Anybody use walkie talkies on the ship?

[2tall]

My husband and I are thinking about purchasing walkie talkies for our next cruise. We figured that it would be a good way to keep track of each other on those days when we do our own thing. Does anybody know if they work on the ships?

[cb at sea]

Can't you just agree to meet at a given time? We've never seen the need to talk to each other continuously while apart! He'll go to the casino, while I'm at the pool. He knows about where I'll be on the pool deck, so he can find me if he's so inclined! We've never had a problem finding each other or meeting up! We know, if all else fails, that we'll be at the same dinner table!!! (although it's never come down to that extreme!)

Get them if you must, but it really shouldn't be necessary!

[petel]

They work fine. Be sure you have adequate batteries. :)

[time4u2go]

They may or may not work, depending on where you are. With all the metal in the ship, it makes for pretty bad reception in most indoor areas.

[nixonzm]

they work fine except for the kids pulling pranks on all the channels. i am also glad that because you ask a question, someone feels the need to tell you how to live your life.

[wrk2cruz]

We tried them once, they really didn't work that well, so now we leave them at home ....but... we have seen others who have them and they seem to work fine. I think there a great idea.:D

[PBNJ620]

I have to advise you against the walkie talkie thing. One, there are so many kids with them, that they are actually annoying while onboard . I've actually seen a woman packing three of them at a time and trying to answer them all while we were having lunch one day. It was a little rude actually. Kind of like people talking on their cell phones in a restaurant but worse because of all the noise that the walkie talkies make. I doubt the reception is all that great on the walkie talkes because of all of the other people using them. Too much interference.

[Pomperaugrr]

We have used them with friends before. The problem is the large number of people that think about this too. On the Voyager Class ships, we found at least five to six families sharing each channel. They also can be annoying to other passengers if the volume is too high. They will work, although we no longer take them.

 

Eric

[gkrebs]

We use them all the time. However we have never really had to use them on the ship. We use them mostly while in port and we are at different places.

[cpa2be]

We've cruised with our 2 adult sons and their girlfriends 2 times. We wished we had them during the first cruise and we spent some time tracking one us down or trying to get in touch just to ask if they wanted to meet somewhere.

 

We bought 2 sets for our 2nd cruise together and they worked great. We don't have conversations on them, just short bits of info, as needed. They were inexpensive - under $40 per set and were very useful. We never experienced problems with other people on the same channel that others have reported.

[emdia43]

If your cruise is going to be on a Voyager class ship they have DECT phones that you can rent- these are much more efficient. I have walkie talkies and they are a bit miss and hit.

[wakelover]

Please can you tell me more on these phones? I am interested.

[DCPIV]

My sons received a pair for gifts, and we took them on our last cruise. They weren't worth the hassle.

 

 

D

[emdia43]

They are just like your cordless phone- you rent them from Guest Services (Purser) Desk for $25 each per week. They work anywhere on the ship. Great if you have a family to keep track of. Walkie talkies- eh- I've used them but don't often get good channel or very clear connection.

[wakelover]

They are just like your cordless phone- you rent them from Guest Services (Purser) Desk for $25 each per week. They work anywhere on the ship. Great if you have a family to keep track of. Walkie talkies- eh- I've used them but don't often get good channel or very clear connection.

 

Many thanks on the info....are there any add on charges to the rental charge? Can we get these on the Navigator????

[emdia43]

Yes you can get them on Navigator and any of the Voyager class ships (the big 'uns) and there are no extra charges. Worth every penny too. You can do some serious walking looking for kids/stragglers without them.:)

[MickeyB426]

Buy the walkie-talkies. They work fine on a ship.

 

For two of you, it's worth the extra $10-20 to get a powerful pair. Get one with a vibrate/call feature and with many sub-channels, to avoid the kids who like to fool around on the radios.

 

A really strong one will have a range of 10+ miles. This particularly came in handy for me when half our group was on the ship and the other half went to the beach at Labadee.

 

(I reccomend Cobras, but do NOT buy the Cobra walkie-talkies they sell on board. They are priced at $99 for the pair, which is double what I paid for them at Costco.)

 

Ignore the people who don't answer the question, but would rather pass judgment in how you choose to conduct yourself on a ship.

