Late August 2026, Starlink started emailing selected accounts that have run at sea about a new plan: Personal Maritime. Cruisers on forums (including r/sailing) and industry reports treat it as the response to Roam’s international travel cap. We do not sell Starlink airtime — verify everything in the customer’s app and starlink.com/legal before you change plan.
What the emails and legal text are saying
Public reporting and customer emails describe Personal Maritime roughly like this (USD, tax extra — confirm on the account):
- About $185/month for unlimited data in territorial waters worldwide (the familiar ~12 nm coastal band).
- No 30-day Roam-style international travel reset for people who stay on the water for extended periods before returning home.
- Ocean Mode beyond that band at a higher per-GB rate — industry reports put Personal Maritime (and soon Roam Unlimited) at about $6/GB, up from the older ~$2/GB figure.
- Offered by invitation / support ticket so far — not a clean public shop SKU on every market.
That is useful for multi-month coastal and island hopping where returning the kit to a “home country” every month was never realistic. It is not a blank cheque for bluewater passages.
Hard edges — read before you switch
- Small personal vessels only. Terms language bars yachts / craft over about 40 ft LOA, plus commercial, ferry and commercial fishing use. Plenty of NZ and Pacific cruisers sit over that line — do not assume approval.
- Not for land. Personal Maritime is written as on-water. Haul-outs, trailer boats used as RVs, and marina winters on the hard are grey or out.
- Documentation. Expect vessel name, flag, LOA, MMSI/hull ID and registration when you ask to switch.
- Not safety-of-life. Same disclaimer as other consumer maritime offers — keep Iridium / GMDSS / whatever your SMS requires as the distress path.
Some larger boats report getting approved anyway. Treat that as Starlink’s discretion, not a guarantee you can rely on for a Pacific itinerary.
What we still tell NZ owners
- Open the Starlink app — plan name, home country, any Personal Maritime invite or support path.
- Map the trip: coastal NZ / Aus / Pac islands inside ~12 nm vs days beyond it. Ocean Mode at the new rate changes the math fast.
- If the boat is over ~40 ft, commercial, or needs land use, ask Starlink which plan they will actually service — do not invent a workaround on our say-so.
- Keep a cellular WAN (and bonding) in the design. Plan names change; the hull still needs a second path when the dish is shadowed or Ocean Mode is too expensive. See bond Starlink to cellular after the roam change and what Roam now means for a NZ boat.
GMTS installs the kit, mounts, power and Peplink side. Airtime, plan eligibility and Ocean Mode billing stay between the owner and Starlink. If you want the vessel scoped for dual-WAN before the next season, talk to the marine team or start from Starlink & satellite.
