Royal Caribbean fixes Alaska Cruise Infrastructure Issue
Ah Juneau in Alaska, where lush forests, cascading falls and majestic glaciers attract up to 16,000 cruise passengers per day. The downside? The constant influx of visitors is putting a strain on local infrastructure.
Royal Caribbean Group — which operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises — has partnered with Alaska Native corporation Goldbelt, Inc., to eliminate the problem of slow, unreliable Wi-Fi in port by bringing Starlink to several public areas and Juneau businesses.
Serenade of the Seas in Juneau, Alaska. GENE SLOAN/THE POSTS GUY
Connectivity might not seem like a major concern when visiting Alaska’s capital city, Juneau, which is only accessible by air or water. But it is. Up to six ships may dock at the port in one day when it is fully occupied. When there are so many people in the town, it can be difficult to use public Wi-Fi provided by local businesses. This is frustrating for both locals and visitors. We are thrilled to work with Royal Caribbean Group on a solution to increase satellite internet capacity in town. This project will allow locals and tourists to have better internet experiences every day. “
Installation began the week of Aug. 26 at the Goldbelt Tram Lower Terminal and will continue north on Franklin Street. In the next few weeks, the full pilot program will be implemented. As each new hub becomes available, passengers, other visitors and locals will be able to connect for free and stay connected via one seamless network as they move about Juneau’s downtown.
Royal Caribbean isn’t new to Starlink, which was developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. In 2022, the Royal Caribbean family of brands was the first to commit to adding Starlink to its ships for faster connections at sea that allow everything from surfing the internet and checking email to video calling and streaming.
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Cruise terminals where Royal Caribbean home ports its ships also provide connectivity for passengers, but this is the first time a cruise line has outfitted a large part of a downtown port area ashore with Wi-Fi.
“We are constantly striving to find innovative solutions to support our communities and enhance the travel experience for residents and cruise guests alike,” Preston Carnahan, associate vice president of West Coast destinations for Royal Caribbean Group, said. Our new pilot program is designed to relieve internet congestion, provide additional bandwidth to locals and to ensure internet connectivity from ship to land. The line also emphasizes the need for feedback from users to evaluate the program and determine if similar initiatives will roll out in other port cities. On June 3, several major cruise lines — including Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and others that are members of the Cruise Lines International Association — agreed to limit the total number of ships per day to five and the total number of passengers to 16,000 Sunday through Friday and 12,000 on Saturdays.
Want to learn more about Alaska cruises? See our other articles.
