Walkie Talkies

[IMKTDQT810]

Have you ever brought them or use them? Our scenario would be for four in total. One for myself & hubby, one for my sister (Different cabin), one to leave at camp carnival for when DS is ready to check himself out he can come directly to us, and the last one would be for my niece/nephew (14/17) while roaming on the ship. We plan to all do out own thing while in ports so they would mainly be for staying in contact while on the ship. Thanks for letting me know about your experience using them.

[vdarrell]

Have you ever brought them or use them? Our scenario would be for four in total. One for myself & hubby, one for my sister (Different cabin), one to leave at camp carnival for when DS is ready to check himself out he can come directly to us, and the last one would be for my niece/nephew (14/17) while roaming on the ship. We plan to all do out own thing while in ports so they would mainly be for staying in contact while on the ship. Thanks for letting me know about your experience using them.

 

 

We bought some to use when we cruised on our last trip and they worked great ...we used them as a means to stay in touch with my cousin and her hubby on the ship so we could meet up and they even worked at the ports so we could stay in touch. Since we knew we couldn't text without it costing us. Ours was small enough for us to put in my purse.

And we will be taking them with us again in October

[artist47]

Yes, I have used these with my daughter. nicer ones (more expensive) have a longer range and can sometimes be used onshore, or shore to ship....A very good investment if you plan to do more cruising in future also. Have fun!

[croozluv]

Yes! We got walkie talkies and they worked beautifully. BUT...we had rules.

 

The problem is - people tend to get annoyed with the beep-beep, and I don't blame them one bit! SO ANNOYING! However, safety is a concern, so we came up with a system for our teenagers.

 

1- They always had to stay with each other. NO exceptions.

 

2- They were not allowed to go into any areas of the ship that weren't public areas. We went with a group of 15 - this meant they were NOT to go into each others cabins, or even down hallways with cabins. They had no business there anyway, except to find trouble!

 

3- We got each of them a waterproof watch, so no excuses for not knowing the time. They were cheapies ($12 each) - Timex Men's T5H091 1440 Sports Digital Watch, Timex. They worked for the length of the cruise and at least a year after we got back before we had to change the batteries.

 

4- They HAD TO check in every hour, on the hour. We gave them a 10 minute window - so for the noon check-in they had to check in anytime between 11:55 and 12:05. They were instructed to go somewhere away from other guests but still together, in a public place - just not close enough to be irritating to someone else. In this check-in they would tell us where they were heading to next.

 

5- Additionally, they had to check-in if they were leaving that area before the next hourly check-in, so we would have a bit of an idea where they were.

 

The "calls" were always very brief and to the point, no chit-chatting, just making sure the teenage girls were safe and sound.

 

We got very good signal for the most part - we were even able to call friends who were on a tender boat when we were in port at Grand Cayman. We did notice the signal would break up just a tiny bit if the "talkers" were on extreme opposite ends of the ship, but this really didn't happen much. In this case, the teenagers knew they needed to get closer to the center of the ship to check in. Checking in was NOT optional - in fact, if they didnt check-in the consequences were staying with the adults for the rest of the trip! :eek: A fate worse than death for teenagers! :D

 

The walkie talkies we got had clips so they were easily kept right on our shorts or clipped onto a backpack. Also - we never had to worry about batteries because they were chargeable - we just put them on the charging cradle each night.

 

They were bright yellow and oversized so easy to find, and had lots of programmable channels. The official name is the Motorola MH230TPR Rechargeable Two Way Radio 3 Pack, FRS/GMRS. They came in sets of 3 and we bought them for $80.63. I think now they even sell them in a 2-pack for around $45, which is a better deal. Here is an amazon link:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058W1I38/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Hope this info helps you! And sorry if I got too long-winded - I get very excited when I can have meaningful input because so many people here have helped me :) Have a great cruise!

[artist47]

Yes! We got walkie talkies and they worked beautifully. BUT...we had rules.

 

The problem is - people tend to get annoyed with the beep-beep, and I don't blame them one bit! SO ANNOYING! However, safety is a concern, so we came up with a system for our teenagers.

 

1- They always had to stay with each other. NO exceptions.

 

2- They were not allowed to go into any areas of the ship that weren't public areas. We went with a group of 15 - this meant they were NOT to go into each others cabins, or even down hallways with cabins. They had no business there anyway, except to find trouble!

 

3- We got each of them a waterproof watch, so no excuses for not knowing the time. They were cheapies ($12 each) - Timex Men's T5H091 1440 Sports Digital Watch, Timex. They worked for the length of the cruise and at least a year after we got back before we had to change the batteries.

 

4- They HAD TO check in every hour, on the hour. We gave them a 10 minute window - so for the noon check-in they had to check in anytime between 11:55 and 12:05. They were instructed to go somewhere away from other guests but still together, in a public place - just not close enough to be irritating to someone else. In this check-in they would tell us where they were heading to next.

 

5- Additionally, they had to check-in if they were leaving that area before the next hourly check-in, so we would have a bit of an idea where they were.

 

The "calls" were always very brief and to the point, no chit-chatting, just making sure the teenage girls were safe and sound.

 

We got very good signal for the most part - we were even able to call friends who were on a tender boat when we were in port at Grand Cayman. We did notice the signal would break up just a tiny bit if the "talkers" were on extreme opposite ends of the ship, but this really didn't happen much. In this case, the teenagers knew they needed to get closer to the center of the ship to check in. Checking in was NOT optional - in fact, if they didnt check-in the consequences were staying with the adults for the rest of the trip! :eek: A fate worse than death for teenagers! :D

 

The walkie talkies we got had clips so they were easily kept right on our shorts or clipped onto a backpack. Also - we never had to worry about batteries because they were chargeable - we just put them on the charging cradle each night.

