Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady ship is equipped with a connectivity solution that combines SES and Starlink offerings. Photo: Virgin Voyages

Virgin Voyages will be the first cruise operator to deploy an integrated SES Cruise mPOWERED + Starlink PRO offering to its customers. Combining Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) and Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite coverage, it will provide connectivity of up to 1.5 Gbps per ship. Launched in 2021, Virgin Voyages offers adult-only voyages and sails to more than 100 ports around the world. SES announced the deal Feb. 26.

Virgin Voyages will deploy a new level of its ‘Pretty Fly for a Wi-Fi’ connected experiences for thousands of passengers. Passengers will have unlimited Wi-Fi access across multiple devices with no data limits to support social media, video calls, and more. In addition to boosting the passenger experience, connectivity delivered by SES Cruise mPOWERED + Starlink PRO service aims to maintain strong operation levels for Virgin Voyages’ crew as well.

“Our exclusively adult cruise experiences are underpinned by unmatched levels of connectivity at sea that mirror those available on land, so we are excited to partner with SES to offer our guests and crew this level of connectivity, which is unlike any other in the market,” Steven Worling, senior director of Infrastructure & Security, Virgin Voyages, said in a statement.

This follows after SES announced in September 2023 that it would integrate Starlink connectivity into a solution for the cruise industry.