Discrete walkie talkies - do they exist?

OP

 

The real problem with your plan is that walkie talkies do not work well on the ships because of all the metal. Any one that you can legally purchase is so low powered that you simply don't get any coverage.

 

You best option would be to use a chat app on a phone.

Kind of off topic, but this thread appears to be going off the rails anyway. Are there chat apps that work without internet on Royal Caribbean? We are getting the internet package for us two, but not sure that everyone in our group of 7 is; but it would make it a lot easier to communicate!

Kind of off topic, but this thread appears to be going off the rails anyway. Are there chat apps that work without internet on Royal Caribbean? We are getting the internet package for us two, but not sure that everyone in our group of 7 is; but it would make it a lot easier to communicate!

Chat apps will either use the internet via ship's wi-fi or mobile data, both are gonna use the ships $ystems.

1) They don't work well on ships because of all the metal walls and floors.

2) In other counties (including the territoriality waters of those countries, what are legal consumer products in the US MAY NOT BE LEGAL.

So, bottom line, don't do walkie talkies.

This https://www.royalcaribbean.com/royaliq is the new and improved way of communicating with other's on board, and if I get it correctly, it's only $7.95 for unlimited talk or text with others having subscribed on board...

Fair comments from you and other parents. I do apologize, I did not make myself clear.

 

Yes, of course, we can bring her to the kids club. We are merely trying to slowly test the waters with regards to her independence. And don't get me wrong, we're not considering leaving her alone for a prolonged period of time. She may not like being alone after 5 minutes, and that's perfectly fine. That will be where the experiment stops.

 

And the reason why we're thinking about trying this on a cruise ship is very simple: it is the most controlled environment I can think of. At home she can run out onto the street. In a hotel the same. On a boat not so much: no chances of getting hit by a car or eaten by a coyote.

 

We're definitely not leaving her in a cabin with a walkie-talkie to get drunk at the bar. No effing way. And maybe in the end we may decide to not even try it at all. We're still 5 months out.

 

We lived in a neighborhood (upscale Socal, in a cul de sac) where 7 and 8 year old kids would play outside with each other without problems. Each child is different and has different needs. Ours is craving responsibility, but sometimes takes too much on her plate, which is why we take it one step at a time, and in a controlled environment.

 

But let's not end up in a discussion of how good or bad we are at parenting. I think we're not too shabby, and I'll have no problem explaining myself to any CPS whatsoever.

Just out of curiosity, if she is in the cabin and you are at the other end of the ship and 5 decks up, what will you do in case of an emergency? Perhaps one requiring pax report to their lifeboat stations?

And as a former mandated reporter in SoCal who has made CPS referrals, I wouldn't be too sanguine about your ability to handle CPS in a situation like this.

People aren't saying it is a bad thing to do because of the usual, moral preening, thing - this is a serious safety issue. And nothing is a problem - until it IS a a problem.

I get your goal - heck we raised our daughters on a principle of structured independence. And we sent my older daughter from LA to SF for a weekend with her aunt at about age 6. But she had accountable supervision the whole way. And we sent her to language school in Mexico for 4 weeks when she was 16. So we are definitely not overprotective hovering type parents.

But I don't think you have really thought this all the way through, and considered what happens if things go wrong. I think that when you do you will realize that this is not the environment for this. A cruise ship IS a controlled environment in some ways, but not others.

Not to cast any aspersions on the crew, but you are talking about leaving your 7 year old in a cabin to which one or more guys you met 2 days ago (or maybe never met) have the key in a situation where a casual observer would think it perfectly normal for them to enter your room. And if a fire breaks out in the neighborhood a 7 year old has the common sense to run away from it. But what does a 7 year old know about what she is supposed to do on a ship - where common sense does not necessarily lead to safety. And she would be facing that without YOU, scared out of her mind and surrounded by strangers, some of whom might be panicking themselves.

So really, I URGE you to think this over again.

Of all the (I assume mostly well-meaning) people in this thread, you bring some solid arguments. Ss smart as she is, I would not trust her to do ok in an emergency situation. What are the chances? Probably none. But what if? I'd probably jump overboard myself.

 

Consider the plan canceled. Perhaps when turns 10.

 

I'm still going to try my plan A (of person to person communication), just because I can.

Good on you !!! Even if you did just make my very wise post wasted effort.

But you will never get anywhere on the internet if you respond reasonably, and are open to changing your mind when presented with compelling reasons. :p:p

Have a great cruise.

OP has already stated they will not be leaving their 6/7 year old alone for now.

Indeed. Perhaps we were a bit spoiled by our sense of safety on our previous cruise experience on DCL, but the 'what are you going to do in case of emergency' aspect was a good argument to let go of the whole idea.

I am curious as to what their primary, "person to person" communication plan is. After all these years, pretty sure everything has been tried.......

