling and enjoying my cruise and ports of calls;  I'm spoiled since I have Starlink at home and am consistently in the 200 Mbps range.  

 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@AftBalconyPlease If it's being advertised onboard the ship, it should be offered! It's a tease if it's not offered. I wonder why it hasn't rolled out onboard Norwegian Sun yet. It's awesome you have Starlink at home! At least you weren't personally impacted but many other could be impacted. I appreciate the head's up. This may sound like a very novice question, but can anyone get Starlink service to their home? I haven't actually seen it advertised as a local land service near me! Have you cruised on any of the other fleet members that offer Starlink onboard?

[LukeJ]

@Kendall James-Vargas the starlink looks amazing, and I'm glad that they are onboard ships for us all. Even though I don't want to use my phone much on vacation, it's still important to catch up in the morning with things. You can have them set up for your home, I've just been reading about them, and consider having them installed myself.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I agree it's a nice amenity to have onboard. I totally don't want to catch up with things in the morning. When I'm cruising, I want to be totally checked out form reality. There is a complete difference to cruising with and without wifi. I can give you an example. I had the included wifi package on one of my previous cruises and it was two weeks before I moved into a new home. I spent so much time trying to purchase items for the home and looking up decor/home essentials I got lost in the stress of moving. I wish I hadn't have the wifi package that cruise. I intentionally opt out of it because I feel disengaged from the whole purpose of vacation, resetting, resting, unwinding, unplugging, and recharging. All of those things can't happen when I'm still plugged into the obligations of life. Starlink is a great service, but for someone who doesn't cruise too often, I like not being in contact with the real world while cruising. 

[LukeJ]

@Kendall James-Vargas I can understand where you are coming from. While most of us who cruise do enjoy that stay away from reality, and enjoy your vacation, sometimes however there may be a need to use WiFi for whatever reason. So I do love the fact that fast internet through starlink are on the ships, just in case we may require it. But I personally do not see this as an invitation to go online at every opportunity I can.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ It's true the the opportunity to access reliable wifi is so important. Using wifi for whatever reason is a necessity now a days and the Starlink service made it that much better for guests! I think the checking in with reality thing should really be used in an emergency only basis unless you are obligated to work, but if you are obligated to work I just assume skip the cruise. It's a]a waste of time and resources to work while cruising and not get to fully get your money's worth out of the cruise experience. I value every ounce of the cruise experience and if you are working there is really no way you are utilizing the cruise vacation to its maximum capacity. 

[LukeJ]

@Kendall James-Vargas there was a time that I would never take my phone on vacation with me. I would leave it at home just to get away from the daily grind. I realise that I can't do that anymore as you would need your phone for something these days. Whether it would be for banking, booking excursion or maps or even translator, or simply for your own safety, it's best to take a phone away. But even then, there will be no need to go on all the time.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ That's the way to do it, but clearly I'm partial. You do "need" your phone for many things and even menus in the MDR's onboard a ship now (which I don't particularly like). Daily activities and schedules also pose a use for your phone onboard your cruise alongside just general picture taking. The thing about the phones naw a days is that they are compact, convenient, have good photo quality, have extra features, and are even waterproof! I have a friend that dunks her phone into the water all the time to take underwater images of her kids in the pool. The map is also important and even bank account information access is important. I wish I didn't have to use it for so much, but it's just the way it is in today's world. 

[LukeJ]

Absolutely spot on. I'm guilty of that too. Everyone goes on about going on phones but sometimes I find myself justifying myself for being on it. I hardly use it for googling something so there is a reason why I'm on it. As you say, I do banking, I pay all my bills, I do the shopping or my work I find myself on there. My life really is on this phone. So in that sense, I will be taking a break from it on the ships, but I will have to use it for maps, and paying for things and seeking information.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I do the same. I feel so attached to my phone. It's something I couldn't leave the house without. I rely on it almost like a safety net, but in reality my phone isn't important. It's almost irrelevant. A phone is a practical tool, but having access to things like your email all the time has created unrealistic expectations from people and employers. Employers expect immediate replies from their employees, and it doesn't matter where and where they are. It doesn't give employees a chance to disengage ever! The only way I can ever get my husband away from the worries of work and the never ending work emails is being in a place without cell service or wifi, which would in fact cause his frantic panic without lots of notice ahead of time. 

[LukeJ]

Yes I had to laugh because bosses do expect an instant response. Mine sends a very very late message out and wonders why nobody has done the thing she asks. I reply that she hasn't sent anything and when I look it was an email that had been sent out minutes before. It's totally unacceptable but I get grief because she can't do her job properly and give us adequate time. I use the phone to read the newspapers too. The price on a physical copy is disgusting so I read the online version. 

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ I understand that it's important for employees to be responsive and timely, but after hours it shouldn't be necessary! I happen to be really good about responding quickly, but what if I take a nap on my day off? It has to be seen as understandable when someone takes a few hours to respond on their off day. My husband feels responsible for his work all of the time. It's the first thing he checks when he wakes up, just in case. If something goes wrong, he's supposed to respond and correct the issue whether or not he is off. Many times he has to work through the weekends at out of town conferences, but since he's on a salary it's just expected he's there setting up even if it's a weekend and he's a Monday through Friday employee.

[LukeJ]

@3Sisters that's good that your husband feels the need to do that. However as for myself, I've spent years of being beaten down with a work stick, and now I take a new free attitude of I only do my job in the hours I'm supposed to be there. For years, I'd go out of my way to better my role, take the responsibility on, and come up with fresh ideas that will get that position on a higher keel. And my thanks normally, is either throw more things on me which aren't my role or reduce my hours because it's quiet. So now, I admit I take a hard line stance of only doing my work when I start and I finish when that click ticks to my finished time.

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ Good for you! I think that's the way to do it. You have to demand respect in order to be respected. It's not fair for someone to try and dictate your life like that. No one should have/want to have that kid of power over you. Typically when an employer sees whaat you can do, it becomes an expectation for you to take on more because you are capable without actually being compensated for that additional work. What's most upsetting is when others are doing much less and are less productive and aren't expected of as much because they work at a slower rate. It's almost like a punishment when you are too good! There has to be an end time for your sanity.