{mprestriction ids="1,2"}Germany-based TUI Cruises is a joint venture between TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises. Headquartered in Hamburg, TUI Cruises’ ships sail across the globe from the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas in Europe; to the Canary Islands; to the Caribbean in the Americas; to greater Asia, with various channels in between.

The new VSAT service will use 2.4-metre multi-band antenna systems to connect to Panasonic’s global Ku-band broadband satellite network, with the deal marking the first cruise connectivity contract for Panasonic and ITC Global.

Installation and commissioning for the first of the sister ships, Mein Schiff 1, was finalised in March and the vessel successfully completed its maiden voyage in May. Mein Schiff 2 is currently under construction at Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland and is set to join the TUI Cruises fleet in March 2019.

“TUI Cruises is recognised as one of the most successful cruise brands, known for its premium, all-inclusive concept,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO at ITC Global and senior vice president, global network operations at Panasonic Avionics Corporation.

“With this contract award, Panasonic and ITC Global have a unique opportunity to further elevate the brand in consumer markets through maximising the user connectivity experience, most notably for TUI Cruises’ guests – whether that’s through making it possible for professionals to manage work responsibilities while spending time away with family, or by enabling social media enthusiasts to share vacation highlights in real-time with friends and family back home.”

“Our job is to manage all aspects of the communications solution so that TUI Cruises is focused on what they do best – creating a memorable guest experience onboard. We take this responsibility seriously and look forward to continuing to work closely with the customer in delivering the advanced technologies required to make this possible.”{/mprestriction}