nittfan

Again, thank you all for your replies. I have never heard of Chat plan on Celebrity - but I will ask. We are not people who have sailed extensively, but of those we have done, 4 have been on Celebrity and one on NCL. We really only started to sail more when my husband became disabled; before this we were avid hikers and pursued very active vacations. So, since we are provided with a butler in our mini-suite, he may be one of the best people to ask regarding location of phones near the pool / upper decks, and if he doesn't know - I'm sure he can tell me who to ask.

rmf11699 -"Don't cruise lines have a chat plan you can buy into on the ship? I did that on my last NCL cruise. Seems like it was $10 per smart phone for the entire cruise. Myself, the DW and SIL each had the plan and communicated easily on the ship".

sanger727

"Which cruise line are you on? Some, Norwegian specifically, but others may too, offer a phone to phone texting option on the ship for a much lower price than the internet package. That may be worth looking into".

I will look into this, but on our last 2 cruises with Celebrity (most recent in March/'17) they did not freely advertise an option ilke you both mention. If they do, they keep in on the low down.

teknoge3k _ I will look into the Hub app. Does it funcion like WhatsApp?

Again, I will check and see if I can purchase a 60 min. wifi pkg. once on-board. Celebrity does not seem to offer this limited pkg. before the sail, as I do not see it on their web-site. I know that once on board it is offered (as it has been our last two sails). I have read that if I disable SMS on our iPhones we can text iPhone to iPhone via iMessage on wifi", or snapchat.

Thank you all for your replies. It sounds like the consensus of opinion is that the w/talkies would be a waste of money & effort. I did wonder about functionality when surrounded by all that steel and electrical interference, etc.I will make a more concerted effort to find the courtesy phones (near stairwells & elevators) & ask if I can use one at the pool bar. I never saw a courtesy phone at the pool bar, but maybe if I ask they will let me use their's. I may try to purchase a limited (60 min) wifi pkg., as I believe iPhone to iPhone texting is possible via iMessage using wifi.

Thanks for your replies. Our last two cruises were on Celebrity Reflection. I found phones near the buffet dining room, but I didn't have much luck in seeing/finding many others. I'm sure they must be there, and maybe I just need to look more thoroughly. I really don't recall seeing any around the pool / upper decks........ that would be more convenient. I wonder if there is a guide which would show where courtesy phones are located; I will have to ask that, or at least ask where is the closest to the pool area.

Another issue is that my husband is somewhat hard of hearing, and he does not always hear if he is asleep. The talkie that I have been looking at are less than $50 a pair and rated well with good power, and they come with an earphone (which I thought I could get my husband to use!!)

Our stateroom is on level 8 on a 12 deck ship, and it is an outside stateroom with balcony, so I was hoping that the reception would not be too bad.

I probably wouldn't even consider the purchase of the talkies if it weren't for the fact that I can use them at home when I am outside a 1/4 down the hill from our house!

Hello. I have read some other threads here regarding the general distain of on board "walkie-talkies", and the various debates regarding whether they will actually work on a cruise ship. In spite of this, I am thinking of purchasing a relatively powerful pair for our upcoming cruise. My husband has ALS, and he will frequently stay in our balcony stateroom to rest. I, on the other hand, would like to be out around the pool & in the sun whenever I can. We have cruised twice in the past year, and I often could not find a courtesy phone near the pool area, and it was not exactly relaxing to get up and walk around trying to find one, or to run down to the room all the time. I don't want to pay for the expensive on-board wi-fi fee.

I would remove myself from others and try to go to an area with less people (fore/aft) to make a quick call. I do not intend to be some jerk who has to have a long conversation on the talkie; I would be discreet. I just want to be able to contact my husband frequently just to ask "are you o.k."?

I am aware that many people say the talkies do not work well on a cruise ship. I have done some research and am prepared to purchase one that has extra power & range, as I could use it when tending our very large yard as well. I have also posted some questions about a few models on Amazon as well.

TY.

Thanks for your suggestions 138east; yes you did comment on my post in the other thread. I do plan on dropping him off at the door with some of our stuff, and yes, it does require patience for this! We have a handicapped parking permit, so that should allow me to park closer. Our sail date is Aug. 13th on Celebrity Summit. We have a handicapped accessible jr. Sky Suite; I think 8121. My husband is only able to take a few steps with a rolling walker. He has ALS and is not very mobile anymore so we will actually have quite a bit of equipment with us.

I did not know I could ignore the signage on the doors which state that the staterooms are not available?! That would be great if I could take some of his rollator walker and a bag of other important equipment that I do not want to check to our stateroom and then go to lunch! Other than his wheelchair, I hope to only have one small bag with medication, documents, etc. to take to lunch!

Thank you so much for your help and suggestions!

Hello. I posted on another CC board, and this section/forum was suggested to me. I will be arriving @ Cape Liberty terminal/port with my husband who is confined to a wheelchair. In addition I will be managing a rolling walker, bipap machine, etc., so I need to be totally sure of my information! On the other forum a kind poster said that the new Cape Liberty terminal is easily assessible from the parking lot to the terminal building and via elevators directly to the gangway to the ships. I just want to make certain that this is true; I have too much to manage pushing a manual wheelchair and handling luggage, etc. Thank you for the courtesy of allowing me to post this question again here.

Thank you so much Champagne!

Thank you both for your replies. So, once I park, the terminal is supposedly about 750 feet from the parking area (I read that somewhere) and then the terminal is essentially attached to the gangway to the ship dock? (138east ... "The new terminal has an elevator you can use to get up to the start of the gangway"). Sorry to be such a doofus;p

Hello. My husband and I are departing from Bayonne/Cape Liberty in August on the Celebrity Summit. I have read the capeliberty.com website and still do not have the answer I seek. Are the vans/shuttles that take you to the ship wheelchair accessible?

I read that the terminal opens @ 10:30 a.m., but I need to know if the vans are w/c accessible, what the cost is for the shuttle service, & do I purchase the shuttle tickets at the terminal?

TY to anyone who can answer these questions.