How to find my family onboard without texting?

[tony11727]

I am a newbie cruiser, travelling with two family members on a large ship.

We are used to communicating by texting back and forth when we travel.

If smartphones don't work onboard (or are horribly expensive to use) is there another way to leave messages?

Ruby Princess, March 20th sailing.

 

In 2011 and 2013, my extended family of 12 cruised the Explorer of the Seas and the Norwegian Gem. The first time i brought walkie talkies. Didn't use them - not even once. As big as the ships were, we never had a problem finding (or avoiding) each other.

 

You're probably best setting up periodic times/places to meet up to check in.

[jethrojam]

First time poster here:)

 

Going on the NCL Dawn next year with my wife and toddler and my parents will be there in another non adjoining room (hopefully sitting occasionally:rolleyes:) and you are all mentioning the phone and voice-mail system.

 

My question is: Can you check your VM from any phone on the ship? For instance, if my parents dinner plans change can they leave me a vm that I can check from, say, the pool?

 

Thanks :)

[srlafleur]

I just had to "roar" after reading the OP's post. It is hard to imagine how we used to exist without Smartphones, text msgs, cell phones, etc. We fondly remember cruising (and traveling) before there were any cells phones, radio phone calls on ships cost about $18 a min, there was little to no e-mail, etc. On longer cruises, those that had to keep in touch would wait until they got to a port and then head for the pay phones. And what a wonderful world it was. Drivers actually looked at the road (rather then texting and driving), families actually talked to each other (rather then texting), and some of us actually wrote real letters and mailed them from foreign lands.

 

And by the way, although we spend more then 6 months a year traveling, DW and I have yet to purchase a "Smart Phone." Our DD thinks we are crazy, but our total cell phone bill (for the 2 of us) is less then $20 a month (and that is for 2 phones). Guess we will have to break down one of these days and get an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy (I am a techie) but for now, we still enjoy actually talking to people face to face (guess we need to be using more Face Time).

 

Hank

 

 

That was my first thought, too!

Whatever did people do before cell phones? Good Lord.:eek:

[Krissica]

I am a newbie cruiser, travelling with two family members on a large ship.

We are used to communicating by texting back and forth when we travel.

If smartphones don't work onboard (or are horribly expensive to use) is there another way to leave messages?

Ruby Princess, March 20th sailing.

 

We also are text communicators, both for personal and business use. It is so refreshing to be on a cruise for a week and not communicate with anyone basically! We use our cell phones as our camera, and when we go on shore we might occasionally hop online or use magicjack to make a wifi call, if and only if wifi is available for free.

 

As far as on the actual ship - like many others said, you find a routine. For instance, every morning my DH went to the gym and he knew he could find my lounging on the deck if I wasn't in the room when he was done.

 

Also picking meeting/check in times and locations is always a great idea.

 

While many are clearly opposed to the walkie talkie idea, I am not. We always bring one when we cruise and use it very sparingly. There IS proper etiquette to it, just as their is to cell phone use and everything else. But it is one way to communicate, and it is your perogative. Just be respectful and courteous to your fellow passengers - that applies not just to walkie talkies, but in general!

[geekgiant]

There's an app called FireChat available on Android and iOS that uses BlueTooth to connect. How far away you can be depends on the BlueTooth strength in your phone. Great SMS-based tool when you don't want to shout on a two-way radio.

[donaldsc]

Two-way radios/walkie-talkies onboard are great. Just clip it on your pocket and go....

 

Until one of your fellow passengers who is sick and tired of hearing the thing squawking grabs it and throws it into the pool.

 

Do a search on walkie-talkies on CC and see how many people hate them.

 

DON

[Cruisin' Chick]

First time poster here:)

 

Going on the NCL Dawn next year with my wife and toddler and my parents will be there in another non adjoining room (hopefully sitting occasionally:rolleyes:) and you are all mentioning the phone and voice-mail system.

