Carnival Corporation, the largest cruise company in the world, announces that it will be the first in the cruise industry to have the first-of-its-kind hybrid wireless network. It will be available on all of its 101 ships which are under all of its 9 brands.
The high-speed wireless network service will definitely revolutionize the way ship passengers stay connected while on cruise. Moreover, it can help to draw a bigger interest in cruise vacations particularly to the tech-savvy millennial generation passengers.
"We believe it will also help us attract new cruisers," said Ramon Millan, senior vice president and global chief information officer for Carnival.
The WiFi@Sea network will be powered by land-based satellites and antennas that are strategically positioned along the routes of the cruise. The service, which was introduced in the Caribbean this year, will have a global expansion, making it available to its 101 ships by 2016. The current plan includes expanding the service to Alaska in summer of 2015 which will be extended to the Baltic, Mediterranean, Asian and European regions in 2015 and 2016. Eventually, the high-speed wireless network technology will become available on all of the company's nine leading global brands. These would be Seabourn, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia, P&O Cruises UK, Holland America Line, Cunard, Costa Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, and AIDA Cruises.
"This is a major technology breakthrough designed to enhance the cruise experience for our passengers," said Millan. He added that some guests "are interested in disconnecting and others are interested in staying in touch with their world back home."
Apart from using satellites, the cruise company will also have wireless luggage tracking service for passengers and an app which the guests can use to book appointments at the spa, reserve seats in the restaurant, and show tickets from a smartphone.
"These investments are costly, but they are critical to the long-term success of our company and they should provide very short paybacks," said Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean.
Internet service at sea is now an important amenity for passengers in a cruise ship who still want to keep in touch with friends and families while enjoying their vacation. Ship operators see this trend as an opportunity to attract new passengers when people on board the ship can promote cruising through Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites.
Pricing of the wireless network service will vary and will depend on which of the nine brands the passengers are sailing.
