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Discrete walkie talkies - do they exist?


dakloze
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So, I've gone through a number of walkie-talkie threads, and I get it: they are annoying as frak for ones fellow cruisers. At the same time, I believe I have a legitimate need for them and are looking for recommendations.

 

The use case is very simple: me and the misses would like to leave our 7 year old alone in our cabin. We feel that she's now old enough to be alone for a bit, especially in such a controlled environment. Obviously, it would really help if she has a way of contacting us. Previously, we sailed with DCL, which provides working on-board phones. This time, we'll be sailing RCCL which I believe does not (we're on the Allure of the Seas).

 

Walkie-talkies are our backup plan; I'm a tech and have an idea to get on-board communications working without the need for them. But in case that fails, I need an alternative. Most offerings on Amazon come with earpieces, so we don't need to bother our fellow vacationers with our princess proudly announcing how large her poo-poo was.

 

Does anyone have tips with regards to which specific type will work best? And perhaps other tips to increase the level of discretion? I don't want to bother anyone.

 

And obviously, half of you lot will have the urge to post "just talk to each other". Don't, you'll just end up in /dev/null.

 

And on a side note, should my primary plan work, expect a detailed how-to after our cruise in October.

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Hi

 

I might be totally off base, but why would you think leaving a 7y.o. alone in a cabin would be OK. Do you leave her home alone? That to me would be a much safer environment, just because it's more familiar.

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Several things come to mind.

 

I can't believe that you would entertain the idea of leaving a 7-year-old alone in a cabin. Hard to believe you would leave unsupervised at home, and a cruise ship is no different. I would think legally you could be in trouble.

 

Walkie talkies do not work well on ships especially ships as large as the Allure.

 

For more detailed information on the Allure and other passengers' experiences with walkie talkies and RC in general suggest posting on the Royal Caribbean boards.

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Rather than leaving a 7 year old child alone and unattended in your cabin (would you do this in a hotel?), have you considered leaving her safely under supervision in the kids club instead?

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Had you carefully read the previous threads you would find that besides their annoyance factor, walkie talkies just do not work well on cruise ships. The frequencies available to the general public are not well suited to transmission through multiple levels of steel. Given that you would likely be in a public area while she was still on a cabin deck the system is most likely to fail. I hope your plan A works out even though I disagree with leaving her alone.

Edited by wheezedr
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Rather than leaving a 7 year old child alone and unattended in your cabin (would you do this in a hotel?), have you considered leaving her safely under supervision in the kids club instead?

 

Fair comments from you and other parents. I do apologize, I did not make myself clear.

 

Yes, of course, we can bring her to the kids club. We are merely trying to slowly test the waters with regards to her independence. And don't get me wrong, we're not considering leaving her alone for a prolonged period of time. She may not like being alone after 5 minutes, and that's perfectly fine. That will be where the experiment stops.

 

And the reason why we're thinking about trying this on a cruise ship is very simple: it is the most controlled environment I can think of. At home she can run out onto the street. In a hotel the same. On a boat not so much: no chances of getting hit by a car or eaten by a coyote.

 

We're definitely not leaving her in a cabin with a walkie-talkie to get drunk at the bar. No effing way. And maybe in the end we may decide to not even try it at all. We're still 5 months out.

 

We lived in a neighborhood (upscale Socal, in a cul de sac) where 7 and 8 year old kids would play outside with each other without problems. Each child is different and has different needs. Ours is craving responsibility, but sometimes takes too much on her plate, which is why we take it one step at a time, and in a controlled environment.

 

But let's not end up in a discussion of how good or bad we are at parenting. I think we're not too shabby, and I'll have no problem explaining myself to any CPS whatsoever.

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As other posters have said, 7 is really too young to leave alone. On more than one cruise our captain came on the PA system announcing an emergency with a detailed explanation of what was happening and what, if anything, passengers were expected to do. Usually the instructions were wait for more instructions but that is the time all the information in the muster drill begins to go through your mind (get your passport, meds, etc. just in case). How do you expect a 7 year old to react to the alarm and the captain's information? How will you react if you aren't with her? Remember if she leaves the room without a key card the door will close behind her and she won't be able to re-enter. The probability is that none of this would happen but can you imagine how you would feel if it did?

