Walkie Talkies?

[5Family]

We are leaving on a cruise in 6 weeks and I was thinking about getting some walkie talkies for our kids who will be more independent this cruise. Do they work? Any particular kind or specifications I should look for?

[SCUBA Mark]

We are leaving on a cruise in 6 weeks and I was thinking about getting some walkie talkies for our kids who will be more independent this cruise. Do they work? Any particular kind or specifications I should look for?

 

We always bring our walkie talkies. They work pretty well in most parts of the ship. I have even been able to talk to someone on the ship from shore.

 

They make some good walkie talkies with a 10 mile range. I would suggest getting a good name brand (I have Cobra) that is rechargeable and comes with the charger. Also, get one that has a call button. Ours is multi-channel with side bands. We haven't had any problem with finding a channel all to ourself.

 

You should be able to get a good set for $50 or less.

[Cruzfan34]

We have 10-mile radius walkie talkies. They worked pretty well on the ship, unless the person you're trying to reach is on a deck above or below you. The signal has trouble getting through all of that steel, lol. But most of the time, they work well.

I would think that if you have the 10-mile walkies, that you could talk to someone on the ship from the shore. We never thought to try it. :)

[Janet Foster]

We had a party of six couples on our cruise. I think we had 4 sets. It took a bit of time finding a channel that wasn't already being used but having them was quite useful when we needed to find someone. We kept the volume low as not to disturb others. Plus they worked on all deck levels. I had Motorolla's. I think I got them at Fry's.

[dforeigner]

We are leaving on a cruise in 6 weeks and I was thinking about getting some walkie talkies for our kids who will be more independent this cruise. Do they work? Any particular kind or specifications I should look for?

 

If you do not want to purchase a pair of radios (anything with a range greater than 1 mile requires an FCC license good for 5 years at a price of about 85 dollars) some ships rent those radios. I know for a fact that Princess does. You may want to call ahead to confirm and for availability.

[RFLOUNDER]

We wouldn't leave home without our Walkie Talkies and have used them on 8 cruises. Get good ones, not the toy-store variety, however:( . The cheap ones have only 14 channels and you'll find a lot of people on your frequency. If you buy better ones, you'll be able to set your own channel and subchannel codes for you and your cruisemates. Yes, I know you need an FCC license ito use them in the USA, but it's a piece of cake to get (online), and lasts for 5 years. Costco sells Motorola Talk-Abouts and they work great. We use them not only on the ship, but onshore as well. Always easy to find your friends while window shopping, going to the beach, or if you get separated in town:eek: . They have worked on every ship, on every cruise, and we've even seen (cheap) ones for sale in giftshops aboard ships. We are discreet in using them, keep them on "vibrate", and have never had a single complaint from anyone regarding their use. Oh yes, be sure to get rechargeable ones that include the charging unit. And pack a power strip for your cabin so you can recharge your camera battery, I-Pod, etc. using the one available outlet in the stateroom:) . Enjoy your cruise......over and out;) !

[dforeigner]

We wouldn't leave home without our Walkie Talkies and have used them on 8 cruises. Get good ones, not the toy-store variety, however:( . The cheap ones have only 14 channels and you'll find a lot of people on your frequency. If you buy better ones, you'll be able to set your own channel and subchannel codes for you and your cruisemates. Yes, I know you need an FCC license ito use them in the USA, but it's a piece of cake to get (online), and lasts for 5 years. Costco sells Motorola Talk-Abouts and they work great. We use them not only on the ship, but onshore as well. Always easy to find your friends while window shopping, going to the beach, or if you get separated in town:eek: . They have worked on every ship, on every cruise, and we've even seen (cheap) ones for sale in giftshops aboard ships. We are discreet in using them, keep them on "vibrate", and have never had a single complaint from anyone regarding their use. Oh yes, be sure to get rechargeable ones that include the charging unit. And pack a power strip for your cabin so you can recharge your camera battery, I-Pod, etc. using the one available outlet in the stateroom:) . Enjoy your cruise......over and out;) !

 

Just FYI: In some European countries, using these radios (on shore) for personal use is illegal as it interferes with their emergency radio traffic. Please, this is just to inform the uninformed. I am in no way attempting to slam anyone for using these radios. I own a pair of Motorola 10 mile range radios myself. And yes, I have an FCC license.