[jpres]

Can you only use these Dect phones on the ship? Or do they work in port?

If not, walkie talkies would be the way to go, however don't buy a cheap set.

[emdia43]

DECT phones only work onboard.

Wakelover is in England, not much point in her buying walkie talkies for one trip over here. I don't remember all the details because we have the Motorola $29.99 variety and they didn't work too well,but the powerful ones have to be licensed.....that seems like too much hassle for a cruise.

[Jomik1]

We just returned from the Freedom on Sunday. We had 3 families with 5 kids (3 14 yo's, 1 12 yo, & 1 11 yo). We had 2 sets of Motorola Walkie Talkies and they worked great. We kept them on Channel 13, subchannel 31 and had no problems and no interference. There was no one else using that particular channel so no confusion with other families. They were great at keeping track of where everyone was. This is our 3rd cruise and we have used them everytime.

 

Just be sure to bring extra batteries.

[quikb18b]

Im going to buy some tomorrow, mainly for while were in port just in case we split up. Ship we usually have no trouble since its just two of us.

 

I'm going to get the Motorola ones I think there $69 for the pair. at Best Buy.

[Priusprof]

I bought a pair to use onboard and in port and they work great. As others have noted do not buy the cheap ones. I use the Motorola 12 mile range set and we use them onboard and in port. Especially handy in foreign locations and when the wife and daughter stay ashore to shop and I go back to the ship.

Just adds that measure of piece of mind.

[gotbeer]

we have Motorola radios as well and, we found if you can go to a higher frequency and pick a lower sub chanel they work just fine.

 

If you find other traffic on the channel that you picked just try anouther

[2tall]

Thanks for the advice! I'll start looking for either the cobra or the motorola. I'm still a bit confused about the licensing issue. With whom do they have to be licensed?

 

We'll keep them off most of the time but I would like to be able to find my husband in the afternoons. I like to take a nap...he likes to walk around and talk to his new buddies. We set times to meet but my husband has what appears to be the adult version of ADD. He starts talking to people...or sees something shiny on the ground...whatever...and he loses track of the time. He does the same thing on shore. You turn around and *poof* he's gone. He's walking along, heading somewhere but then, "oh look, a chicken" and off he goes.

[wraithe]

Thanks for the advice! I'll start looking for either the cobra or the motorola. I'm still a bit confused about the licensing issue. With whom do they have to be licensed?

 

We'll keep them off most of the time but I would like to be able to find my husband in the afternoons. I like to take a nap...he likes to walk around and talk to his new buddies. We set times to meet but my husband has what appears to be the adult version of ADD. He starts talking to people...or sees something shiny on the ground...whatever...and he loses track of the time. He does the same thing on shore. You turn around and *poof* he's gone. He's walking along, heading somewhere but then, "oh look, a chicken" and off he goes.

 

Hey 2tall,

 

Here's the blurb from the FCC about FRS radios that do not need a license, click here to see the whole page:

 

If you operate a radio that has been approved exclusively under
the rules that apply to FRS, you are not required to have a license. FRS 
radios have a maximum power of ½ watt (500 milliwatt) effective radiated 
power and integral (non-detachable) antennas.

 

You need the license to use the GMRS radios which are higher power, the FRS only radios are so low power they're essentially useless on the ship. The GMRS/FRS page is here. The license costs $89 if I remember correctly, and here's the problem. The license is no good in foreign ports, you use the radios at your own peril. For instance, the frequencies used by GMRS are used in Europe for Emergency Services (fire/police/ambulance). So, having the US license doesn't give you permission to use the radios in another country. Most people don't care, they don't even buy the license in the States, but the fines can be very high, you can get your equipment confiscated, or be imprisoned. Not trying to be alarmist, just stating a fact. If you break the law in some countries, they don't take it kindly, and ignorance (defined as a lack of knowledge about a subject, again not trying to be an smart aleck) is not bliss, I've seen my shipmates jailed for spitting on the side of the road.

 

Later shipmate!

 

PS) It's not adult ADD, my lovely bride says it's selective memory, she's taken to asking me how long of a minute I'm going to be, like a real minute, or should she just sit down and get a book! LOL