Walkie Talkies on board

[PrincessAddict]

They are so ANOYING!...once I was seated in the Dining Room on the Star two years ago and someone at the table next to me was relaying what was on the menu to her husband in the cabin. This was going on back and forth for well over 15 minutes.....Leave them at home for god sake!....if you can't find your kids velcrow them to the play center and check back on them every hour.:D

[SaltwaterTwo]

There are walkie talkies and again there are walkie talkies. You are just throwing your money away on the cheap ones. My wife and I have been using ours extensively for over eight years and guess what? - we have never heard another person on our channel and code nor do we get any static. We have the 1/2 watt power motorola T289 and have used them on several cruises. I remember on the Sea Princess I could talk to my wife from the pursers desk to our balcony room several decks up and from the room to the pool. Recently I purchased a couple of new motorola models thinking I was upgrading. They had limited range and a lot of static. They were so bad I didn't even attempt to sell them on ebay. During the years we have broken a couple of the T289s (they don't like to be submerged in water) and since they are no longer carried in stores I have always gone to ebay to purchase replacements. One word of caution - don't yell into them or you will disturb your fellow passenger. They work just fine with very quiet talk. Also as a courtesy to our fellow passengers we limit our conversation time to the minimum.

[NthernLgts]

... The kids really liked them, they were squawking all over the ship.

 

And that would seem to be one of the main problems with them. Dont get me wrong, I think they're a great idea to help parents stay in touch with their kids and for people who are less mobile. The ideal thing is for all to remember common courtesy and keep the ship walkie talkie time to a minimum.:)

[monk888]

I got the Motorola Talkabout T5920 just before our first cruise on the CB last year. This June, I was on Princess Cays and I called my Wife on it. She was sitting in the Coffee Bar in the Atrium of the ship and could hear me fine. Now that's some good range!

 

That being said, I totally agree that they can be a total nuisance in the wrong hands. I always keep such conversations as quiet and as short as possible. As Sergeant Joe Friday would say, "Just the facts."

[MelissaDBA]

agree on the convenience of the walkie talkies with teens...we have taken them on every cruise, ski trip, etc, and will do so on our upcoming cruise...we have Motorola Walkabouts...no problems...just coordinate changing the channels if yours is too crowded...they allow the Mommies to relax without having to track anyone down...:D

[Druke I]

Walkie-talkies, like cell phones, can be very annoying when used by inconsiderate people.

 

When used properly, they are usually inobtrusive.

[calikak]

For those travelling in Europe and considering using walkie-talkies, keep in mind that you can't use the ones available here in the US, because they use the same frequencies as European countries' emergency services. So you'd need to buy/rent a set when you get to Europe. We figured this out after we'd bought a set that we'd planned to use on our British Isles cruise, the kind that requires an FCC permit.

[samtesla]

Just to give some data points, we lugged along a pair of Motorola 52xx FRS Talkabouts ? with frequencies and sub-frequencies (the 10 channels and 14 sub channels or some such). In the CB, our room was in the front (Baja 300's) and you could get to a lot of places. Some you could not (deep inside the ship, Skywalker's). From the deck 7 walking around, only in the rear you could not get a good signal. Out in the pool or at the gym they were OK. We did not abuse them, and we did not see many others using them, either.

 

There are some 1 and 2 watt I think units that may require registration with the FCC, not the full blown test etc. like the more powerful units. They use business frequencies (GMRS versus FRS). They're more expensive, tho.

[mdamron]

Have been on a couple cruises where passengers are using cell phones and my opinion is that they are annoying as all heck. Most of the time it seems like just inane using up of bandwidth. I am on vacation and want to get away from the vacuous "cell phone" conversations around me everywhere else. If you need them, I can't see more than just an occasional "Where are you?" contact.

[kevinsac]

People who use walkie-talkies on ship......people who think decorating their balconies with lights is cute...........YIKES! :eek: