Walkie Talkies on board

[roe2ship]

Has anyone used walkie talkies on board and how well do they work? Any particular brand name / model that seemed to work great? Are they available to rent on board?? TIA

[chriscruise]

We used the Motorola Talkabout walkie talkies on two RCCL cruises. They worked most of the time, but there were some locations that we had to move around to find a better signal. I don't know if they are available to rent. They can be very handy.

[CaribbeanBlue]

I have seen these walkie talkies in most ports at camera stores. They are low priced, you charge them up by plugging them into a wall socket. You may want to purchase one prior to your trip to get a good charge. They come in very handy if you have several people in your group who like to wander around.

 

CaribbeanBlue

 

http://www.*****.org

[GottoCruise]

I have stopped packing them...Always others on the "channels" so not convenient to use onboard!

(Saves room in the suitcase!) :D

[cruzbabe]

I have stopped packing them...Always others on the "channels" so not convenient to use onboard!

(Saves room in the suitcase!) :D

I was considering getting them but based on the same kind of feedback from other moms, I changed my mind.

[c-cruise]

Always bring a couple along, but rarely ever use them on the ship. For us they come in much more handy while in port. We usually sail with other people and it is nice to be able to keep track of where everybody is when wandering around the town.

[chriscruise]

It is true that other people may be on you channels, but if you get the kind with a lot of channels and subchannels you can find one. When we hear someone else on our channel we just talk to each other and change it over the walkie talkie. We have a 14 y/o and I like to give her some freedom, but I want to be able to reach her if I need to.

[GrandReady]

Princess rented them on the Grand a couple weeks ago. If I remember correctly they were about $8.00 a day. Could be wrong but it was close to that. Saw a few adults and kids using them.

[Ruthless714]

We had two sets that were programmed to each other while on the Star Princess this past February. They only seemed to work within 1 to 3 decks of each other and there are a lot of other people using them, so interference and others listening to your conversations are a factor. I don't think we'll bring them again. They do work well on port days if you decide to split up, but I still don't think we'll ever use them on a cruise again.

[LARGIN]

Keep them home.. :rolleyes:

[ahracer]

Besides other people on the channels it does not work very well in a metal structure like a ship. From my experience it wasn't worth it. Perhaps if you spent the money to get a good set it would work. We really never found the need for them either.

 

Scott

[cabana]

lol largin the kids or the walkie talkies lol

roe you didn't think it was going to be that easy did ya ?:) But if you get a set with a meduim range of channels you can dail a channel that is not in use. Theres a lot of metal in a ship and the waves don't travel so good thru steel.

[calikak]

FYI, if you're going to Europe, you can't use American walkie-talkies because the frequencies that American walkie-talkies use are the emergency frequencies over there.

 

When we were on the Sapphire, we found that we couldn't get much signal either, and lots of talking over us, and we had the kind that have the channels-within-channels. I doubt we'll bring them on any future cruises.

[LARGIN]

Cabana.. Whatever works... :D :D

[roe2ship]

Thank you everyone. Seems the majority feel they really don't work that well.

[cabana]

I hope they go fast. Hey there Largin, you might know if there is any way to get a bridge tour other then writing to the captain. I only ask because you have a huge amount of posts and you must have seen almost everything here.

thanks,

Bill.

[Pam in CA]

I went out and bought some good ones a couple of years ago. Got on the ship -- and wound up hearing 10 different people say, "Hello?" no matter what channel I used. Even when I found one that appeared to be free, a short while later I'd get the static and people yelling back and forth with where they were. They were definitely not worth it.

[SaltwaterTwo]

There are walkie talkies and then there are walkie talkies. Even within the same brand name some are good and some should be relegated to kids toys. We have used our motorola T289 sets on the last four cruises (10 - 15 - 6 - 14 days) and have found them quite usefull. For example I could go down to the Purser about a problem and talk to my wife about it in our cabin (balcony) or in the pool area several decks up. If you have a gimpy leg like I do and can't go searching for someone throughout the ship, it is very handy. In the eight years I have been using them I have never heard another person on the same channel and code. With 14 channels and 38 codes for each channel you are practically assured of a private line. The cheapies only have 14 channels - no codes. Even with 14 channels + 38 codes some Walkie Talkies do not have the range. I bought a late model new Motorola set thinking I would upgrade. What a mistake! They are noisey and the range is much less. I complained to Motorola and they said tough luck. When my wife dropped her T289 I went on ebay and purchased a new one. I think the T 289 has been out of production for some time. Two more items. You don't have to talk into them at the top of your lungs - normal talk gets through just fine. And if you don't want to irritate the other passengers, use them for short messages, not chit chat.

 

I hope this helps.

[guardhouse]

We generally travel as couples and will always bring them for use in port to keep track if we decide we need to or if we are meeting up. Work great for that.

 

Never tried them much on deck......besides, there are only so many bars to search on the ship before you find me! If you get on the right side of the odds, you will have to go through only 25% of the bars or less before you find me! Who needs a walkie-talkie for that?

 

The bar crawl on the ship IS meant to be an every day thing, not over the whole week of the cruise......right.???? Right?

[SRQfireman]

The key to it is POWER...most walkies are 1/2 watt and have certain channels...you can now buy walkies up to 4 WATTS and have different channels to use that all those with 1/2 watts won't be using....can be bought for $69 a pair if you watch the Sunday ads.......work fairly good on the ship, and even better in port.......

[cruisencouple]

I bought the Motorola Talkabout from Costco we plan on trying to use them but we really won't need them after so Costco takes anything back as long as you have your receipt. So you could try them and if you are near a Costco buy them then return them after your cruise.

[ahracer]

I bought the Motorola Talkabout from Costco we plan on trying to use them but we really won't need them after so Costco takes anything back as long as you have your receipt. So you could try them and if you are near a Costco buy them then return them after your cruise.

 

 

LOL, so your are advising people to make a purchase and then just return it when they are done with it after the cruise???? :rolleyes:

 

 

Scott

[gbcruzer]

The key to it is POWER...most walkies are 1/2 watt and have certain channels...you can now buy walkies up to 4 WATTS and have different channels to use that all those with 1/2 watts won't be using....can be bought for $69 a pair if you watch the Sunday ads.......work fairly good on the ship, and even better in port.......

Thanks for the tip on walkie-talkies. Upon looking into them, I found that a license is needed for the better ones. Watch out for the walkie talkie police!

 

http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/personal/generalmobile/

 

"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. If you operate a radio under the rules that apply to GMRS, you must have a GMRS license. GMRS radios generally transmit at higher power levels (1 to 5 watts is typical) and may have detachable antennas. The current fee for a new GMRS license is $80. "

[alaskagain]

We have taken them for the past two years and will take them again this year. Have not had problem with the signal but with the stations, so got some that we can program in our own code and are rechargeable. With 2 kids and a niece and nephew, they are good to have. I am sorry if some do not like them, but when you need to have your 16 yr old son check in, it is much easier than meeting at the Lotus Pool at noon, especially if he is in a blackjack tournament in the teen center!

 

Toodles leaving today for our cruisetour 19S

[Momj47]

Island Princess rented them on board, and there were a fair number of families using them, successfully, it seemed. The kids really liked them, they were squawking all over the ship. If I had kids, I think it would have been a great way to stay in touch with them without having to follow them around.