Walkie Talkies

As the ships get larger and larger and we get older and older the time has come for us to purchase walkie talkies. We don't text so the cell phone option is out and I think this is a good option for the coming cruises. Based on the new technology that is always coming out I'm interested in purchasing a good set that will do the trick and also not break the bank.

Your experience in this field will be greatly appreciated as I've got Amazon warmed up just waiting for me to push a couple of buttons :D.

Thanks

Skip & DW

Have read so many threads on this. Very divided comments. Some people say they work, but a large number say don't waste your money. Ships have too much metal for them to work well, plus all the squawking can be very annoying to other passengers. Too much metal and too many dead spots. Also illegal in some countries.

As the ships get larger and larger and we get older and older the time has come for us to purchase walkie talkies. We don't text so the cell phone option is out and I think this is a good option for the coming cruises. Based on the new technology that is always coming out I'm interested in purchasing a good set that will do the trick and also not break the bank.

Your experience in this field will be greatly appreciated as I've got Amazon warmed up just waiting for me to push a couple of buttons :D.

Thanks

Skip & DW

You will get answers from those who have good results and those who have had bad results. My answer is it will all depend on the ship, where the two radios are on that ship, and things like the weather. The GMRS and FRS radios sold to consumers don't have the wattage or the correct frequencies to penetrate the steel cage that the ship is, very well. If you look at the radios that the crew use for communications, they use high wattage, UHF radios that have repeater antenna around the ship to ensure coverage. These radios cost several hundred dollars each.

For the LOVE of cruising PLEASE DON'T!!!!! Walkie talkies are NOISE POLLUTION to your fellow passengers!!!! We do not want to hear the beep and squawking, we do not want to listen to your conversation!!! "Joe can you hear me? JOE CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW!" Walkie talkies are a cruise don't!!!!

May I suggest a small white board that you can put on your cabin door (inside or out) that is very handy for leaving messages.

For the LOVE of cruising PLEASE DON'T!!!!! Walkie talkies are NOISE POLLUTION to your fellow passengers!!!! We do not want to hear the beep and squawking, we do not want to listen to your conversation!!! "Joe can you hear me? JOE CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW!" Walkie talkies are a cruise don't!!!!

 

May I suggest a small white board that you can put on your cabin door (inside or out) that is very handy for leaving messages.

Agree!!! We have been on 18 cruises, and aren't young. Never needed walkie talkies. Plan old face to face communication and a little planning works wonders.

As big as the ships are, they are not that big that walkie talkies are the necessary communication method to keep in touch IMO. Making simple time based plans on where to meet and what someone will be doing, white boards on the stateroom doors, house phones to the staterooms, knowing the likely places where one will be (the pool, the arcade, the shopping areas, etc.) - any number of methods to know where someone will be are far better. It just isn't that difficult to keep in touch on board.

Please consider the other passengers that will always be in earshot of your never private, impossible to be quite with chirping noise (because of the nature of the device), toys v tools use (because of the nature of children), shouting to make them work when the nature of the ship is preventing them from working, conversations.

I apologize for the opinion of which you did not ask, but I sometimes can't help myself when this topic arises. My on board experience over many years has drawn me to this position based on numerous actual occurrences.

So ignore me if you prefer but don't ignore the response from chengkp75 who is in the cruise industry and is very knowledgeable and accurate with his answers. His should be the advise you might want to consider.

What's wrong with simply TALKING to your travel mates? Make plans, even tentative...tell them where you'll be...they'll tell you what they're doing...easy! No electronics of any kind needed!

universally LOATHED by your fellow cruisers.

just DON'T put yourself in the position of being the recipient of a hundred dirty looks, eye rolls and disgusted sighs.

the world will NOT end if you do not know where your other half is every minute of the day. he knows when dinner is. if he is late, than tough noogies. leave a note in the room and tell him you will order his shrimp cocktail for him.

I hear some use whiteboards and post it notes in their cabin as a message centre.

When I'm cruising near land, I have used BBM (messaging service) on my smartphone.

As the ships get larger and larger and we get older and older the time has come for us to purchase walkie talkies. We don't text so the cell phone option is out and I think this is a good option for the coming cruises. Based on the new technology that is always coming out I'm interested in purchasing a good set that will do the trick and also not break the bank.

Your experience in this field will be greatly appreciated as I've got Amazon warmed up just waiting for me to push a couple of buttons :D.