 

They were bright yellow and oversized so easy to find, and had lots of programmable channels. The official name is the Motorola MH230TPR Rechargeable Two Way Radio 3 Pack, FRS/GMRS. They came in sets of 3 and we bought them for $80.63. I think now they even sell them in a 2-pack for around $45, which is a better deal. Here is an amazon link:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058W1I38/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Hope this info helps you! And sorry if I got too long-winded - I get very excited when I can have meaningful input because so many people here have helped me :) Have a great cruise!

 

Thanks so much for the link and the recommendation! I will definitely look into these...right now, and for the very near future, I'm a solo cruiser, but there will come a time when I want to go with my daughter or friends...After I saw this post, I checked my old set and they are "kaput"...so I will definitely look into these...thanks again!!!

[IMKTDQT810]

Thank you to everyone!!! This is great to know and I didn't think of having the 14/17 year olds check in hourly. I will pass that point along to my sister. We have two older ones and I was going to buy two more so we would have 4 total but DH told me that the one stopped working awhile ago. So now I might look into ones that go on the charger as well. All the less we would need to invest in batteries and lug them around.

[jules24]

Take a note pad for the teenagers. Our daughter left us notes telling us where she was and what time she would be back. We had set times she had to check in by as well. We didn't require the hourly checkin, but she was told every morning our plans and was told what times to check in with us.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Thebosn1]

Have you ever brought them or use them? Our scenario would be for four in total. One for myself & hubby, one for my sister (Different cabin), one to leave at camp carnival for when DS is ready to check himself out he can come directly to us, and the last one would be for my niece/nephew (14/17) while roaming on the ship. We plan to all do out own thing while in ports so they would mainly be for staying in contact while on the ship. Thanks for letting me know about your experience using them.

 

I have seen plenty of people use them and they seem to work well for the scenario you mention HOWEVER just be aware of the fact that they are annoying as hell to the passengers around you, worse than someone yapping on a cell phone in an elevator. I really don't need to here the beeping and chatter all afternoon by the pool. Use a sticky note one your door it works just as well and is less annoying to those around you.

[Thebosn1]

Yes! We got walkie talkies and they worked beautifully. BUT...we had rules.

 

The problem is - people tend to get annoyed with the beep-beep, and I don't blame them one bit! SO ANNOYING! However, safety is a concern, so we came up with a system for our teenagers.

 

1- They always had to stay with each other. NO exceptions.

 

The "calls" were always very brief and to the point, no chit-chatting, just making sure the teenage girls were safe and sound.

 

 

 

 

That is VERY considerate of you! It is refreshing to see that someone actually thinks of other passengers AND keeps tabs on their kids! Thank you!

[crusinpsychRN]

Remember, anyone listening on the same channel can hear everything you say!

[what to go here and there]

for any Canadians .... Costco has the 3 set of rechargables for $68 picking mine up in the morning, as this was a topic at our household today .. getting ready for next cruise ... in november

[mking8288]

Use of these low powered FRS/GMRS band "toys" in foreign ports of call might be restricted and/or prohibited by their laws or require a license, especially if it interfere with other nearby radio communication devices and public safety operating on those or adjacent UHF frequencies. All of your communications are open & unsecured.

 

Keep them on the ship - and use the squelch to adjust the sensitivity. The basics for all radio operators to follow: listen on your channel, if it is clear - then, press the button to talk, then release & wait. These work in simplex mode, you can only listen or talk at any given moment, and not both at the same time.

 

The interiors of the cruiseship is a giantic metal shield that deflect radio signals and if you cannot call or they cannot hear you - it is what it is, limited in its capabilities - they are designed for outdoor use in open areas.

 

Just don't try leaning out the balcony to call the pool deck or else :D :eek: ;)

Edited January 26, 2014 by mking8288

[IMKTDQT810]

Thanks for the info and suggestions. I bought a 4 set cobra earlier today that has a 23 mile range and all extras. I know the range won't work that great on the ship, but the idea was to also use them at other times of the year like camping, hiking etc. So I'm pleased with my purchase.

And for those concerned about us using them, our plan is to use them ONLY if there is an emergency or a change to a planned location. Ex- son leaving camp carnival and needs to find us prior to leaving.

[CruiseGirlKS]

Yes, I have used these with my daughter. nicer ones (more expensive) have a longer range and can sometimes be used onshore, or shore to ship....A very good investment if you plan to do more cruising in future also. Have fun!

 

x2 on the higher end walkie talkies. :)

[n6uqqq]

Thanks for the info and suggestions. I bought a 4 set cobra earlier today that has a 23 mile range and all extras. I know the range won't work that great on the ship, but the idea was to also use them at other times of the year like camping, hiking etc. So I'm pleased with my purchase.

And for those concerned about us using them, our plan is to use them ONLY if there is an emergency or a change to a planned location. Ex- son leaving camp carnival and needs to find us prior to leaving.

 

The 23 mile range works when one party is on a mountain :D. If you have someone two levels down at opposite end of ship you will find they won't work well if at all. I tried them one time and they ended up sitting in the stateroom after one day. I say give it a try at home and see what the range is. 2-3 miles is my guess. If you are both outside on lido deck, then they will work fine.

[silverpenguin]

We took them, since we were going with another couple in a different stateroom. But, by about 1/2 way through the first full day we realized it was really annoying hearing everybody else's chatter & we turned them off. I doubt this time when it is just DH & me that we will be taking them.