There is always a way, you just have to find it. All you need is one usable port. My tech skills are a lot better than my parenting skills, so I'll have an advantage over most of those who tried before. And I don't want to sound to arrogant, but I've worked for several vendors of networking equipment, and satellite companies in the past. I always left because I got bored. We'll see. I'll write it up if I find something.

As for the discretion part: that would apply to walkie-talkies and regular phone communication in the same manner. My goal is to find something that is non-intrusive to other passengers, but works reliably throughout the vessel.

Yes, there are "discrete" walkie-talkies that work on ships, just contact the Secret Service to find out what they use.

Yes, there are "discrete" walkie-talkies that work on ships, just contact the Secret Service to find out what they use.

....with equally discrete operators.....

The OP must remember that in the general public opinion, 7 year olds now are genetically very different from 7 year olds fifty years ago. Then, 7 year olds were quite capable of walking to and from school, of going shopping, of visiting libraries, of going round to friends' houses, and generally of making decisions. Now, they aren't fit to be out of a parent's sight even for a second. Either parents have got paranoid, or else children have got stupid.

It's one thing to worry about increased sexual assault. the statistics don't back up those worries, but there is logic behind it. But to reckon that children nowadays can't know stuff or do stuff that children fifty years ago could do? It makes no sense.

The OP must remember that in the general public opinion, 7 year olds now are genetically very different from 7 year olds fifty years ago. Then, 7 year olds were quite capable of walking to and from school, of going shopping, of visiting libraries, of going round to friends' houses, and generally of making decisions. Now, they aren't fit to be out of a parent's sight even for a second. Either parents have got paranoid, or else children have got stupid.

 

It's one thing to worry about increased sexual assault. the statistics don't back up those worries, but there is logic behind it. But to reckon that children nowadays can't know stuff or do stuff that children fifty years ago could do? It makes no sense.

Amen!

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The OP must remember that in the general public opinion, 7 year olds now are genetically very different from 7 year olds fifty years ago. Then, 7 year olds were quite capable of walking to and from school, of going shopping, of visiting libraries, of going round to friends' houses, and generally of making decisions. Now, they aren't fit to be out of a parent's sight even for a second. Either parents have got paranoid, or else children have got stupid.

 

It's one thing to worry about increased sexual assault. the statistics don't back up those worries, but there is logic behind it. But to reckon that children nowadays can't know stuff or do stuff that children fifty years ago could do? It makes no sense.

Maybe it’s not that children nowadays can’t do things that were done 50 years ago, but that we now know more to fear. Back then people didn’t discuss sexual assault. We didn’t know the statistics for how many people in their lifetime experience this either. With more information obviously comes more caution.

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Nice to see some folks actually giving answers about the WT's and not trying to tell the OP how to be a parent. :rolleyes:

The OP must remember that in the general public opinion, 7 year olds now are genetically very different from 7 year olds fifty years ago. Then, 7 year olds were quite capable of walking to and from school, of going shopping, of visiting libraries, of going round to friends' houses, and generally of making decisions. Now, they aren't fit to be out of a parent's sight even for a second. Either parents have got paranoid, or else children have got stupid.

 

It's one thing to worry about increased sexual assault. the statistics don't back up those worries, but there is logic behind it. But to reckon that children nowadays can't know stuff or do stuff that children fifty years ago could do? It makes no sense.

Although I do not have the data to back this up, my guess that the internet and social media are the causes of the "increase" of bad things happening to kids. Not that there really are more bad things happening but if something happens to a kid in one place, it gets on social media and everyone in the entire country assumes that it will also happen to their kid.

DON

Although I do not have the data to back this up, my guess that the internet and social media are the causes of the "increase" of bad things happening to kids. Not that there really are more bad things happening but if something happens to a kid in one place, it gets on social media and everyone in the entire country assumes that it will also happen to their kid.

 

DON

Plus the interweb and social networks (I refuse to call them social media) allow anyone to tell everyone else how bad of a parent they are when they are not doing things "their way".

Obviously a total wind-up post:

• In their roll call the OP states their daughter is six years old, not seven
  
• Uses a lot of big words but doesn't know the difference between discrete and discreet
  
• Thinks they actually has the power to edit out individual responses they don't agree with
  

Save your keystrokes for a thread that will actually be here tomorrow, folks.

This.

Nice to see some folks actually giving answers about the WT's and not trying to tell the OP how to be a parent. :rolleyes:

And yet the fact that some people brought up aspects of the situation that the OP had not considered, and that considering them caused him to change his mind, turned out to be far more helpful than any blather about walkie talkies.

And yet the fact that some people brought up aspects of the situation that the OP had not considered, and that considering them caused him to change his mind, turned out to be far more helpful than any blather about walkie talkies.

Truth!

