Walkie Talkies?

[onlyonetrevorfrancis]

I see that it has been not been stated yet so I"ll be the first ;

 

They will annoy your fellow passengers .

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

We met a very nice and quite large American family/party on Liberty in 2013 who wore headsets plugged into their walkie talkies for this very reason.

 

They got a few strange looks wandering about the ship but who cares I suppose, their holiday.

[tinyterrorsma]

We bought some on ship for about $60 that worked well for the kids. Then the kids made code names. Then the kids made walkie talkie friends w boys on ship on same channel. Annoying-probably. But not as annoying a drunk guy who yelled at the waiter and made an ass of himself next day at belly flop comp.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kycruisefan]

Annoying-probably. But not as annoying a drunk guy who yelled at the waiter and made an ass of himself next day at belly flop comp.

 

 

Good point!

[Freedom2014]

See?

Case in point OP!lol

 

lol...I would love for them to work do you have a suggestion on brand or type?

[radiojw]

I think we're going to give them a try.....being our first cruise we need a way to keep in touch....and being amateurs it will be tough for us to come up with a plan before we board

 

I promise we we will do everything we can to not disturb others...

 

You so do not need them to "keep in touch" while on board.

 

While ships might seem huge, they really aren't that huge. There are shipboard phones everywhere. Not to mention, walkie talkies are not very reliable due to the metal/steel walls of the ship.

 

 

Now, walkie talkies WILL come in handy while in port -- especially if your team plans on splitting up.

[radiojw]

Look for a ham radio that also uses GMRS freq. You get to use 5 watts and will get much better reception :)

 

And you also need to legally have a license to do anything over ½ watt.

[Katy_Tbird]

So there's a discussion amongst the group that I am going with about getting walkie talkies to keep in touch. Is this helpful?

 

There's a bunch of people gong....us...our kids...my parents/wifes parents...brothers etc etc....

We're on Allure in December...

 

I think RCC offers something that you can use for the week (iphone like device?) but I think it's $20 and for that you can just buy a walkie talkie....

 

Also, with something like 4,000 people on the boat and only 22 channels on the average walkie talkie I could see how there could be interference if others chose to get them....

 

?

 

Thanks

 

We've used the Midland Model LXT560 on Allure and several Voyager class ships and have never had any trouble communicating from anywhere on the ship. We have 8 of them and when we travel in a group, we spread them out to our traveling friends but they are compatible with most other GPRS radios. It really makes it easy to meet up without having to schedule meeting points and times. Really comes in handy when off the ship as well. We try to be courteous with volume so as not to disturb others. Obviously, we observe "theater rules" and turn them off when dining or attending shows. We, too, have the earphones to use when prudent. Good luck.

[tserface]

We've tried walkies a couple of times and have never had much success. Our first problem was people didn't want to pack them around and/or forgot them. Second, it was kind of embarrassing when the units made noise and most of them don't have a feature that just alerts you when someone wants to talk without making a big "beeeep". Even when you use that feature the venues on the ship are often so noisy that you miss it and it becomes and exercise in constantly checking it to see if it's making a noise or not.

 

We gave up.

 

Now we use a couple of other methods:

 

1. You can have some post it notes in your pocket (the small version works well and they don't stick until you pull them off) and you can leave a note on people's doors so they know where you'll be.

 

2. Many of the ships have phone messaging capabilities built into the room phones and you can check or leave messages from the public phones by the elevators.

 

Neither of these are "instant" access, but they are great ways to just let someone know "we're at the pool" or "we're meeting for dinner at 5p" or things like that. Most people walk by their room occasionally, and, if available it's super easy to call your room to see if there are messages.

 

Plus you don't have the awkward bulge in your swim suit.

 

Tom

[mmckm]

We bring them along and the kids are in another room it makes it easy for them to get a hold of us if were on the balcony and they want in our room. they do have limits on how far they will work but for the most part there handy.

[jd10367]

We use them all the time. Never had a problem being on different decks or other ends of the ship, especially on Oasis and Allure. As far as annoying other passengers... don't get me started on how my figuring out where my family is (without going all the way back to the cabin) compared to half the other stuff other passengers do as well.. I can make a list longer and bigger then Oasis and Allure combined. HINT... Let people off the elevator before your fat ass gets on..

[HiCSailor]

^^^^ Preach!!! [emoji23]

[screamin400]

Ours worked just fine. Would not leave home without them.

