Do charter yachts have Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi on charter yachts comes in three flavors.

1. Cellular hotspot (most common). A cellular-modem router on the vessel, usually with an AT&T or Verizon unlimited plan. Coverage is strong in Biscayne Bay, the Intracoastal, and within 5-10 miles of shore. Expect 10-50 Mbps with typical cellular variability.

2. Starlink Marine (growing fast). A Starlink dish mounted to the radar arch, providing 100+ Mbps anywhere in coastal waters and throughout the Bahamas. Owners running multi-day or Bahamas-bound charters have adopted Starlink rapidly since 2023. Pricing: $250/month service plus the hardware.

3. Marina Wi-Fi. Most marinas provide free or credentialed Wi-Fi for guests alongside. Usable for docked provisioning and downloads; not relevant underway.

Things to know: - Day charters in Miami almost always have working cellular Wi-Fi. - Offshore fishing trips past the Gulf Stream lose cell signal — this is when Starlink matters. - Bahamas trips require either Starlink or a Bahamas SIM / roaming data plan (common: ALIV or BTC SIMs). - Streaming works on cellular. Video calls work but hitch occasionally. - Guest Wi-Fi passwords are typically shared once the trip starts; expect the captain to share the SSID on boarding.

If Wi-Fi is mission-critical — you're working aboard or running a livestream event — ask the owner specifically about Starlink before booking and confirm its status the day before.