Indiana-based American Queen Voyages (AQV) announced last week it is upgrading its Wi-Fi across its entire fleet of cruise lines to SpaceX’s Starlink internet.
Part of the Hornblower Group, AQV will upgrade its entire fleet of seven, which includes its cruise lines Rivers, Lakes & Oceans, and Expedition vessels.
The company says it is the first cruise line with an entire fleet to be fully upgraded with the fastest Starlink internet to go with 5G cellular backup.
“Upgrading our included Wi-Fi to Space X’s Starlink will enhance the guest and crew experience on all of our vessels,” says Cindy D’Aoust, president, American Queen Voyages, in a statement. “This new internet service will now allow guests to stay connected while deeply discovering North America, enjoying the comforts of at-home Wi-Fi at sea.”
According to AQV, Starlink internet will be installed, tested and ready on all vessels before they embark in 2023. American Queen, American Countess, and Ocean Navigator have already had Starlink installed and ready for guests and crew to use. Each ship has multiple maritime Starlink kits, offering far more bandwidth than before, while the FMC Global Sat 5G solution remains.
“FMC’s innovative solutions integrated with Starlink’s connectivity enables applications and services that require low latency and significant Mbps of bandwidth, that were, until now, considered unrealistic or cost prohibitive. We are pleased to help provide American Queen Voyage passengers and crew with best-in-class internet connectivity wherever they travel,” said Emmanuel Cotrel, Chief Executive Officer of FMC, in a statement.
Earlier this week, Windstar Cruises announced it would launch Starlink across its fleet, while last month Carnival Cruises said it would debut Starlink as well.
According to Nathan Owens this week, SpaceX’s Starlink Maritime offering expanded globally, according to an update on its website. SpaceX says Starlink Maritime is now available to order in the following countries:
