Cruise Buzz

The race is on …

Royal Caribbean Internet News:  Faster Internet and dramatically increased capacity has now arrived across the fleet at Royal Caribbean.  And coming soon to Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas .. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will launch uber-fast Internet communications through a brand new satellite technology.

Most cruise passengers that have used the Internet on a ship to check email or surf the web will agree that there is room for improvement. The two biggest complaints about Internet on ships revolve around unstable connectivity and cost. The good news is that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has taken significant steps over the past year to make things way better and is close to launching a new program that promises unprecedented faster service that will result in lower prices for cruise passengers.

Moving forward to goal of faster Internet on ships with Harris CapRock

During the Summer of 2012, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. announced that they were entering into a contract with Harris CapRock to provide digital services on Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity and Azamara cruise ships.  The new system, which is refereed to as a hybrid model, will mix various satellite  technologies as well as and land-based connectivity.   The system, which is now deployed, allows guests to purchase “Unlimited daily access” as well as a variety of other more economical packages.

Harris CapRock will also provide the onboard services for the ultra high speed O3b Maritime Network when it is deployed later this year on Oasis and Allure.

Implementing the rollout

Bill Martin, VP, CIO at Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. is determined to do his part to implement the new O3b Networks on Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. ships.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is committed to providing high-speed satellite-delivered broadband service.

In a recent interview, Bill demonstrated the challenges ships have when trying to send packets of data between two moving targets (the ship and a satellite).  In the past, the packets of data had to travel greater distances between two moving targets.  The new O3b technology  will utilize 8 -Middle-Earth-Orbit (MEO) satellites, which means a shorter distance for data to travel.  The direct result of this shorter distance is much faster service and unprecedented capacity.  Bill is optimistic that the product will bring the desired results guests are looking for regarding Internet speed at a price that will make staying connected at sea a reality for cruisers  (learn more about Satellites here).

 

(learn more about Sarellites here)

Besides access to closer satellites, the infrastructure of the network is getting improved.

Steve Collar, Chief Executive Officer at O3b Networks stated in a press release that “with O3b Maritime, Oasis of the Seas will experience connection speeds that are an order of magnitude higher and latency that is four times lower than offered in the market today. At O3b, we believe that affordable, high speed broadband should always be within reach – wherever you are in the world, on land and at sea – and we are delighted to showcase the unrivalled performance of O3b Maritime together with Royal Caribbean.”

The race is on. Cruise guests can expect to see the new technology starting summer 2013.  More than 8,000 guests, staff and crew members aboard the cruise industry leader’s flagship Oasis of the Seas will be the first to test O3b’s enhanced connectivity at sea as if connected to fiber at home or in the office.

www.o3bnetworks.com.