cruises

Have you ever wondered how fast cruise ships go? We have the answer!

When you’re on a cruise ship, which is essentially a large floating resort, you often forget the ship is moving.

No one takes a cruise to get from one destination to another in record time—cruising is supposed to be leisurely. However, at the end of the day, cruise ships need to get from port to port…so how fast is that exactly?

The very first thing to know about how fast cruise ships go is that their speed is not measured in mph (miles per hour) like a vehicle, instead ship speed is measured in knots.

What is a Knot in Nautical Terms?

According to NOAA, one knot represents 1 nautical mile per hour. And one nautical mile is the equivalent of 1.15 miles on land. The nautical mile measures distance and the knot measures speed. Easy enough.

When you’re on a cruise ship during a sea day, for example, the ship is usually sailing at “cruising speed”. This is a fuel-efficient and comfortable speed and what we usually think of when cruising. We know the ship is moving but it’s not going crazy fast and is often undetectable during calm seas.

On average, cruise ship cruising speed is about 20 knots per hour. 

How Fast is a Knot in Miles Per Hour?

With a nautical mile being approximately 1.15 miles, we can calculate an average cruise ship cruising speed of 20 knots to equal 23 mph. That’s not incredibly fast, which is why, along with the large size and weight of a cruise ship, it’s hard to feel like the ship is moving at all…which is a good thing!

How Fast Do Cruise Ships Go?

Cruising speed is pretty much the standard for cruise ships, this is normal operating speed. So for the sake of answering how fast cruise ships go, it’s around 23 mph, give or take. 

What is a Cruise Ships Top Speed?

Cruise ships do have a top speed, with the absolute fastest cruise ship, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, reaching 30 knots or 34.5 mph. It’s incredibly rare for a cruise ship to reach its top speed.

Knowing how fast cruise ships go is important because it keeps you informed as a traveler (and who doesn’t love random facts or an answer to a potential trivia question!?) and for apprehensive or new cruisers it gives a point of reference when sailing. Cruise ships are not moving incredibly fast—so enjoy your time at sea!

Did you know you can track cruise ships? There is a cruise ship tracker! Here’s everything you need to know for cruise ship tracking.

As an avid traveler (and a bit of a geek!), I love tracking flights when my family travels. For air travel, our go-to is FlightAware. To track a specific flight anywhere in the world you simply go to the website and enter either the flight number or route and voilà…you can see where an aircraft is in real time along with all the data that goes along with it! 

Cruise Ship Tracker

I have been using FlightAware for YEARS, but up until recently, I was unaware that there is a cruise ship tracker for cruise lines around the world!

The website I use is called CruiseMapper, and it’s essentially real-time cruise ship tracking of ships actively sailing or in port.

You can search by the cruise line to see the location of all ships of the specific line; by cruise ship name, to see the location of that specific vessel; or by cruise port, to see which ships are currently docked at that location. The technology here is SO COOL!

How to Track a Cruise Ship

CruiseMapper is not the only cruise ship tracking tool. I use this website because it is very user-friendly and hones mostly on cruise ships versus every vessel at sea.

The data on CruiseMapper and similar websites for ship tracking come from the ships’ AIS (automatic identification system) transponders — The International Maritime Organization requires cruise ships and other large vessels to broadcast their positions with this system to avoid collisions.

If you want positions and data for ALL vessels using AIS, MarineTraffic is for you. Personally, this gives me TOO MUCH data, especially if I’m only looking to track a specific cruise ship or line. Still, a VERY COOL (and completely free) tool to play around with.

Why Track a Cruise Ship

Honestly, it’s just fun! I tend to use cruise ship tracking when my friends or family are sailing and I’m curious to see their real-time location. If I’m getting ready to sail on a new ship I might take a peek and what other ships are nearby on the same route.

In addition to location, you can access ship speed, number of passengers, where the ship is headed, and full route including all ports of call.

One of the most common questions that first-time and newer cruisers ask is Do Cruise Ships Have Wifi? We have the good (and not-so-good) news!

First and foremost, the good news: ALL cruise ships on major cruise lines (we’re talking Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Disney, Holland America, Princess…and the list goes on..) have wifi on their cruise ships. This also goes for luxury cruise lines such Viking, Crystal, Windstar…once again the list goes on.

