Carnival expands social media wi-fi access

After two rollouts of their popular social media access package, Carnival announced that soon their entire fleet will offer the package in 2016. With all Carnival ships involved and many of the other Carnival brands also offering similar packages, it is only a matter of time before all cruise companies provide inexpensive internet access to social media. When this happens look for an explosion of customer-generated cruise content all over social media.

That potential growth of cruise social media will be a win-win for the industry. Better access will make cruisers happy and more posts will serve as a great marketing tool for the cruise companies.

AIDA embraces onboard social media

As other cruise lines expand their wi-fi and internet access, AIDA announced something different. Their passengers can soon buy packages with access to various social media platforms for a flat rate. This seems like a smart move which will make for a better cruise experience and better marketing for AIDA.

Customers say they want more access to the internet onboard but much of that want is just social media. They want to keep in touch with friends and family and also want to share their adventures at sea. By enabling the social media sites and presumably blocking other sites, AIDA can save on bandwidth and keep customers happy. The posts, likes, pics and tweets will also help AIDA. Each message sent makes cruising top of mind and also makes it more accessible. 

Due to AIDA's ties with Carnival, this is probably a test for other cruise lines. Let's hope it goes well so we can all start sharing everything we did on our next cruise.

Silversea joins free Wi-Fi movement

When Viking Cruises announced they would include free Wi-Fi on the Viking Star, we wondered if other lines would follow. According to USA Today, Silversea Cruises also plans on rolling out a free wireless program in 2016. The luxury line won't go as far as Viking did in their initial introduction. Passengers will be eligible for one free hour a day. (Certain top suites will get include unlimited wireless.)

Expanding wi-fi and wireless options is a must for all cruise lines. The move by Silversea will likely be followed by another line soon. Long-term, this will be good for all cruise lines as it will bring in new passengers and serve as a huge marketing tool.

Getting better broadband on cruise ships

In case you missed it, certainly read Faraz Qureshi's commentary on the need for better broadband on cruise ships. While the broadband options and pricing have improved on some of the newer ships, there is still a long way to go. But as Qureshi points out adding better and more accessible broadband service would be a huge marketing tool for the industry. Imagine all the Facebook posts, Instagram pictures and Tweets that are not being sent aboard cruise ships now due to limitations or fear of international roaming charges. All that lost social media could be free marketing to the cruise companies as friends and families back home see what a great vacation a cruise can be.

The limitations of broadband at sea also impact those in the market who don't want to unplug on their vacations. For every person who wants to be away from their mobile device and related work, there are plenty who cannot or don't want to be away. The opportunity to multitask on vacation is essential. On a cruise ship that can be a challenge, where competing land vacations might not create the same issues.

The technology will catch up eventually. However, the cruise companies that get their first will have a great tool to reach new customers.