When you’re sipping on a latte at a local café, roaming the aisles of a shopping mall, or waiting for your car at a dealership, you’re probably not thinking about paying for internet access. In 2024, free WiFi is nearly ubiquitous on land. Yet, the moment you step onto a cruise ship, suddenly that “free” WiFi disappears, replaced by steep daily charges that can add up over the course of a trip. With airlines like United recently announcing plans to offer free Starlink WiFi across their fleet, you might wonder, “Why are cruise lines still charging for WiFi?” Let’s dive into the details and uncover why free WiFi at sea is still a distant dream.
The Evolution of WiFi on Cruises: From Painfully Slow to Starlink Fast
Cruise ship WiFi has come a long way from the days of snail-paced dial-up-like connections, when sending a single email felt like a Herculean task. Fast forward to today, almost all major cruise lines have switched to Starlink, the high-speed satellite internet service from SpaceX. Starlink has revolutionized internet access at sea, offering speeds that are light years ahead of older-generation shipboard WiFi. Reviews from cruisers rave about how they can now stream movies, participate in Zoom calls, and browse social media without constantly waiting for pages to load.
However, all this technological improvement hasn’t translated to more affordable (let alone free) internet access. As of September 2024, cruise lines like Carnival charge $21.25 per day for their premium WiFi service per device, while Royal Caribbean charges $29.99 per day. Holland America even tops out at $34.99 per day for a single device. When you’re sailing with a family of four over a seven-day cruise, these costs can balloon to several hundred dollars just to stay connected. There are ways to save, such as pre-paying for WiFi or purchasing bundles like Holland America’s “Have it All” package or Princess’ “Princess Plus,” but these still don’t come close to the land-based expectation of “free.”
United Airlines and Free WiFi: Will Cruise Lines Follow Suit?
When United Airlines announced on September 13, 2024, that they’d be offering free Starlink WiFi on their fleet of 1,000 planes by the end of 2025, it sparked a glimmer of hope among cruise passengers. After all, if airlines can do it, why can’t cruise ships? Both are moving vehicles, both cater to large numbers of passengers, and both now have access to Starlink technology. So, what’s the holdup on the high seas?
Well, let’s not get our hopes up just yet. Unlike an airplane cruising through the stratosphere for a few hours, cruise ships are floating cities that are often out at sea for days or weeks on end. According to Royal Caribbean’s president, Michael Bayley, who bluntly addressed the topic of free WiFi in a Q&A session in July 2024, “Are we going to give free WiFi? No. We got to pay a ton, a ton, a ton of money for WiFi.”
The Cost of Starlink for Cruise Lines: Why It’s Not as Simple as You Think
Cruise lines pay a hefty price to provide internet access in the middle of the ocean. While the exact costs are closely guarded secrets, it’s safe to assume they’re sky-high. For a bit of perspective, if you own a yacht and want to install Starlink Maritime to stay connected while sailing the world, you’d be looking at a $1,000-per-month price tag. That’s just for one boat with a few people, not a massive cruise ship housing thousands of guests and crew members.
The technology involved in bringing Starlink internet to cruise ships isn’t as simple as just flicking a switch. Starlink’s satellite network orbits the Earth in low-Earth orbit (LEO), which allows for much faster data speeds and lower latency compared to traditional geostationary satellites. However, to connect a ship in the middle of the ocean, the cruise line must have specialized satellite receivers and infrastructure capable of maintaining a steady connection, even as the ship moves through different satellite coverage zones.
Unlike a stationary restaurant or hotel on land, a cruise ship is constantly on the move, often zigzagging across multiple time zones and latitudes. This requires a seamless handoff between satellites, which in turn demands more advanced and expensive technology. Cruise lines need to install powerful antennas and infrastructure to ensure this handoff happens smoothly. Then there’s the bandwidth—if thousands of people onboard want to stream Netflix at the same time, you can bet that bandwidth isn’t cheap.
Why Offering Free WiFi Isn’t a Good Business Move for Cruise Lines
Even if a cruise line wanted to offer free WiFi, there’s a simple business reason they don’t: it’s a money-maker. Charging for WiFi is an easy way for cruise lines to bolster their bottom lines without much effort. And when guests have to pay for WiFi, they’re more likely to unplug and engage with other onboard experiences—experiences that, surprise, often come with additional fees, like specialty dining, shore excursions, and spa treatments.
Also, consider the cruise line’s core business model. Most cruise lines operate on a highly discounted ticket pricing strategy. They lure you in with a seemingly affordable cruise fare, then make up for the discount with onboard spending. This is why you often see promotions like “$99 per person for a 3-night cruise!” Sure, you can get onboard cheaply, but the WiFi, cocktails, shore excursions, and even some onboard activities aren’t included in that price.
Moreover, even if airlines like United are starting to offer free WiFi, the comparison isn’t exactly apples-to-apples. Airlines can afford to do this because their flights are relatively short in duration compared to a multi-day or week-long cruise. The bandwidth needs on an airplane, even a large one, are much lower than those of a cruise ship packed with vacationers looking to share photos, stream movies, and maybe even squeeze in a little work.
Will We Ever See Free WiFi on Cruises?
While free WiFi for all passengers remains unlikely in the near future, there is some hope for select passengers. Cruise lines offer complimentary WiFi as a perk for loyalty members, casino players, or those who book premium packages. Think of it as a “thank you” for their continued patronage or for spending big onboard. We’ve already seen some cruise lines, like Princess and Holland America, bundling WiFi into their higher-tier packages, but “free for everyone” isn’t on the horizon.
Loyalty programs are another potential avenue for free WiFi. Higher-tier loyalty members often receive various perks like free specialty dining or even a free drink package. It wouldn’t be a stretch to add WiFi to that list for the most loyal cruisers. Casino deals could be another angle—spend a certain amount of time (or money) in the onboard casino, and you might get WiFi thrown in as a comp.
The bottom line is that free WiFi for the masses on cruise ships is not happening anytime soon. Cruise lines will continue to charge for it, perhaps at slightly reduced rates or bundled into certain packages. For the most part, passengers will need to budget for this “luxury” if they want to stay connected at sea.
Until then, savvy cruisers will have to keep looking for those pre-cruise deals, loyalty perks, and package promotions if they want to save a few bucks on staying connected. And who knows? Maybe one day, the tides will turn, and free WiFi will be as common on a cruise as the towel animals left on your bed each night. But don’t hold your breath—it’s likely still a long way off.