[Paulette3028]

I think we're going to give them a try.....being our first cruise we need a way to keep in touch....and being amateurs it will be tough for us to come up with a plan before we board

 

I promise we we will do everything we can to not disturb others...

 

DH and I have used walkie talkies for a long time on board. The annoyance happens if you engage in a long conversation -- but that isn't the purpose for them. We use them to let each other know where we are or if something has occurred to delay the other from meeting at a particular time and place.

 

There are many more things that OTHER cruisers have done, that annoy me on board -- rude & obnoxious behavior by adults and children around us in various venues that continues from many many minutes.

 

So don't worry. For us the walkie talkie has been a great thing on board and on shore.

[leisuretraveler223]

I find them unnecessary. There are really only so many public areas, it's really not that hard to find people. Leave messages at the stateroom. If your ship has voicemail, use it.

 

Walkie Talkies are ALWAYS annoying. The make noises, and maybe that can be muted, but the people using them are LOUD. It's just like people not realizing how loud they're talking on a cell phone, only worse.

[Paulette3028]

I find them unnecessary. There are really only so many public areas, it's really not that hard to find people. Leave messages at the stateroom. If your ship has voicemail, use it.

 

Walkie Talkies are ALWAYS annoying. The make noises, and maybe that can be muted, but the people using them are LOUD. It's just like people not realizing how loud they're talking on a cell phone, only worse.

 

My DH and I find walkie talkies very necessary....and easy to use. We keep the chatter to a minimum and use them for what they were intended for, a short few words about where we are and where we are going. There are plenty of people on the ship that are louder than we ever are and much more annoying.

[MrsPete]

I see that it has been not been stated yet so I"ll be the first ;

 

They will annoy your fellow passengers .

Yes, they will definitely annoy your fellow passengers.

 

We had never considered walkie-talkies, and we were not pleased on our first cruise to discover them: We were lying by the pool enjoying our books, when the people in the chair next to us EXPLODED with their walkie-talkie conversation:

 

DADDY, DADDY, DADDY, DADDY, ARE YOU THERE, DADDY?

YES, VICTORIA, WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Crackle, static, static, static, static, crackle, crackle, static static.

DADDY? DADDY?

VICTORIA? ARE YOU THERE? I CAN'T HEAR YOU?

Crackle, static, static, static, static, crackle, crackle, static static.

Crackle, static, static, static, static, crackle, crackle, static static.

 

And this conversation went on for a solid ten minutes, while the perpetrators failed to note that every person at the pool was giving them the hairy eyeball. Finally someone said something, and the guy yelled out that he "needed" to keep up with his kids, and he left.

 

This isn't the only time we've encountered poor walkie-talkie behavior.

 

Leave them at home. It's just not hard to keep up with where everyone is.

[MrsPete]

Some people on these forums believe they own the ship and any noise is going to bother them.You are on vacation too.Do as you please.

The people whom you'll be bothering are also on vacation. Do what is polite in a public situation.

[cruzeluvr]

I am amused by all this walkie-talkie conversation. FWIW, we have used them on occassion and they worked like a charm. I have GMRS frequency units (and, yes, I do have a license). We used them to keep in touch and find each other later when we went our separate ways.

 

As for the people who find them annoying, I agree with the posters who said there are a lot of other things our fellow cruisers do that I find annoying. Doing what is polite is obviously rather subjective.

 

Just to stir the pot a little - I'll consider never bringing a walkie-talkie on board when everyone else decides to always follow the suggested dress code like I do.

 

The people whom you'll be bothering are also on vacation. Do what is polite in a public situation.

 

I see that it has been not been stated yet so I"ll be the first

They will annoy your fellow passengers .

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

The beeps, squeals, fuzzy chatter are annoying as %*#$

 

Do something else!

 

Most answers you get on this forum are only going to be against walkie talkies.Believe me once you get onboard you will see they are the minority.If you spend a decent amount on a good set they work fantastic.We talk through floors and across the ship.They work great and I highly recommend them. Some people on these forums believe they own the ship and any noise is going to bother them.You are on vacation too.Do as you please.

 

Who cares?

Lots of things annoy me about fellow passengers..Do they care? Nope.

 

DH and I have used walkie talkies for a long time on board. The annoyance happens if you engage in a long conversation -- but that isn't the purpose for them. We use them to let each other know where we are or if something has occurred to delay the other from meeting at a particular time and place.

