WalkieTalkie on Cruise Ship

[GlenEllen1987]

Hello….

Traveling with elderly Dad and his aide on the Carnival Magic next month.  
Thinking of purchasing walkie talkies so aide has immediate communication with us if needed. 
Wondering which brand is best for cruise ship travel.?

Thanks so much. 

[1025cruise]

None of them.

 

[2wheelin]

Use the Hub App for texting. Radios don’t work worth a darn on ships and would only disturb those around you if they did

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, GlenEllen1987 said:

Hello….

Traveling with elderly Dad and his aide on the Carnival Magic next month.  
Thinking of purchasing walkie talkies so aide has immediate communication with us if needed. 
Wondering which brand is best for cruise ship travel.?

Thanks so much. 

NO - NO - NO. 
The “walkie talkies” you can buy are useless on a ship and, in any case, no one wants to hear you keep repeating “Can you hear me?”

But, if you’ve got to prove it to yourself, make sure the first thing you do when you get on board is to “test” them:

After unpackagjng the units, head over to a port or starboard railing and stand about 20 feet apart from each other. Turn them on in unison and hold them at arm’s length across the railing and over the water. Count to five and  drop them into the ocean. 
At that point, enjoy the applause from everyone around you. 😉

[Susan in Maine]

My daughter is somewhat intellectually disabled - when on Carnival we use the Hub. $5 per device/day. We can then use our phones on board to communicate. 

 

Not sure what other lines use.

[donaldsc]

26 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

NO - NO - NO. 
The “walkie talkies” you can buy are useless on a ship and, in any case, no one wants to hear you keep repeating “Can you hear me?”

But, if you’ve got to prove it to yourself, make sure the first thing you do when you get on board is to “test” them:

After unpackagjng the units, head over to a port or starboard railing and stand about 20 feet apart from each other. Turn them on in unison and hold them at arm’s length across the railing and over the water. Count to five and  drop them into the ocean. 
At that point, enjoy the applause from everyone around you. 😉

 

Totally agree except that you might be cited by crew  for discarding worthless rubbish overboard. It isn't allowed even if it is a walkie talkie and deserves it.

 

DON

[CruiserBruce]

Used to be a frequent "hot" topic here...first time I have seen it since the resumption of cruising.

 

My vote is no...please no.

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

Use the Hub App for texting. Radios don’t work worth a darn on ships and would only disturb those around you if they did

 

another vote for Carnival's Hub app.  We were a family group cruise a couple months ago. It works great for keeping in touch.  There are several features.  For communications it is like sending/receiving a text message.  It worked very well.

 

Many many years ago when the kids were all young we took walkie talkies on one of our family group cruises.  I think among our group there were like 3 pairs. Of course the frequencies crossed each other.   In actual usage, I would say we could hear voices about 20% of the time  and that was a lot of static.   Someone using a walkie talkie isn't a big deal for me.    I just want to confirm they just are not worth it.   

[K32682]

What you are looking for are FRS/GMRS radios. Here are a couple of articles on brands to use on cruise ships. 

https://wowtravel.me/best-walkie-talkie-for-a-cruise-ship/

https://cruisedeals.expert/walkie-talkies/

 

What you are looking for is maximum available power (2W) and range. Range estimates provided by the makers are unobstructed line-of-sight and on a cruise ship you are pretty much always obstructed. You might not think you need many miles of range but it may help in get through the steel. 

 

I have used Motorola and Cobra FRS radios for general use and been happy with them.  I have not however used them on a cruise. The one time I did use radios on a cruise I opted for VHF/UHF handheld radios as they have a broader frequency range and more power but they require a license.

 

  

Edited August 29, 2022 by K32682

[Skippy]

We brought walkie talkies on our cruise cause the kids don’t have phones, but we’re old enough to go off on their own. They were high end ones and they worked okay. If we were on the same deck or on all outside decks it was okay. Inside, not so much. 

