Walkie Talkie Brands - help & suggestions.

[CruiseRoll]

Is there a walkie talkie that works best on RCL? The ones we used last few cruises were not very useful (and they were good ones). Taking Anthem, clearly a big boat with lots of decks and interference.. Suggestion best make/model?

[ken_nyc]

Is there a walkie talkie that works best on RCL? The ones we used last few cruises were not very useful (and they were good ones). Taking Anthem, clearly a big boat with lots of decks and interference.. Suggestion best make/model?

 

I have used Motorola, sorry but I cannot find the package to tell you what the model number is. Last ship we used them was on the Adventure of the Seas.

[GUT2407]

Best suggestion I can make is leave them at home.

[Scotty G]

Is there a walkie talkie that works best on RCL? The ones we used last few cruises were not very useful (and they were good ones). Taking Anthem, clearly a big boat with lots of decks and interference.. Suggestion best make/model?

 

All inexpensive walkie talkies have around the same output power.

 

Because modern cruise ships are made of steel and aluminum the attenuation or blockage of transmitted signals will be great compared to using such radios ashore or where there are fewer steel structures between radios.

 

Sorry, the laws of physics apply.

[ARCruisinNana]

Best suggestion I can make is leave them at home.

 

 

I agree. They are really annoying to other passengers.

[ronrick1943]

I AGREE, leave them home and enjoy your trip. Just pick a time and place to meet.

[cb at sea]

Not needed....just make plans with your group so you know where everyone will be. Plan on meeting up at mealtimes...or shows...whatever suits you.

[brillohead]

This brand has always worked for me:

 

[Clarea]

We've never had good luck with walkie-talkies. Once you are separated by a few decks, the signal has trouble getting through.

[fredflint]

just get the internet voom package and email or use voip calls as well as some wifi messaging apps

[CruiseRoll]

Special needs passenger we need to communicate with. How go you use wifi without high text rates?

[Clarea]

Special needs passenger we need to communicate with. How go you use wifi without high text rates?

You would have to purchase a WiFi package for two devices. You would also have to use a WiFi messaging app, such as iMessage or WhatsApp. Put the phones in airplane mode and turn back on WiFi. This way there will be no charges from your cell carrier.

[chengkp75]

Special needs passenger we need to communicate with. How go you use wifi without high text rates?

 

Radios sold to the general public state their "quality" by wattage. Unfortunately, power is not the primary problem with dealing with a steel structure, it is frequency. The FRS or GMRS radios sold to consumers are not the right frequencies. The ship's crew use 5 watt UHF radios with specific frequencies that will penetrate steel better, and also there are repeater antenna tuned for those frequencies around the ship.

 

I agree with Bob, that using a couple of wifi devices on the ship's plan, in airplane mode is the best.

[dpostman]

I've purchased GMRS radios in the past for our first cruise on DCL, and did not use them because they had a pair of "Wave Phones" for every room. Then, on our last cruise, we had taken them with us and never took them out of the suitcase. When we used them in places like theme parks, The signal had to be so loud so that we could hear them, it was really annoying when we were in quieter areas. Ours also have a Vibrate option, but that is pretty useless unless. You can't feel it unless you are sitting very still in a quiet Tree Stand hinting for something.

 

I'm looking into the WhatsApp and iMessage options. I Assume that Google Hangouts should also work? Since every one in my family already uses Hangouts (Both droids and iOS) Is there a reason hangouts would not work?

 

dp

[Turtles06]

Special needs passenger we need to communicate with. How go you use wifi without high text rates?

 

Besides the options given to you above re using wi fi, I believe that you can (for a fee) add an option to your Royal iQ app that will allow you to send text messages using the app. (Pretty sure you must pay for this feature on each device on which you want to use it.) We did not use this feature on Anthem so I can't speak to it personally.

[Submariner]

We always bring 4 walkie talkies in our group of 8 whenever we cruise together. We find that it works great and has helped us a lot. Get one with a large transmission distance (although that is mute on a steel ship).

When we were docked in Nassau, Bahamas, we could talk from the ship to our party who are walking around town with no problems.

 

Oh, we also ensure we have the version that vibrates so as not to disturb fellow passengers with loud ringers. We dont talk loud on them too to avoid the douchebag factor.

Edited December 6, 2015 by Submariner

[RocketMan275]

Special needs passenger we need to communicate with. How go you use wifi without high text rates?

 

Text is cheap. Verizon charges 50 cents to send and 5 cents to receive. How much are the walkie talkies? Email is much more expensive. Suggest you contact your provider before making any decisions.

 

FWIW, Royal was selling walkie talkies on board Oasis a month ago. Didn't see the brand, model, or price. They were in the place they sell t-shirts, toothpaste, etc.

[Clarea]

... I'm looking into the WhatsApp and iMessage options. I Assume that Google Hangouts should also work? ...

Should work fine.

[Eng23]

This question gets asked quite often. Besides the obvious reason of the ship being made of steel, limited frequencies, and how annoying their use can be to other passengers I would say leave them at home. There is one thing that most people don't even consider with using walkie talkies and it is a reason not really related to the ship. So many people don't realize it is illegal to use these devices in many of the countries the ships visit. In many of the Caribbean ports the local emergency services use the same frequencies as walkie talkies. Many of the countries clearly advise use of these radios is prohibited.

 

On one visit to Jamaica I watched a passenger argue with the Jamaican authorities about his walkie talkies. The passenger was advised the radios could not be brought into the country and be used by his group. The authorities advised the passenger to return to the ship and leave the radios in his cabin. The passenger continued to argue to the point he was about to have his radios confiscated and risk arrest by the police. A ships crew member intervened and convinced the passenger to return the radios to the ship.