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Obviously a total wind-up post:

  • In their roll call the OP states their daughter is six years old, not seven
  • Uses a lot of big words but doesn't know the difference between discrete and discreet
  • Thinks they actually has the power to edit out individual responses they don't agree with

Save your keystrokes for a thread that will actually be here tomorrow, folks.

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If you are deadset on doing it, even after understanding that a cruise ship is like a little city, with all the good and bad things that can happen in a city. I would bet that both you and your wife have a cell phone. Keep one and give one to your daughter.

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Fair comments from you and other parents. I do apologize, I did not make myself clear.

 

Yes, of course, we can bring her to the kids club. We are merely trying to slowly test the waters with regards to her independence. And don't get me wrong, we're not considering leaving her alone for a prolonged period of time. She may not like being alone after 5 minutes, and that's perfectly fine. That will be where the experiment stops.

 

And the reason why we're thinking about trying this on a cruise ship is very simple: it is the most controlled environment I can think of. At home she can run out onto the street. In a hotel the same. On a boat not so much: no chances of getting hit by a car or eaten by a coyote.

 

We're definitely not leaving her in a cabin with a walkie-talkie to get drunk at the bar. No effing way. And maybe in the end we may decide to not even try it at all. We're still 5 months out.

 

We lived in a neighborhood (upscale Socal, in a cul de sac) where 7 and 8 year old kids would play outside with each other without problems. Each child is different and has different needs. Ours is craving responsibility, but sometimes takes too much on her plate, which is why we take it one step at a time, and in a controlled environment.

 

But let's not end up in a discussion of how good or bad we are at parenting. I think we're not too shabby, and I'll have no problem explaining myself to any CPS whatsoever.

 

Sorry your parenting experiment has a lot of holes, even though you may think it's fine.

 

Are you planning on standing outside the door to see if she screams?

 

Are you 100% sure she won't try to venture out on the balcony?

 

Are you 100% sure she won't leave the room - no different than a hotel room - once out in the corridor, door automatically closes and locks.

 

Are you sure she won't turn on the shower for fun and flood the cabin, or scald herself.

 

I could add many more. I don't care how upscale your Southern California neighborhood is - your 7-year-old is a precious life - give her chance to be a child and let her grow up before you leave her alone. When I say grow up I mean emotionally and physically able to take care of herself. No matter how smart, etc. she's 7 !!!!!!!

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Obviously a total wind-up post:

  • In their roll call the OP states their daughter is six years old, not seven

 

Did you ever consider that children have birthdays on cruise ships? Hint, she'll be 6 on departure, 7 on arrival. It's magic!

 

  • Uses a lot of big words but doesn't know the difference between discrete and discreet

 

Yes, English as a second language can be tricky. How many languages do you speak?

 

  • Thinks they actually has the power to edit out individual responses they don't agree with

 

I've been around on the interwebs for a while now, and most forums that I've been on, or coded myself, will have the option to simply block annoying other users.

 

Edit: this one has that functionality as well.

Edited by dakloze
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Everything about your plan is bad. Very bad. A 7 year old is not old enough to be left alone in a small cabin with zero supervision. She will be in an unfamiliar environment. She could get bored and leave the room and get lost. Or she could break something in the room and hurt herself. On another thread you said you booked a balcony cabin, which means she could go out on the balcony and stand on the chair or table to look over the railing and fall. So many things can happen.

 

Having been a parent and now a grandparent, I am aghast that you are even considering this!!!!

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As other posters have said, 7 is really too young to leave alone. On more than one cruise our captain came on the PA system announcing an emergency with a detailed explanation of what was happening and what, if anything, passengers were expected to do. Usually the instructions were wait for more instructions but that is the time all the information in the muster drill begins to go through your mind (get your passport, meds, etc. just in case). How do you expect a 7 year old to react to the alarm and the captain's information? How will you react if you aren't with her? Remember if she leaves the room without a key card the door will close behind her and she won't be able to re-enter. The probability is that none of this would happen but can you imagine how you would feel if it did?

 

Of all the (I assume mostly well-meaning) people in this thread, you bring some solid arguments. Ss smart as she is, I would not trust her to do ok in an emergency situation. What are the chances? Probably none. But what if? I'd probably jump overboard myself.

 

Consider the plan canceled. Perhaps when turns 10.

 

I'm still going to try my plan A (of person to person communication), just because I can.