 

My question is: Can you check your VM from any phone on the ship? For instance, if my parents dinner plans change can they leave me a vm that I can check from, say, the pool?

 

Thanks :)

 

Don't know (nor want to know) about NCL, but I think if you want to check voice mail on many ship cabins' phones, you would need to check from the phone directly.

[Soca Queen]

For me...I just know my wife....so....if I am not sure where she is I stop and think and then I take a walk to check:

1. Ship Shops

2. Main lounge to see if there is a shopping lecture. (do you detect a common thread here?)

 

If I cannot find her, I go find a place to watch the water and relax. There is no doubt in my mind that she isn't more than 8-900 feet away from me and that, when we do meet up, I will learn everything about where she was, what she did, that I shoulda been there and when she can show me the fabulous piece of bling she found.

 

So, as noted, not knowing is kinda nice. :):D:cool:

 

Just back from my first cruise, and I wouldn't leave hubby's side for fear of getting lost lol did not last long got my bearings quickly, Took the daily itinerary to breakfast highlighted what I was going to do, place it on a wall in the cabin held by fridge magnets thanks CRUISECONTROL for that tip. And went off Zumba etc, Hubby like you sat and pondered life totally relaxed I knew he wouldn't be to far a Coffee Stop, or watering hole, and he unlike me knew I would take to Cruising after getting my sea legs.:)

[CanDMan47]

Okay, instead of passing judgment on people that use current technology, how about actually answering the question, or refraining:mad:. I, nor the majority of my traveling party wear watches, and use our (God forbid:eek:) phone as our time piece. If I tell my teens to meet us in the room at a certain time to be ready for dinner, are there plenty of clocks around the ship that we all know easily what time it is? I am not about to go buy 7 waterproof watches for a 7 day cruise.

[meatball_nyc]

Okay, instead of passing judgment on people that use current technology, how about actually answering the question, or refraining:mad:. I, nor the majority of my traveling party wear watches, and use our (God forbid:eek:) phone as our time piece. If I tell my teens to meet us in the room at a certain time to be ready for dinner, are there plenty of clocks around the ship that we all know easily what time it is? I am not about to go buy 7 waterproof watches for a 7 day cruise.

 

 

It depends on the ship. Older ones have more clocks than the new ships.

 

If you are going on a newer ship, I would advise wearing a watch.

 

 

 

~Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

[Flatbush Flyer]

Assuming you're talking about one of those behemoth ships with thousands of passengers, you could always ask someone with a watch what time is it. And, as long as you've all turned on your phones' airplane modes in the same time zone and are using the phone as a camera, the time will be right there in your hand.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[donaldsc]

I am a newbie cruiser, travelling with two family members on a large ship.

We are used to communicating by texting back and forth when we travel.

If smartphones don't work onboard (or are horribly expensive to use) is there another way to leave messages?

Ruby Princess, March 20th sailing.

 

Deciding in advance where and when you will meet works wonderfully. Posting notes in the room also works.

 

DON

Edited April 20, 2014 by donaldsc

[Kwaj girl]

That was my first thought, too!

Whatever did people do before cell phones? Good Lord.:eek:

 

+1

SO true! We have cruised since 1985. NEVER have a problem finding each other, even without post-its. And consider that sometimes your traveling companions don't WANT to be found, at least for a while ;-)

[reedl]

There's an app called FireChat available on Android and iOS that uses BlueTooth to connect. How far away you can be depends on the BlueTooth strength in your phone. Great SMS-based tool when you don't want to shout on a two-way radio.

 

Bluetooth only works at most 50 feet line of sight. If it has to go through any wall (including the metal walls of a ship), it is more line 5 feet.

 

If you cannot find someone within 50 feet, then you have problems.