[Heidi13]

22 hours ago, GlenEllen1987 said:

Hello….

Traveling with elderly Dad and his aide on the Carnival Magic next month.  
Thinking of purchasing walkie talkies so aide has immediate communication with us if needed. 
Wondering which brand is best for cruise ship travel.?

Thanks so much. 

 

I spent over 40 years working on passenger ships and before we got built in repeater systems the portable radios we used - expensive, commercial 5W UHF/VHF were basically useless. UHF had better propagation through steel, but no more than a couple of bulkheads or decks. Even our 25 W ships station VHF radios did not penetrate much through the ship.

 

Worked well in line of sight outdoors, but not so well inside.

 

Your consumer walkie talkies are lower power, probably 1 W or less, so will be even worse than what we achieved with our commercial radios. Basically, as most others suggested save your money, it isn't worth the frustration.

 

As a mariner, I suggest disregarding the information provided in the links on a previous post, as higher-powered radios are not exempt from Marine Radio Regulations. Non-exempt radios must be included in the Ship's Radio Station Licence and must meet Flag State technical requirements and operator certification.

[donaldsc]

6 hours ago, K32682 said:

What you are looking for are FRS/GMRS radios. Here are a couple of articles on brands to use on cruise ships. 

https://wowtravel.me/best-walkie-talkie-for-a-cruise-ship/

https://cruisedeals.expert/walkie-talkies/

 

What you are looking for is maximum available power (2W) and range. Range estimates provided by the makers are unobstructed line-of-sight and on a cruise ship you are pretty much always obstructed. You might not think you need many miles of range but it may help in get through the steel. 

 

I have used Motorola and Cobra FRS radios for general use and been happy with them.  I have not however used them on a cruise. The one time I did use radios on a cruise I opted for VHF/UHF handheld radios as they have a broader frequency range and more power but they require a license.

 

  

 

Wouldn't these be illegal on most also ships and also illegal in many countries?

 

DON

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

 

Wouldn't these be illegal on most also ships and also illegal in many countries?

 

DON

Ones likely to be sufficiently powerful to work when people are not in sight of each other are almost certain to be barred.  It is not that hard to make plans, and rendezvous occasionally, and not impose your generally ineffective jabber on fellow passengers.

[iancal]

Just as annoying as people who purposely speak in a loud voice when using their cell phones so that everyone within hearing distance can understand just how important and special that person really is.

 

We were in a restaurant in Italy where a tourist was doing exactly this.  The server came over and gave him an ultimatum.  Either get off the phone immediately or exit the restaurant. 

 

 The entitled person was less than pleased and more than a little embarrassed. 

[K32682]

Higher quality (2W power) FRS radios should work on most of the ship. The OP is not asking the question for "ineffective jabber" but to stay in contact with the care attendant for an elderly parent which is understandable. 

 

The VHF/UHF hand radio I took on a cruise didn't draw any attention and I didn't ask if they were banned. There were no legal issues with countries visited. The differences between FRS radios and VHF/UHF handhelds are not great, 5W power vs 2W, wider frequency ranges and better quality antennas. I brought mine mostly for scanning. Lots of interesting radio traffic in ports.

 

 

   

Edited August 30, 2022 by K32682

[lenquixote66]

On 8/28/2022 at 6:38 PM, GlenEllen1987 said:

Hello….

Traveling with elderly Dad and his aide on the Carnival Magic next month.  
Thinking of purchasing walkie talkies so aide has immediate communication with us if needed. 
Wondering which brand is best for cruise ship travel.?

Thanks so much. 

I am disabled .My wife is with me at all times except when she goes to the lavatory or wants to take a short walk.When she does either of those she leaves me in close proximity to a ships officer.On one occasion my wife had to be paged when I became quite ill.

[navybankerteacher]

39 minutes ago, K32682 said:

Higher quality (2W power) FRS radios should work on most of the ship. The OP is not asking the question for "ineffective jabber" but to stay in contact with the care attendant for an elderly parent which is understandable. 