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Walkie-Talkies aboard ships may soon no longer be a problem. Marella cruises in the UK have just refitted the former Mein Schiff 1 (Celebrity Galaxy) as the Marella Explorer. Part of the refit is fitting 650 WiFi hotspots and giving free on ship access/use for smart device users. So those who want to can talk to each other free with their phones. The system also allows for checking on board accounts, booking excursions/restaurants etc. I would think this would be popular on any ship.

The OP must remember that in the general public opinion, 7 year olds now are genetically very different from 7 year olds fifty years ago. Then, 7 year olds were quite capable of walking to and from school, of going shopping, of visiting libraries, of going round to friends' houses, and generally of making decisions.

The children have't changed, the parents have. Too many cosseters aka "helicopter parents."

I don't know the OP or the child but would not automatically be "aghast" at a child of that age being left in a cruise cabin on their own. Depends on the parents, depends on the child, depends on how long they will be left there and why.

Or maybe people don’t have ten children where the older kids watched the younger ones.

Being a careful, attentive parent doesn’t make one a helicopter parent. Not leaving a barely 7 year old alone period is good parenting in my opinion. Responsibility can be taught without doing that at 7, age appropriate responsibility....fending for yourself at 7 seems extreme to me. I believe 12 is common minimum age requirement in states to be home alone.

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Fair comments from you and other parents. I do apologize, I did not make myself clear.

 

Yes, of course, we can bring her to the kids club. We are merely trying to slowly test the waters with regards to her independence. And don't get me wrong, we're not considering leaving her alone for a prolonged period of time. She may not like being alone after 5 minutes, and that's perfectly fine. That will be where the experiment stops.

 

And the reason why we're thinking about trying this on a cruise ship is very simple: it is the most controlled environment I can think of. At home she can run out onto the street. In a hotel the same. On a boat not so much: no chances of getting hit by a car or eaten by a coyote.

 

We're definitely not leaving her in a cabin with a walkie-talkie to get drunk at the bar. No effing way. And maybe in the end we may decide to not even try it at all. We're still 5 months out.

 

We lived in a neighborhood (upscale Socal, in a cul de sac) where 7 and 8 year old kids would play outside with each other without problems. Each child is different and has different needs. Ours is craving responsibility, but sometimes takes too much on her plate, which is why we take it one step at a time, and in a controlled environment.

 

But let's not end up in a discussion of how good or bad we are at parenting. I think we're not too shabby, and I'll have no problem explaining myself to any CPS whatsoever.

I'm sure you and your spouse have the safety of your child at the forefront.

I just wanted to make a suggestion that has worked well for me in the past. Since most cruise cabins can accommodate 4, have you considered taking along a responsible older child- perhaps a cousin or other family member or friend who can look after the 7 y.o. to give you some free time? I realize there would be added cost, but thought I'd mention it for what it's worth.

I actually am bring children ranging from 13-17 who usually travel in peers but sometimes like to wander to the pool instead of right back to the room therefore I was also looking to see if walkie talkie's were allowed & if I could rent them via RCCL. I can't but they said that I could bring ones on that meet the following specifications:

1. 10 mile coverage

2. 5 watt power

3. Internal Voice Operated Transmission

4. No Internal Mountain Antenna

Although I do not have the data to back this up, my guess that the internet and social media are the causes of the "increase" of bad things happening to kids. Not that there really are more bad things happening but if something happens to a kid in one place, it gets on social media and everyone in the entire country assumes that it will also happen to their kid.

 

 

 

DON

I know that in NY specifically it started with Etan Patz, I believe 1979. The kid went to the bus stop for the first time, and he was kidnapped and murdered. That changed parents perceptions that the world is a safe place to a very dangerous place.

That all said walking in your neighborhood is a bit different than a cruise ship in the ocean where accidental drowning in the pool has happened more times than we care to remember.

To revive this old thread with actual data and information.

RCCL has excellent child care facilities so there was no need to leave our daughter alone in the cabin after-all. Even if we would have to for some reason, I'd still feel relatively okay-ish as (opposed to other cruise lines we've been on), she was fitted with a special wrist band before boarding. Any children found unattended during an emergency are handled by the crew and brought to the assembly point indicated on their wrist band. Note that this is a testament to the safety planning of the crew/company, not to our parenting. I's good to know that, just in case, the crew has your back.

I've seen a number of guests last week with walkie-talkies, and they seem to work just fine. They're even sold on board on deck 5. We haven't needed any as the Royal App now has a chat functionality under the (beta) screen. That works good enough.

My plan for a clandestine communication channel kind of works. My plan A was to simply use a soft PBX on my laptop, but unfortunately the wifi is configured to block client-to-client traffic. My plan B would have worked, which was to tunnel out of the network. But then again, we didn't need it as the app works fine. Looking forward to the second week of our vacation.