Princess Cruises establishes a new industry standard with the availability of an unprecedented level of bandwidth while at sea. Working alongside MedallionNet and SES Networks, Princess Cruises aims to offer passengers bandwidth of 1.5 gigabits per second, the most a cruise ship has ever delivered to a mobile platform, outperforming most land-based hotel connectivity levels.

“With MedallionNet, the best WiFi at sea, the extraordinary experience of a cruise vacation is further enhanced by superior connectivity and coverage — providing our guests who want to stay connected with a connectivity experience that equals or exceeds what they experience on land,” said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer, Carnival Corporation. “…Guests can have a connected experience that parallels land-based Wi-Fi, making it exceptionally easy for our guests to share photos, videos and messages about their fabulous vacation. Cruise vacations are already the fastest-growing segment of the vacation sector and eliminating any connectivity barriers will make cruise vacations even more desirable.”

If all goes according to plan, the planned connectivity peaks onboard Regal Princess off Princess Cays, one of the brand’s private islands in the outer Bahamas. The 1.5 gigabits per second equates to more than 6,000 users simultaneously surfing the web or 1,500 Netflix subscribers streaming television or movies.

“MedallionNet puts to rest the notion that connectivity at sea will never be as fast or reliable as your broadband at home,” said Steve Collar, CEO, SES Networks. “Powered by our O3b fleet of MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) satellites and complemented by our GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) constellation, we are not only able to exceed average land-based bandwidth capabilities, but also able to set a new industry apex for guest connectivity experience.”

MedallionNet service is available to cruisers on Medallion Class ships, where guests enjoy unlimited access starting at $10 per day for one device.