Has anyone had luck using walkie talkies?

[PictureMom]

We sail on the Oasis on Saturday!! So I'm packing, unpacking and repacking! Can't decide whether to take walkie talkies. Has anyone used them in the past and had luck with them? My mom and I are traveling with my two cousins. The four of us obviously won't be together ALL the time. So I thought the walkie talkies might come in handy since texting is not an option. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Patti

[Clarea]

We tried walkie-talkies a couple times years ago, and they didn't work well for us. It's hard for the units to penetrate all the steel and aluminum if you are separated by a few decks.

[LetsGetWet!]

Here's a recent thread on the topic:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1983222

[cb at sea]

Just make tentative plans for the day...that way, everyone will know where everyone else is likely to be. Leaving a message on the cabin phone is good, too.

 

It's really not so hard to locate others as you might think! You'll find that everyone will gravitate to the same areas over and over.....

[mark290]

I have had good success on ships up to the size of the Freedom class.

[PictureMom]

Here's a recent thread on the topic:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1983222

 

Thank you for directing me to this thread! That was very helpful. Seems like the consensus is I'm better off leaving them at home! Glad I asked...one less thing to pack in my already bulging suitcase!!

 

Heavy snow in Massachusetts today. Can't wait for that Caribbean sunshine!:)

[PictureMom]

Just make tentative plans for the day...that way, everyone will know where everyone else is likely to be. Leaving a message on the cabin phone is good, too.

 

It's really not so hard to locate others as you might think! You'll find that everyone will gravitate to the same areas over and over.....

 

Thanks for our advice. Hadn't thought about leaving messages on the cabin phones. Will definitely do that.

[akcruz]

If you are coming back to this thread I would suggest setting a time or two during the day for you all to reconnect. That can be at dinner, or another time that works for you.

 

Discuss your individual plans and go do your own thing. If someone wants to find you they have an idea of where you are. It really is not that hard to keep in touch, and you will be amazed at how many times you see the same people.

 

We have also had success with leaving stickies (of course we are in the same cabin or have keys to the other) if our plans change. One word of caution, I am not one that believes in leaving the notes on the outside of the doors, especially with kids involved. No need for anyone else to know when I, or my kids, will be back!

[willing292]

The only place we use our walkie talkies is on a cruise.

 

 

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[reedl]

The Walkie Talkies are not able to communicate across the vast expanse of the ship when you take into account the mass of steel and other materials that make up a cruise ship. When the manufacturer quotes a distance, it refers to a distance over open terrain. As soon as you add in any sort of obstruction, it results in significantly reduced operating range.

 

The better idea is to merely set a meeting place and time, and just meet the others there. Or use post-it notes in the cabin, or use the cabin's voice mail. It is much cheaper and easier. My question for those who think they need to be in constant communication is what will you need to reach the other person for? There are very few things that you have to do on a specific schedule, and you can arrange a meeting place and time for those events.

[Paulette3028]

DH and I use walkie talkies all the time on the ships....we used it on Liberty as well as Majesty, without problems.

[LetsGetWet!]

We tried walkie-talkies a couple times years ago, and they didn't work well for us. It's hard for the units to penetrate all the steel and aluminum if you are separated by a few decks.

 

The Walkie Talkies are not able to communicate across the vast expanse of the ship when you take into account the mass of steel and other materials that make up a cruise ship. When the manufacturer quotes a distance, it refers to a distance over open terrain. As soon as you add in any sort of obstruction, it results in significantly reduced operating range.

Yep, absolutely. (Electronics engineer mode) You can use them, and some certainly do - but the farther you are apart, and the more decks apart you are, the less likely you're going to be using them successfully. And I think most of us have heard the "scree-scratch-hiss what did you say? hiss-scree-scratch" sounds that often can be heard all around those trying! :)

[Surfguyxxx]

We found that using them, especially on the Oasis, was great. I am a "very early riser" while others sleep in. I usually take my coffee mug, watch the sunrise while reading my Kindle and just chill until I hear the walkie talkie and then head on back to the cabin. Works for us!

[mjldvlks]

We got a set early in our cruising life. We tried them briefly but found they did not work very well. We never felt the need pressing enough to work at it very hard. After the first time, we never bothered to take them again. I suspect the quality of the equipment makes a big difference. We got ours with credit card points hence suspect the quality was. . . well . . . suspect.