 

The VHF/UHF hand radio I took on a cruise didn't draw any attention and I didn't ask if they were banned. There were no legal issues with countries visited. The differences between FRS radios and VHF/UHF handhelds are not great, 5W power vs 2W, wider frequency ranges and better quality antennas. I brought mine mostly for scanning. Lots of interesting radio traffic in ports.

 

 

   

Whether the communication is "ineffective jabber" about when to meet for lunch or desperate attempts to seek aid from a care giver - the fact is that walkie talkies do not work well on ships.  The triviality, or the importance, of the matter being discussed has minimal impact.

[Philob]

On 8/28/2022 at 3:38 PM, GlenEllen1987 said:

Thinking of purchasing walkie talkies so aide has immediate communication with us if needed. 

 

To OP:  What if the aide needs your immediate attention but unable to because of the limitations of the walkie talkies? Couple of decks or bulkhead could make the difference in hearing something to nothing. If commercial radios with higher power needs repeaters, what could a low wattage consumer unit do?

 

Use the on board app.

Edited August 30, 2022 by Philob

[mom says]

On 8/28/2022 at 6:38 PM, GlenEllen1987 said:

Hello….

Traveling with elderly Dad and his aide on the Carnival Magic next month.  
Thinking of purchasing walkie talkies so aide has immediate communication with us if needed. 
Wondering which brand is best for cruise ship travel.?

Thanks so much. 

You've read the numerous reasons why walkie talkies can be unreliable.  Assuming both you and your father's  attendant have smart phones or tablets, just use the ship's  app or pony up for the wifi package. Then you will have a dependable means of communication. And save the cost of a pair of useless walkie talkies. 

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

Wouldn't these be illegal on most also ships and also illegal in many countries?

 

DON

 

Yes, most of them are not legal for use on a ship. In addition, for higher powered radios, the operator must have at a minimum a restricted radio operator certificate acceptable to the Flag State. Amateur radio certificates aren't valid on ships.

[Heidi13]

54 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Whether the communication is "ineffective jabber" about when to meet for lunch or desperate attempts to seek aid from a care giver - the fact is that walkie talkies do not work well on ships.  The triviality, or the importance, of the matter being discussed has minimal impact.

 

So true, the science of the propagation of radio waves through steel bulkheads or decks couldn't care less about the nature of the communication. It doesn't work for any communication, unless you have access to the repeater system.

[Charles4515]

14 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

The VHF/UHF hand radio I took on a cruise didn't draw any attention and I didn't ask if they were banned.

What you are saying is the you did not care if they are legal and you ddi mot care if they might interfere with frequencies used for crew functions. You made sure you were not noticed so you could eavesdrop on interesting conversations........😱

 

OP would be better off as others have suggested with the attendent having a phone with a Wifi package for reliable communication than walkie talkies.  

[MBP&O2/O]

14 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

So true, the science of the propagation of radio waves through steel bulkheads or decks couldn't care less about the nature of the communication. It doesn't work for any communication, unless you have access to the repeater system.

Half the time we struggled on 'All Aft' tankers 🙄 when both transceivers were in a 'line of sight' scenario. 😵‍💫

[K32682]

4 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

What you are saying is the you did not care if they are legal and you ddi mot care if they might interfere with frequencies used for crew functions. You made sure you were not noticed so you could eavesdrop on interesting conversations........😱

 

OP would be better off as others have suggested with the attendent having a phone with a Wifi package for reliable communication than walkie talkies.  

 

What I am saying is I was not aware if they were permitted by the cruise line or not. I did not hide the radio and used it to communicate in public areas. No one seemed too troubled by it.

[SteveH2508]

Radio waves do not pass through metal boxes (which cruise ships are constructed of). Google 'Faraday cages' for more information.

 

Walkie talkies would be as much use as semaphore flags (semaphore flags would be less irritating and possibly more entertaining).