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So, I've gone through a number of walkie-talkie threads, and I get it: they are annoying as frak for ones fellow cruisers. At the same time, I believe I have a legitimate need for them and are looking for recommendations.

 

 

 

The use case is very simple: me and the misses would like to leave our 7 year old alone in our cabin. We feel that she's now old enough to be alone for a bit, especially in such a controlled environment. Obviously, it would really help if she has a way of contacting us. Previously, we sailed with DCL, which provides working on-board phones. This time, we'll be sailing RCCL which I believe does not (we're on the Allure of the Seas).

 

 

 

Walkie-talkies are our backup plan; I'm a tech and have an idea to get on-board communications working without the need for them. But in case that fails, I need an alternative. Most offerings on Amazon come with earpieces, so we don't need to bother our fellow vacationers with our princess proudly announcing how large her poo-poo was.

 

 

 

Does anyone have tips with regards to which specific type will work best? And perhaps other tips to increase the level of discretion? I don't want to bother anyone.

 

 

 

And obviously, half of you lot will have the urge to post "just talk to each other". Don't, you'll just end up in /dev/null.

 

 

 

And on a side note, should my primary plan work, expect a detailed how-to after our cruise in October.

 

 

 

7 yr old left alone in a cruise ship cabin? What's wrong with that picture?[emoji102]

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To the original question regarding walkie talkies, the words "discrete" and "walkie talkies" are a contradiction in terms IMO. Besides, it's not the walkie talkies that lack discretion - but rather their users when using them. :)

 

Well-said!

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To the OP. Consumer grade walkie-talkies, even HAM radios, for practical purposes are useless within a cruise ship. Simply put, too much metal. Up on the pool deck, line of sight, to someone else on the pool deck will work, but down a few levels to your cabin, probably not.

 

Ship personnel with maritime-commercial grade walkie-talkies have repeaters through out the ship.

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So, I've gone through a number of walkie-talkie threads, and I get it: they are annoying as frak for ones fellow cruisers. At the same time, I believe I have a legitimate need for them and are looking for recommendations.

 

The use case is very simple: me and the misses would like to leave our 7 year old alone in our cabin. We feel that she's now old enough to be alone for a bit, especially in such a controlled environment. Obviously, it would really help if she has a way of contacting us. Previously, we sailed with DCL, which provides working on-board phones. This time, we'll be sailing RCCL which I believe does not (we're on the Allure of the Seas).

 

Walkie-talkies are our backup plan; I'm a tech and have an idea to get on-board communications working without the need for them. But in case that fails, I need an alternative. Most offerings on Amazon come with earpieces, so we don't need to bother our fellow vacationers with our princess proudly announcing how large her poo-poo was.

 

Does anyone have tips with regards to which specific type will work best? And perhaps other tips to increase the level of discretion? I don't want to bother anyone.

 

And obviously, half of you lot will have the urge to post "just talk to each other". Don't, you'll just end up in /dev/null.

 

And on a side note, should my primary plan work, expect a detailed how-to after our cruise in October.

 

Okay, so you've gone through a number of walkie-talkie threads, and you "get it" that they're annoying. Did you also "get it" that it's a waste of time to bring them? They DO NOT WORK on the ship. I'll chime in with the others saying that leaving your 6 year child (soon to be 7) alone in your cabin is a horrible idea. That is just so wrong, for so many reasons.

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And the reason why we're thinking about trying this on a cruise ship is very simple: it is the most controlled environment I can think of. At home she can run out onto the street. In a hotel the same. On a boat not so much: no chances of getting hit by a car or eaten by a coyote.

 

 

its not that controlled. its no more safe than any medium sized city. no coyotes or cars, but all it would take is an unscrupulous crew member to convince her they need to enter the cabin for something..and Bam: molested. or worse. and YES it HAS happened.. to adults, forget about a child too young to be left alone for five minutes, let alone longer. or a friend she met at the kids club to charm their way in to the cabin with her for them to start shenanigans.

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OP has already stated they will not be leaving their 6/7 year old alone for now.

 

I am curious as to what their primary, "person to person" communication plan is. After all these years, pretty sure everything has been tried.......

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OP

 

The real problem with your plan is that walkie talkies do not work well on the ships because of all the metal. Any one that you can legally purchase is so low powered that you simply don't get any coverage.

 

You best option would be to use a chat app on a phone.

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