AIDA Cruises: building IT networks on floating cities

AIDA Cruises operates 11 cruise ships as part of Carnival Corporation's 94-vessel fleet. In this episode from Cisco Live EMEA in Amsterdam, CIO Gordon Poppe and IT Director Christian Witzke reveal the massive IT infrastructure required to run these floating cities. With two data centers per ship, 10,000 mobile devices, 300 PCs, and 180 servers per vessel, the scale is enormous. The conversation explores the challenges of deploying enterprise-grade networks in a maritime environment, from satellite connectivity using Starlink and VSAT systems to quality-of-service management for guests, crew, and operations. AIDA is currently modernizing its fleet, which includes replacing 60 kilometers of fiber optic cable per ship during extended dry dock periods. Key takeaways: • Two redundant data centers per ship with 12,000 Cisco devices across the fleet • Multiple satellite connectivity providers including Starlink and traditional VSAT systems • WiFi 6 deployment with cabin access points and ruggedized outdoor systems • Revenue-generating connectivity packages for guests alongside operational traffic • Seven-week modernization dry docks upgrading network infrastructure • LTE backup systems for near-shore operations • Five-year hardware lifecycle synchronized with mandatory dry dock schedules Chapters: 0:19 - Introduction to AIDA Cruises 2:38 - IT infrastructure on cruise ships 4:37 - Satellite connectivity and bandwidth 6:43 - Guest connectivity packages 11:19 - Cisco network architecture 11:33 - Cisco partnership benefits 16:41 - Fleet modernization program