Blog | theICEway

Q1 2023 Cruise News

Written by Asa Sargeant | 29/03/23 13:35

It is hard to believe but we are approaching the end of March. Many of our team are at Seatrade Cruise Global right now, representing theICEway at the cruise industry’s biggest event. This is a key sector for us and so we always try to keep abreast of what is new. So, without further ado, here is our pick of the IT-related Q1 2023 Cruise News stories.

Jan 2023 Cruise News

Key cruise IT-related stories from January included:

- P&O Cruises’ second LNG-powered ship, Arvia, makes its inaugural call
- American Cruise Lines adds new Starlink satellite internet to their 2023 fleet
- Ambassador Cruise Line partners with OurTime dating App
- Intellian Expands Its XEO Series antennas (Cruise Industry News)
- Adora Cruises teams up with Shanghai Telecom for 5G connectivity
- San Diego cruise port shore power expansion completed
- Carnival Corporation expands Wi-Fi with SpaceX’s Starlink

So, there was a very tangible effort from cruise lines to increase connectivity at the start of 2023. Not much new there but it just goes to show how important it is for us to be online these days. In line with that, it is interesting to see Ambassador embracing online dating to add a new dimension to their offering. All in all then, a good amount of activity on the tech side of things in cruise – which is very much our wheelhouse!

Feb 2023 Cruise News

February was a far slower month for IT in the cruise industry, with one main story:

- Windstar Cruises launches Starlink Maritime high-speed satellite internet across its fleet

Interestingly, this update was also based around bandwidth, which just goes to show where priorities currently lay. As far as our IT experts are concerned, there is much that can be done to augment the cruise experience for guests and crew. Connectivity is vitally important, but so too is anything that can be done to make cruising smoother. Take our own tzChromar IT solution, for example, which takes time zone / time change management into the future.

Mar 2023 Cruise News

Finally, March saw a lot more ‘tech action’:

- Cruise lines are securely storing keys using Traka
- Lindblad Expeditions successfully using advanced Analytics in their digital strategy
- Quark announce continued high-quality internet with Marlink
- Crystal Serenity to feature shore power capabilities
- Cunard launching silent discos in on board nightclubs
- The World, Residences at Sea launches a new website
- MarineXchange set to launch an AI Solution (Cruise Industry News)

It is clear that there are a growing number of IT solutions for cruise which are being introduced to maximise efficiencies. Consistently, the key considerations are connectivity and the guest experience. Reducing human error and saving time are also emerging as tangible goals, and theICEway could not be more on board with that.

So there you have it, our Q1 2023 Cruise News round-up. From a tech perspective, did we miss anything major out? Feel free to get in touch and let us know!