Ah, picturesque Juneau, Alaska—where the allure of lush forests, cascading waterfalls, and majestic glaciers draws as many as 16,000 cruise passengers a day. The downside? The constant influx of visitors is putting a strain on local infrastructure.
Royal Caribbean Group — operations Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruise And Silversea Cruise — has partnered with Alaska Native company Goldbelt, Inc. to eliminate the problem of slow, unreliable Wi-Fi at the port by bringing Starlink to several public areas and businesses in Juneau.
You might think that connectivity wouldn’t be a big concern for those visiting the remote, nature-filled capital of the 49th state, which is only accessible by air or sea, but it turns out that’s not the case. When the port is at capacity, as many as six ships can call there in a single day. With so many people in town, the public Wi-Fi provided by local businesses is often difficult to use and frustrating for both visitors and locals.
“The number one complaint this summer has been slow internet speeds on busy downtown days,” McHugh Pierre, Goldbelt’s president and CEO, said in a press release. “We’re excited to partner with Royal Caribbean Group to explore solutions and add satellite internet capacity to the town. This project will provide locals and visitors with a better internet experience every day of the week.”
Installation began the week of August 26 at the Goldbelt Light Rail Station and will continue north on Franklin Street. The full scope of the pilot program will be activated in the coming weeks. As each new hub becomes available, commuters, other visitors, and locals will be able to connect for free and stay connected through a seamless network as they move around downtown Juneau.
Royal Caribbean is not new to Starlink, which is being developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. In 2022, the Royal Caribbean family of brands will be the first to commit to add Starlink to your ship for faster connections at sea, enabling everything from surfing the internet and checking email to video calling and streaming.
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The marinas where Royal Caribbean ships dock also offer connectivity to passengers, but this is the first time a cruise line has equipped a large portion of its central onshore port area with Wi-Fi.
“We are constantly looking for innovative solutions to support our communities and enhance the travel experience for both residents and guests,” said Preston Carnahan, vice president of West Coast Destinations for Royal Caribbean Group. “Our new pilot program aims to reduce internet congestion and provide more bandwidth to local residents while also providing internet connectivity to our guests from ship to shore.”
The airline’s statement also stressed the need for user feedback to assess the program’s effectiveness and determine whether similar initiatives should be rolled out at other ports.
For years, Juneau County officials have heard complaints that the influx of cruise ship passengers is detracting from people’s enjoyment of the city. On June 3, several major cruise lines — including Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and others who are members of the International Association of Cruise Lines — agreed total number of ships limit There are five trips daily and the total number of passengers is 16,000 from Sunday to Friday and 12,000 on Saturday.
Want to learn more about Alaska cruises? Check out our other articles below.
