Princess Cruises has announced the launch of MedallionNet Max, a new level of onboard Wi-Fi service that will meet the growing demands of today’s intensively digitally connected travelers and continue expanding the cruise vacation market. MedallionNet Max will be available exclusively in Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages.
Since 2018, Princess has led the industry on high-performance onboard Wi-Fi, aggressively adopting service new satellite constellations, including a Wi-Fi access point in every stateroom on every ship and ensuring that Wi-Fi service access is simple and hassle-free. Princess is the only cruise operator that has adopted every source of bandwidth spanning the globally deployed fleet, including LEO (Starlink), MEO, GEO satellite constellations, as well as 5G terrestrial.
Introducing MedallionNet Max
Princess will now offer two tiers of Wi-Fi service: MedallionNet Classic and MedallionNet Max. MedallionNet Classic will offer the same service performance, reliability, and global coverage that Princess guests enjoy today. MedallionNet Max will now be the highest-performing service tier, with prioritized access to the highest-quality and highest-performance bandwidth available anywhere in the world, which is typically Starlink.
MedallionNet Max will only be available in the brand’s industry-leading bundles – Princess Plus and Princess Premier. These packages are engineered to give guests the maximum experience and value.
A la carte pricing for MedallionNet Classic remains $24.99 per day for a single-device plan and $44.99 per day for a multi-device plan. Consistent with the cruise brand’s relentless focus on personalized and hassle-free service, guests will not have to do anything different onboard to access the different services.
As indicated on the Princess app, the appropriate service level will be assigned based on each guest’s package. A single guest network will remain, reducing guest confusion related to network names or any complications added to the onboard experience.
To preview the new service tier, Princess Cruises will host the first-ever land/sea custom UGC competition, leveraging a custom Minecraft world – Princess Cruises Nautical Quest. The August 7 match-up will feature 32 of the world’s most popular UGC players, with eight of the gamers – Shubble, Krinios, Fruitberries, vGumiho, Sneegsnag, JimmyHere, Smajor, and Hannahxxrose – competing aboard Enchanted Princess in the Caribbean against 24 others who will play from home as millions of fans tune in to watch online.
“Just like we did when we launched MedallionNet Classic almost seven years ago, Princess continues to ensure guests have access to the highest performing connectivity available at industry-leading value,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises. “By including MedallionNet Max in our incredible bundles, we are guaranteeing the best possible onboard experience with the best value anywhere in the world as our guests explore over 330 destinations via our world-class globally deployed fleet.”
A History of Upping the Connectivity Ante
In early 2018, Princess established a new connectivity standard for guests on its cruise ships by smashing the bandwidth-at-sea world record with the initial launch of its MedallionNet connectivity service aboard Regal Princess. At a time when the industry average was 10-20 Mbps per ship, Regal Princess reached 2.25 Gbps, demonstrating there were no practical limits to progressing shipboard connectivity. Since that time, the connectivity landscape has changed dramatically with Starlink, with onboard Wi-Fi increasingly becoming a commodity. However, Princess will continue to ensure connectivity experience differentiation by making it the best value and most hassle-free experience possible.
While MedallionNet Max will only be available within the inclusive Princess Plus and Princess Premier bundles, guests opting to sail with the standard Princess vacation package still will be able to purchase MedallionNet Classic connectivity with no change to pricing.
In addition to premium connectivity, guests opting for the inclusive Princess Plus and Princess Premier will also enjoy popular amenities like beverages, casual dining, desserts, complimentary room service, fitness classes, crew gratuities and more at an even greater savings of up 65% than when the inclusive package amenities are purchased separately.
Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel advisor by calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237) or by visiting the company’s website at www.princess.com.