Thanks

Skip & DW

Assuming that maturity has come along with your acknowledged getting older, you certainly ought to be able to communicate plans as to where to meet, or how to advise of changes in plans - like post it notes in the cabin. Why opt for a method which will seriously annoy your fellow passengers while frustrating you due to poor function? I have never observed anyone having a quiet conversation on a walkie talkie but I have experienced very many talking loud and repeating themselves - obviously attempting to deal with ineffective equipment.

As the ships get larger and larger and we get older and older the time has come for us to purchase walkie talkies. We don't text so the cell phone option is out and I think this is a good option for the coming cruises. Based on the new technology that is always coming out I'm interested in purchasing a good set that will do the trick and also not break the bank.

Your experience in this field will be greatly appreciated as I've got Amazon warmed up just waiting for me to push a couple of buttons :D.

Thanks

Skip & DW

You'll find because the ship is mostly steel. Many walkie talkies won't work very well or at all. I find people that use them tend to talk louder if the the other person can't hear them.

The on board radios the crew use are designed to work on board . That system is built into the ship.

I agree with the posts above. The three of us easily used the "notes" method on our last cruise. My hubby would write down that he finished in the gym and was now taking his guitar off to the Skywalker (on the Golden Princess) lounge. I would add I was on my way to hula class. Our teen would add she was going to eat lunch in the buffet with her group. And so forth. Our girl knew when our dinner seating was as we had traditional dining...and if she wanted to eat with us would know when we were in the cabin getting ready.

Since you get that daily newsletter at night, you both can go over possible activities and entertainment for the next day.

Also there's usually courtesy phones all over the ship that you can call your cabin and leave a voice message for the other.

I like to carry a very small purse around with only enough room for my camera (my phone stays turned off in the cabin until we reach a port), my puzzle magazine or a paperback book, a pen and tiny notepad...and that's it. I'm not about to lug around a walkie talkie all over the ship.

As mentioned, the quality of using them can really range and they can be disruptive.

I would just leave message on the room telephone and make use of notes.

Keith

In a word: DON'T

Just takes a little planning as in "We can meet at the buffet and noon". Etc.

Seems this topic comes up a lot.

Do a search , expect everything from, they work swell, to they are annoying to fellow guests and everything in between.

How well they work can be debated , but annoying to others is a problem .

I'll take the problem to others opinion .

Assuming that maturity has come along with your acknowledged getting older, you certainly ought to be able to communicate plans as to where to meet, or how to advise of changes in plans - like post it notes in the cabin. Why opt for a method which will seriously annoy your fellow passengers while frustrating you due to poor function? I have never observed anyone having a quiet conversation on a walkie talkie but I have experienced very many talking loud and repeating themselves - obviously attempting to deal with ineffective equipment.

In the UK, commuters on trains (usually in an area of poor signal coverage) can often be heard phoning home on their mobiles (cellphones) - bellowing 'I'M ON THE TRAIN DARLING - HOME IN 20 MINS' or similar - this is infuriating!

It would be quite nice to subject these people to a cruise Walkie Talkie version - I'M ON THE VERANDAH, LOOKING AFT OVER THE SEA, SIPPING ICED CHAMPAGNE - MISSING YOU ALREADY ...'

Very juvenile, I know - but very satisfying :cool:

I wouldn't use walkie talkies on a ship but if you simply have to, use the earphones/earbuds that come with them so at least only one side of the conversation can be heard by others. I think that would also get rid of the squeeks and squaks for the other passengers.

Thanks for all the input and I now see that this idea should be put in the "never to do" file. Never thought this would be such an annoyance.

Skip

Thanks for all the input and I now see that this idea should be put in the "never to do" file. Never thought this would be such an annoyance.

Skip

Here's the thing:

They don't work well and won't penetrate the ship through 4 decks over the length of the ship. Thus, they don't work well. The people who do not comprehend this problem and think that shouting into them will solve the problem are why they are really annoying. That and kids who quickly figure out that turning them off means the parents cannot squawk them.

The ships are not really that big. Figuring out where someone is gonna be isn't too hard. It's important to remember that it is only recently that people have had a cel phone surgically attached to their hand.

We always bring them to use on the beaches etc. because we have children. It's a safety net for us & kids off-ship, not a constant phone for the cruise. For family notes, we bring a dry erase pen (actually a wet-erase pen) and leave notes on the mirror. We also bring a yellow highlighter for the daily cruise notes. :)

We always bring them to use on the beaches etc. because we have children. It's a safety net for us & kids off-ship, not a constant phone for the cruise. For family notes, we bring a dry erase pen (actually a wet-erase pen) and leave notes on the mirror. We also bring a yellow highlighter for the daily cruise notes. :)

its actually illegal to use them on shore in most ports of the Caribbean.