[jackiel3290]

When we have a larger family group on board, we have a set time for dinner and we all meet and eat together. Other than that, we leave each other notes, leave messages on the room phone, or just are content to randomly see each other on board. When it is just DH and myself, we go through the daily schedule and plan out what we want to do together and separately. We usually set a time to meet for meals and let it go from there. Texting is too expensive and we don't want to spring for the internet package.

[CanuckonaBoat]

Two-way radios/walkie-talkies onboard are great. Just clip it on your pocket and go....

 

I am looking into getting this - is there one that you would recommend?

[MSN-Travelers]

I am looking into getting this - is there one that you would recommend?

 

There have been quite a few threads where these small two-way radios have been discussed & cussed. We bought a set for our first family cruise and carried them everywhere for the first few days. Then we realized that, despite their 25-mile range, they didn't have the power to punch through the metal ship's walls and decks reliably. They sat in the cabin after that. We also discovered that their use was illegal in most of the ports we visited.

 

Poor performance aside, they can be really annoying to those around you. But, if you insist, Motorola and Uniden both make a good line of reliable GMR handhelds. I would suggest either the Motorola MH230R or the Uniden GMR5089.

 

Since I know you will be unhappy with your purchase by the end of the cruise, I would encourage you to get the Uniden so I can offer to buy them for half price. They work great when four-wheelin' or boating with a group and I need a second set for cheap.

 

Enjoy!

Edited April 21, 2014 by MSN-Travelers

[CanuckonaBoat]

There have been quite a few threads where these small two-way radios have been discussed & cussed. We bought a set for our first family cruise and carried them everywhere for the first few days. Then we realized that, despite their 25-mile range, they didn't have the power to punch through the metal ship's walls and decks reliably. They sat in the cabin after that. We also discovered that their use was illegal in most of the ports we visited.

 

Poor performance aside, they can be really annoying to those around you. But, if you insist, Motorola and Uniden both make a good line of reliable GMR handhelds. I would suggest either the Motorola MH230R or the Uniden GMR5089.

 

Since I know you will be unhappy with your purchase by the end of the cruise, I would encourage you to get the Uniden so I can offer to buy them for half price. They work great when four-wheelin' or boating with a group and I need a second set for cheap.

 

Enjoy!

 

Thanks for the suggestions. After I posted - I did some more research and in the end decided against the two-way radios for various reasons. We're going to try to the voicemail and post-it communications this time around.

[skrufy]

On sea days my wife and I go in different directions all day. We eventually run into each other in our room or somewhere else on board. If there is something we want to do together we set a time and place to meet.

[BeagleOne]

Okay, instead of passing judgment on people that use current technology, how about actually answering the question, or refraining:mad:. I, nor the majority of my traveling party wear watches, and use our (God forbid:eek:) phone as our time piece. If I tell my teens to meet us in the room at a certain time to be ready for dinner, are there plenty of clocks around the ship that we all know easily what time it is? I am not about to go buy 7 waterproof watches for a 7 day cruise.

 

How many clocks are on board will depend on the ship. You should also check WITH YOUR PHONE COMPANY, not the cruise line, about charges for using your phones on the ship, even if it's just as timepieces. If they are constantly searching for a signal/connection, they are probably doing that through the ship's satellite connection, and you might be facing a whopping phone bill when you get home.

 

I would also strongly suggest that at least one person in every shore party wear a watch...and it doesn't have to be waterproof. Sometimes the port is on a different time from the ship, and cell phones will reset to port time as soon as they pick up a signal. If you rely on that time, you might miss the ship.

[DCLMemberInTraining]

If you're cruising with Disney Cruise Line, all of the staterooms are equipped with stateroom phones that you can use throughout the ship! The directions on how to use them come with the phones, they usually place the number of phones depending on how many guests you have in the stateroom.

Hope this helped! Have fun! :)

[Talisker92]

On sea days my wife and I go in different directions all day. We eventually run into each other in our room or somewhere else on board. If there is something we want to do together we set a time and place to meet.

That worked for us. We just got back from a 31 day cruise and did not have a problem finding each other.