Edited February 18, 2014 by mjldvlks

[TravelerThom]

I have had the experience of being trapped in an elevator with an idiot who kept alternately getting loud static and yelling into the walkie-talkie "Can you hear me now?":mad: Dreaming of murdering the guy and throwing the walkie-talkie overboard is not my idea of a peaceful vacation. I fled at the first opportunity.

[Outnumbered1234]

We used walkie talkies on freedom a couple years ago and they worked well. We were traveling with a large group. I'm sure at times not everyone heard evey message; but it helped us catch up with each other.

We're bringing them again for our cruise this summer.

 

 

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Forums mobile app

[Trekker954]

We have no trouble using them the few times we need to use them. Typically I'm an early riser and sneak out of the cabin. DD radio's me when she wakes up so I can either return to the cabin or meet up with her somewhere for breakfast. We also tend to use it if we are on different excursions and getting back to the ship at different times.

 

I would imagine if you are trying to use it at night its difficult based on the noise in the lounges and you don't want them on during shows or dinner.

[LetsGetWet!]

We have no trouble using them the few times we need to use them. Typically I'm an early riser and sneak out of the cabin. DD radio's me when she wakes up so I can either return to the cabin or meet up with her somewhere for breakfast. We also tend to use it if we are on different excursions and getting back to the ship at different times.

 

I would imagine if you are trying to use it at night its difficult based on the noise in the lounges and you don't want them on during shows or dinner.

I have NO personal knowledge, so am only reporting what I've read here - but more than one person has said to be very careful about using them during shore excursions, as they're illegal in certain countries.

[riclop]

Yes , alot of people use them.

[Paulette3028]

We got a set early in our cruising life. We tried them briefly but found they did not work very well. We never felt the need pressing enough to work at it very hard. After the first time, we never bothered to take them again. I suspect the quality of the equipment makes a big difference. We got ours with credit card points hence suspect the quality was. . . well . . . suspect.

 

We got our my redeeming points from some website where we had earned them. The retail value we learned later was about $60. They have always worked well for us. Whether one of us is in the cabin or on the pool deck and the other is decks below. We do not use them on shore excursions, although we do use them on CocoCay, especially when one of us goes to CocoCay early for a scuba excursion and the other one is coming to the island later in the morning.

[Mom.to.2]

For those who have used them, could you post which model you have and whether or not they work?

[LetsGetWet!]

For those who have used them, could you post which model you have and whether or not they work?

To be useful, you also need to know which (how large) ship and how far apart they've been using them. Someone with a midship cabin that's within a deck or two of the pool deck will likely have a much better experience to report than someone completely forward or aft and more decks away from the most likely places their kids/family will be communicating to/from. Metal and radio transmission just don't go together well, one of the reasons the cruise lines have found it SO challenging to provide a reasonably uniform WiFi experience throughout the ships.

Edited February 18, 2014 by LetsGetWet!

[willing292]

We've used them on the Freedom, Voyager, Radiance and Vision class ships. Knowing how to speak into them is paramount! Do not start to speak until you have pushed the transmit button all the way down. Do not yell, speak slowly and clearly. Keep your message short. Do not try to talk while the other part is talking, because they only allow one person to speak at a time. We have experience using them as we both worked in law enforcement.

 

 

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Mapleleafforever]

Walkie talkies on cruises are annoying. Obnoxious too.

Edited February 18, 2014 by Mapleleafforever

[tserface]

We tried them on a couple of cruises, but ended up coming to the conclusion that we were being rude. The only way to "page" someone is to use the tone or just to leave it loud enough to talk and there was no way for someone to know we were in the middle of the buffet or walking in the hall and the noise was annoying. Texting would be a much better solution, but our walkie talkies don't have that feature. It turns out they didn't work everywhere on the ship anyway so it was kind of frustrating.

 

So we just use the cabin phone to leave messages for each other. You can also bring a pack of sticky notes to leave notes on the mirror in the room.

 

Tom

 

We sail on the Oasis on Saturday!! So I'm packing, unpacking and repacking! Can't decide whether to take walkie talkies. Has anyone used them in the past and had luck with them? My mom and I are traveling with my two cousins. The four of us obviously won't be together ALL the time. So I thought the walkie talkies might come in handy since texting is not an option. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Patti