Question - Communications On-Board

[Elephant Man]

We have a need to have communications on-board for health reasons. These communications would only be between ourselves without causing unwanted discussion for others. Does anyone have experience using walkie-talkies for this purpose? We are wondering how well they would work within the ship's superstructure. The ones we have are an inexpensive set bought for $100 with a reputed range of 50 miles "line of vision". In other words, they are simple VHF radios for amateurs.

 

Thanks in advance for any information offered.

 

E. M.

[mncruizr]

Those walkie talkies may not be as private as you would want/need. In January on the CB we used the Princess @sea app on our iphones and were able to communicate with each other. Some parts of the ship were dead zones but for the most part it worked well.

[Steelers0854]

Those walkie talkies may not be as private as you would want/need. In January on the CB we used the Princess @sea app on our iphones and were able to communicate with each other. Some parts of the ship were dead zones but for the most part it worked well.

 

 

This isn't available on all ships yet. The OP needs to let us know which ship they will be on to help them answer the question better.

[paul929207]

Will it be regular communication or do you just want it available if a need arises?

 

If it is the latter, your cell phones can do the job. Yes they can be expensive to use on the ship. I think the charge is about $2.50 per minute and you would double that with one calling the other. Faxes are 50 cents to send and 5 cents or so to receive. So if you do not expect much use, this could work

[tonit964]

This isn't available on all ships yet. The OP needs to let us know which ship they will be on to help them answer the question better.

 

It's on all ships except the Ocean Princess.

[skynight]

If you both have cell phones or smart devices you can use Princess@Sea. I believe almost all ships do have this app, but it won't hurt to check by calling Princess.

Walkie Talkies can work, but there are plenty of dead spots around the ship.

[beg3yrs]

It's on all ships except the Ocean Princess.

 

The Ocean Princess is no longer in the Princess fleet. She was sold to Oceania and is now the Sirena. She's in Marseille getting refit.

[Steelers0854]

It's on all ships except the Ocean Princess.

 

 

Good to know! I thought they were still rolling this out. Too bad they can't roll out the TV upgrades as fast!

[chengkp75]

We have a need to have communications on-board for health reasons. These communications would only be between ourselves without causing unwanted discussion for others. Does anyone have experience using walkie-talkies for this purpose? We are wondering how well they would work within the ship's superstructure. The ones we have are an inexpensive set bought for $100 with a reputed range of 50 miles "line of vision". In other words, they are simple VHF radios for amateurs.

 

Thanks in advance for any information offered.

 

E. M.

 

Those radios will give spotty performance at best. They have neither the power or the frequency to penetrate the ship's steel structure. You might, on any given day, in any given location around the world, at any given hour, get good performance all around the ship, and the next day it goes south completely. Within a deck or two, and perhaps half a ship length apart would be my guess for fairly reliable service. The ships use 5 watt UHF radios with repeater antenna around the ship, and even then there are dead spots.

[derdejoh]

As others have said, Princess@Sea using your smartphones or tablets may be your best option...with the caveat that it depends upon exactly how in touch you need to be. The app will not notify you of an incoming message -- you have to actively login to see if there are any new messages -- so keep that in mind if you are looking for something with instant notification for a medical issue. But you could, for example, agree that you will login every 30 minutes or so to minimize any wait, if that will suit your purposes.

[Colo Cruiser]

We have a need to have communications on-board for health reasons. These communications would only be between ourselves without causing unwanted discussion for others. Does anyone have experience using walkie-talkies for this purpose? We are wondering how well they would work within the ship's superstructure. The ones we have are an inexpensive set bought for $100 with a reputed range of 50 miles "line of vision". In other words, they are simple VHF radios for amateurs.

 

Thanks in advance for any information offered.

 

E. M.

 

They are great to have in the theater when you are trying to find someone.

[Cruisin' Chick]

If one of you is having an emergency situation, the infirmary can page you over the PA. I just wouldn't want to depend on some flaky devices such as walkie talkies....and they won't be private at all.

[GUT2407]

In my experience they don't work more often than they do.

[kingsgirl]

They are great to have in the theater when you are trying to find someone.

 

 

Very funny, lol

[caribill]

First off, walkie-talkie communication is not very private. Anyone around you will hear both sides of the communication.

 

Second, there are times and places you should not be interrupting what is happening with these communications. As examples, shows and lectures. Also can be disruptive in dining rooms.

 

Third, if you need to use them when on shore, check first to make sure they are legal in the country you are visiting.

[VibeGuy]

If you use smartphones, consider this:

 

https://www.gotenna.com/

 

It works down in the 151-154 MHz range and thus penetrates the superstructure well. You do not need cellular or WiFi service to make it work.

[pablo222]

It works down in the 151-154 MHz range and thus penetrates the superstructure well.

 

It would be interesting to hear from someone who actually

had success using this on a ship.

[Sailin Gal]

Check with you cellular provider. On our plan we can get an international plan that includes using the ship's cell signal, and works in the countries we are going to. $40 for a month, 100 minutes voice and 100 texts. I did not check to see if it can be prorated for one or two weeks. They will need to know your ship and countries you're visiting to check availability and cost.

[Woodside Lady]

We have used Walkie Talkies successfully on cruise ships all over the world since my now eighteen daughter was two. If we in a theater, we tell our group where we are then turn them off during the show. Same with dinner. we use them during shore excursions. Just bring plenty of batteries or rechargeable batteries. we use a single channel that no one else is using. If they are we switch to a different channel.

 

Frankly we turn off our cell phones, store them in the safe and don t bring them out for the remainder of the cruise.

 

Some ships used to provide pagers for parents of tots. They would light up if you were needed. You may want to check and see if those still are available as they may help your communication problem.