For years, staying online on a cruise involved an unpleasant choice: buy the ship’s Wi-Fi package, accept patchy connectivity, or leave mobile data on and hope the bill did not become the most memorable part of the holiday. That choice is starting to change.

Red Bull MOBILE has introduced cruise-specific eSIM packages connecting through two established maritime mobile networks, Telenor Maritime and Wireless Maritime Services (WMS). The interesting part is not simply that another travel eSIM now works at sea. Cruise connectivity is beginning to look more like ordinary mobile connectivity — with competing access models, data packages and increasingly seamless movement between ship and shore.

Cruise eSIM gets real

Red Bull MOBILE’s setup is simple on the surface. Travellers install the eSIM before departure, identify their exact cruise ship and buy the package matching the maritime operator installed onboard.

For Telenor Maritime ships, Red Bull MOBILE currently lists 250 MB for €5 and 1 GB for €15, valid for 30 days. Its WMS option costs €22 for 1 GB. Cruise & Land versions cost €6 or €18 on Telenor Maritime and €25 for 1 GB on WMS.

That last option is probably the more interesting one. Instead of treating the ship and every port as separate connectivity problems, the eSIM continues working ashore in supported destinations.

One ship, one network

There is an important limitation: passengers cannot simply choose Telenor Maritime because its Red Bull MOBILE package is cheaper. The network is determined by the vessel.

Red Bull MOBILE gives the example of AIDAnova using Telenor Maritime, while Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas uses WMS. Travellers therefore need to check the vessel before buying.

READ MORE: Saily Launches Cruise eSIM Plans as Connectivity Moves Beyond the Airport

Technically, the phone connects to a cellular network installed on the ship. That network then uses satellite capacity for the connection back to land. WMS says it operates mobile networks on more than 200 cruise ships and has 400-plus roaming partners, integrating satellite providers including Starlink.

This also explains why cruise eSIM performance should not be confused with the latest ship Wi-Fi. GigSky, which sells maritime eSIM plans, says typical cellular-at-sea speeds range from roughly 700 Kbps to 4 Mbps. Fine for WhatsApp, email, maps and light browsing. Less appealing for two hours of Teams calls followed by Netflix.

Wi-Fi is not disappearing

Starlink has materially improved the other side of the equation.

Royal Caribbean now offers Starlink-based VOOM across its fleet for streaming, video calls and remote work. Regent Seven Seas completed Starlink installation across its fleet in 2024, while Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has also been rolling the technology through its brands.

So the better question is no longer “Wi-Fi or eSIM?” It is what kind of connectivity you need.

READ MORE: Maya Mobile Pushes Cruise eSIMs Forward

A couple mostly messaging and checking maps may find a small maritime eSIM more sensible than buying Wi-Fi access for multiple devices. A remote worker moving between a laptop, tablet and phone will probably still prefer ship Wi-Fi when sustained bandwidth matters.

The 1 GB ceiling on Red Bull MOBILE’s current cruise packages makes that distinction clear. These are connectivity plans, not home broadband in the middle of the Mediterranean.

The roaming trap

There is another reason this category matters: traditional maritime roaming can still be surprisingly expensive.

The European Commission warns that EU “Roam Like at Home” rules apply to terrestrial mobile networks, not non-terrestrial networks used aboard ships and aircraft. A phone automatically attaching to a satellite-backed maritime network can therefore fall outside normal EU roaming price protections.

WMS says Cellular at Sea activates in international waters and charges depend on the traveller’s mobile operator. Princess and Oceania similarly warn that onboard cellular use is billed through the home carrier at maritime roaming rates.

READ MORE: GigSky Expands Cruise eSIM Coverage to 280 Ships Worldwide

Some operators now sell cruise passes. AT&T, for example, offers a Cruise Day Pass on qualifying ships. WMS markets its own Cruise+ eSIM, while GigSky says its cruise service covers more than 290 ships and 200-plus destinations on land.

That competition is useful. It also makes the market messier.

The next battle is simplicity

Red Bull MOBILE has a credible proposition, particularly for travellers who want modest amounts of data and do not want a full ship Wi-Fi package. But the experience could be cleaner.

Making passengers identify the vessel, understand which maritime operator serves it and then select the corresponding plan is better than roaming roulette, but it is not invisible connectivity. Ideally, the purchase flow would ask for the cruise line and ship, then choose the correct network automatically. Larger data tiers would also broaden the appeal.

READ MORE: One Plan, Multiple eSIMs, Cruise & In-flight Data – Meet UFO SIM

GigSky is already pushing the “one eSIM for sea and land” story hard, while WMS controls much of the underlying onboard cellular footprint and can sell through carrier roaming and direct eSIM products. Ship Wi-Fi, meanwhile, keeps improving.

Conclusion

The biggest change here is not Red Bull MOBILE adding cruise packages. It is that cruise connectivity is finally becoming competitive at several layers at once.

Starlink is improving ship Wi-Fi. WMS and Telenor Maritime provide onboard cellular. GigSky, Red Bull MOBILE and other eSIM players package that infrastructure for travellers. Mobile operators are countering with daily cruise passes.

That leaves the eSIM in a useful middle position: more predictable than accidental maritime roaming, lighter than buying Wi-Fi for an entire sailing, but not necessarily right for heavy internet users.

The companies that win will not be those shouting about the cheapest gigabyte. They will be those that make the network boundary disappear — airport, port, ship, open sea, port again — without forcing travellers to understand who operates each piece underneath.

Cruise connectivity is becoming an orchestration problem. That is a much more interesting market than “internet at sea.”