ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Carnival Corp. announced Monday it will offer a long-range, broadband wireless Internet network on all of its 101 ships across nine cruise line brands.
The Miami-based cruise ship company says WiFi@ Sea will use a combination of strategically located land-based antennas installed along cruise routes, Wi-Fi from a port connection, and advanced satellites to offer onboard Internet.
Cruise ships currently have Internet packages and cafes, but the connectivity has traditionally been slow.
Company officials said passengers have asked for a faster network in recent years. It also is trying to lure tech-savvy millennials toward cruise-ship vacations.
“In the past, people wanted to be on vacation and be disconnected,” said Ramon Millan, senior vice president and global chief information officer for Carnival Corp. “Recently, we’ve found that people want to be connected.”
Pricing will vary by brand upon service rollout, which has already started on some ships.