At the top of our head we can’t think of a single mainstream cruise line that doesn’t have wifi.

Wi-Fi is absolutely a standard in the cruise industry, and every year, as technology advances, it gets better and better.

If you haven’t sailed in a few years you will be blown away at the difference in wifi speed today versus just a couple of years ago. It’s like night and day!

The not-so-good news, and this is only if you REALLY need to use wifi on a cruise ship, is that it is still unreliable. Even with advanced tech and satellites, you have to remember you’re on a moving ship in the ocean.

For example, don’t expect to have a Zoom, Skype or Teams meeting at sea and have the connection go smoothly— some cruise line plans promise the fastest possible connections, however service when you need it is unpredictable. That may seem silly, but with so many of us working remotely, it’s a valid question/concern.

If you just want to post on social media or check your email, you’re golden. Most cruise lines have tiered wifi packages for different speeds, in case you want to stream Netflix or YouTube, for example. The price of internet service at sea increases as speed increases.

Another thing to remember is that cruise ship wifi quality varies by ship and line.

Do Cruise Ships Have Free Wifi?

The next big question after if there is wifi on cruise ships is do cruise ships have FREE wifi.

This one is a little trickier. The answer is sometimes— it depends on the cruise line OR package you choose when you book your cruise.

Cruise Lines with Free Wifi

Most luxury cruise lines offer complimentary wifi with basic connectivity as a minimum (Streaming may be an additional charge depending on the line). Viking, Oceania, Seabourn, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas and Virgin Cruises all come to mind for offering free wi-fi.

How to get free wifi on cruise ships

If you’re not sailing on a luxury cruise line, there are still ways to get free wifi. The most common is to book a package with a wifi included perk.

Norwegian Cruise Line often has a “Free at Sea” program where wifi can be selected as a perk when booking your cruise directly through their website (other perks include open bar, specialty dining and shore excursions).

Additionally, if you book a cruise and receive any kind of free onboard credit, that can usually be applied to cruise wifi packages.

How Much Do You Pay for Wifi on a Cruise

Wifi package prices vary greatly by cruise line. Here are some current wifi plan prices, at the time of writing this post, for three of the most popular cruise lines. This will give you a general idea of what to expect to pay for wifi on a cruise.

Carnival Cruise Line Internet Packages & Prices

The prices below are when booked in advance of your cruise through Carnival.com. On-board internet packages are 15% higher.

• Social Wi-Fi Plan – Starting At $10.20 /person per day
• Value Wi-Fi Plan – Starting At $14.45 /person per day
• Premium Wi-Fi Plan – Starting At $17.00 /person per day

Norwegian Cruise Line Internet Packages & Prices

The prices below are for a single device. Norwegian offers higher-priced packages for connectivity for two and four devices as well.

• Unlimited Wi-Fi Package – 1 Device $25.50 USD (Online price per day) $29.99 USD (Onboard price per day)
• Unlimited Premium Wi-Fi Package – 1 Device $34.99 USD (Online price per day) $39.99 USD (Onboard price per day)

Royal Caribbean Internet Packages & Prices

At the moment Royal Caribbean is not displaying the prices of their internet packages without a cruise reservation as prices vary by ship and length of cruise. The prices below are what we know from previous cruises and may have increased. Royal Caribbean claims to have the fastest internet speeds at sea with their VOOM high-speed internet service which is in partnership with Starlink.

• Surf Package – $12.99-$15.99 per device per day
• Surf & Stream – $17.99-$19.99 per device per day

Cruise Ship Wifi Tips

If you’re on a cruise and need to do work or send out an important email, etc. be sure to purchase a premium wifi package. This will be the most expensive of the ship’s wifi offerings which is the fastest and almost always offers streaming .

The time of day you work online is also important. Try to avoid access when everyone else on board is online and connected to wifi— during the afternoon on a sea day, for example. Port days when everyone is off the ship are great times for essential work. We know from experience that as fun as cruise vacations can be, there are times when you need to stay connected — so no judgment here!

Our best luck with cruise ship wifi is early in the morning, when many passengers sleep in, or later in the evening when guests are enjoying onboard entertainment or winding down for bed.

In summary, all mainstream cruise ships have access to wifi so you can stay connected on your cruise vacation.