Help With Question/ Radios Or Walkie Talkies

Hello, we have four groups ( parents) with 1 teeneager in each cabin. Please answer this question for us. If we were to go to Radio Shack and buy 2 way radios will these work anywere or everywere on the ship? Also, does anyone know the COST to rent these on a 7 day cruise or is a better deal to just buy them before we get on. I thought we had seen a post so I apoligize for asking again. THANKS, KELLY - LARS:D :)

I am not going to be THAT much help, because I'm leaving on my first cruise this Sunday. I am bringing the walkie talkies that my husband bought at Walmart for like $25. Most people I talk to says they work fine on the ship. I would invest in your own over renting them. They're not that expensive and then you'll have them. :)

im not sure were you could rent them but a good place to buy them cheap is on ebay i use FM walkie talkies and normally dont have a problem with them. My last cruise my room was in the aft and i could not get reception in the front of the boat there are 2 types of radios one with a 2 mile range the other 5 mile range i recommend the 5 mile. reception also depends on whats between you and where you want to talk, the more stuff in between( casino, restraunts, ect.) the worst recieption

THANK YOU !!!!!!! THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!! We shall look on Ebay and we shall get Sundays paper back out of the trash and look at the eletronics ads from Best Buy - Circuit City. Thanks again for the mile part as well.:D

For anyone that is interested, Carnival Rents Radios for this purpose:

Motorola Radio Rentals

This service offers rentals of Motorola Radios either on a daily basis or the duration of the cruise so family and friends can stay in touch.

The cost is $12.00 per day for two radios and $7.50 per day for each additional radio. There are special rates available if the radios are rented for the duration of the cruise, which varies from ship to ship due to the length of the cruise.

Hello, we have four groups ( parents) with 1 teeneager in each cabin. Please answer this question for us. If we were to go to Radio Shack and buy 2 way radios will these work anywere or everywere on the ship? Also, does anyone know the COST to rent these on a 7 day cruise or is a better deal to just buy them before we get on. I thought we had seen a post so I apoligize for asking again. THANKS, KELLY - LARS:D :)

You can go to Walmart and pick up either the Cobras or the Motorola Talkabouts, they work well around the ship.

Fred

(that heading is SUPPOSED to say, "I would NOT trust that they're available for rent")

On separate occasions I've asked about both snorkel equipment (which the big binders in the cabins state are for rent from the excursion desk, I think) and the radios, and have literally been laughed at both times. :o

We bring our own and wouldn't have it any other way. Very handy and have never had a problem with either having bad reception or having someone on our channel for the week.

Like another poster said get the ones with the longest range. Remember you get what you pay for. I suggest you purshase motorola or cobra.

Just to add my two cents in about the walkie talkies....We brought 3 motorolas on with us. One for the parents and one each for the teenagers. We thought it would be a great way to stay in touch during the day when they were off on their own. After about 2 hours we brought them back to the cabin and didn't use them for the rest of the trip. They only have so many channels on them and regardless of which one we used there was always lots of other people also on them. When on the lido deck it was hard to recognize my own kids voice, with all the background noise going on. After we gave up we just made them check in with us at designated times. Worked much better and one less thing I or the kids had to worry about lugging around.

Definitely have to echo the point of "you get what you pay for". There are some pretty cheap models available (I think I've even seen a couple at the dollar stores). Those are the ones to avoid. Look for the most channels and sub-channels you can find, and the longest range (and want to spend - I've used a set that has better coverage than my cell phone!). The more channels, the less chance of someone else interfering.

As other people have mentioned... there's a LOT of metal on a ship, however - so they won't be perfect.

Enjoy your cruise! Be sure to post a review when you get back.

Hello, we have four groups ( parents) with 1 teeneager in each cabin. Please answer this question for us. If we were to go to Radio Shack and buy 2 way radios will these work anywere or everywere on the ship? Also, does anyone know the COST to rent these on a 7 day cruise or is a better deal to just buy them before we get on. I thought we had seen a post so I apoligize for asking again. THANKS, KELLY - LARS:D :)

And now for a completely different response:

You are on VACATION. The kids are on VACATION. Split up, go your own ways, and have a good time.

While at sea, you will all be somewhere on the ship and, assuming that no one goes overboard (in which case the walkie-talkies wouldn't be much good anyway), you will bump into each other sooner or later. At the very least, you will almost certainly find each other at dinner or bedtime.

I am really serious here - a cruise is a great time to let your kids know that you trust them and to let them learn how to manage themselves without mom & dad constantly looking over their shoulders.

I will have to agree you are on vacation. We did not have any kids with us the adult guys used them. Their was 4 couples and we each had one sometimes they worked better than others and sometimes nobody at all would talk to you. The only time we ever heard anybody else on the channel we selected was when in port with a rccl ship and we got where we carried on conversation with that guy in port.

Just to add my two cents in about the walkie talkies....We brought 3 motorolas on with us. One for the parents and one each for the teenagers. We thought it would be a great way to stay in touch during the day when they were off on their own. After about 2 hours we brought them back to the cabin and didn't use them for the rest of the trip. They only have so many channels on them and regardless of which one we used there was always lots of other people also on them. When on the lido deck it was hard to recognize my own kids voice, with all the background noise going on. After we gave up we just made them check in with us at designated times. Worked much better and one less thing I or the kids had to worry about lugging around.

Same thing happened to us... so many kids fooling around on the radio's that I couldn't recognize my daughter's call even if she could get through to me! Even after telling kids to stay off the channels, they thought it was SO funny to chit-chat or I should say scream and screech on the channels!!

We took a pair of walkie-talkies with us on the Elation last summer, and personally, while they were a practical way to keep in touch, they weren't always convenient. We got interference from other radios every now and then. And if we tried to contact the other person they couldn't hear the walkie-talkie ringing because of all the noise around them. You can give it a try but you might just end up with extra things to carry around in your pocket.

I've used them on three cruises. I have a pair with a nine mile range. (Wal-mart) Folks are right about cheapies though. We usually travel with larger groups and in ports it gives a lot of freedom of finding each other. Also, balcony cabins receive better than insides. (personal experience) Lots of cruisers don't like 'em, but I wouldn't go on another cruise without them.

Ry

Carnival's price is a rip, for 7 day sailings especially.

Here is a set of Motorola SX800R GMRS/FRS radios for $66/pair delivered, with charger. Lots of power, lots of channels, lots of privacy codes. Rechargable, with the option to use AAA in a pinch.

And them are Motorola, why buy less when the best are cheap?