 

There are many more things that OTHER cruisers have done, that annoy me on board -- rude & obnoxious behavior by adults and children around us in various venues that continues from many many minutes.

 

So don't worry. For us the walkie talkie has been a great thing on board and on shore.

 

Yes, they will definitely annoy your fellow passengers.

 

We had never considered walkie-talkies, and we were not pleased on our first cruise to discover them: We were lying by the pool enjoying our books, when the people in the chair next to us EXPLODED with their walkie-talkie conversation: . . .

 

 

And this conversation went on for a solid ten minutes, while the perpetrators failed to note that every person at the pool was giving them the hairy eyeball. Finally someone said something, and the guy yelled out that he "needed" to keep up with his kids, and he left.

 

This isn't the only time we've encountered poor walkie-talkie behavior.

 

Leave them at home. It's just not hard to keep up with where everyone is.

[jd10367]

I may just be the one who tells the attendant that your stuff has been on an empty pool chair for over 3 hrs and then sit there myself..... That's more annoying then my damn wallie talkie.., I'm on vacation too and should get a pool chair.

Edited November 6, 2014 by jd10367

[Paulette3028]

Yes, they will definitely annoy your fellow passengers.

 

We had never considered walkie-talkies, and we were not pleased on our first cruise to discover them: We were lying by the pool enjoying our books, when the people in the chair next to us EXPLODED with their walkie-talkie conversation:

 

DADDY, DADDY, DADDY, DADDY, ARE YOU THERE, DADDY?

YES, VICTORIA, WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Crackle, static, static, static, static, crackle, crackle, static static.

DADDY? DADDY?

VICTORIA? ARE YOU THERE? I CAN'T HEAR YOU?

Crackle, static, static, static, static, crackle, crackle, static static.

Crackle, static, static, static, static, crackle, crackle, static static.

 

And this conversation went on for a solid ten minutes, while the perpetrators failed to note that every person at the pool was giving them the hairy eyeball. Finally someone said something, and the guy yelled out that he "needed" to keep up with his kids, and he left.

 

This isn't the only time we've encountered poor walkie-talkie behavior.

 

Leave them at home. It's just not hard to keep up with where everyone is.

 

Just like other things that RUDE people do, you can't control it....and NOT everyone who uses the walkie talkies have long conversations like the rude people you were near.

 

I have been next to rude people at the pool simply drinking too much and being obnoxious. Or the parents who get into an argument with their kids and everyone is storming around with their hands on their hips, angry at each other....and all I want to do is enjoy my pool time.

 

For us, its walkie talkies and they work just fine.

[Paulette3028]

I am amused by all this walkie-talkie conversation. FWIW, we have used them on occassion and they worked like a charm. I have GMRS frequency units (and, yes, I do have a license). We used them to keep in touch and find each other later when we went our separate ways.

 

As for the people who find them annoying, I agree with the posters who said there are a lot of other things our fellow cruisers do that I find annoying. Doing what is polite is obviously rather subjective.

 

Just to stir the pot a little - I'll consider never bringing a walkie-talkie on board when everyone else decides to always follow the suggested dress code like I do.

 

 

Great!

[leisuretraveler223]

There are plenty of people on the ship that are louder than we ever are and much more annoying.

 

That is true. Neither myself, nor anyone else here said walkie talkies were the "most annoying" thing fellow travelers do. I was simply stating a fact- walkie talkies are always annoying to those around the person using it.

 

Feel free to use one. It's not against the rules. And if it makes you feel better by saying 'well, at least I'm not AS annoying as X, Y, or Z', then more power to you.

 

I'm simply stating a fact. They ARE annoying. I don't think it's relevant that drunks or chair hogs, or rude people in the windjammer are MORE annoying.

[MCC retired]

Leaving the walkie talkie @ home is a annoyance that " you" can control .

Then just leave the annoying to the chair hogs & drunks.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Paulette3028]

They do not work at all...Just become a bit of a annoyance.

 

We have used them very effectively on small ships like Her Majesty and a large ship like Allure and everything in between. What becomes an annoyance is the PEOPLE who use them, but don't really know how to use them, and are learning by abusing my 'eardrums'.

 

They are not designed for long conversations, nor do you have to shout when talking to be heard on the other end.

 

We never cruise without them!