walkie talkies on Crown Princess ?'s

[crissyp]

Can anyone please recommend ( and I realize that alot of cruisers are against the use of these) the best walkie talkies. What brands maybe you have had success with while onboard and at ports of call.

 

I promise we will be considerate of others, but I feel it is a necessity for our group to be able to be in contact with eachother.

 

Thanksyou for any info you might be able to give me.

Crissy

[bobknight]

The best of the best are Motorola, but you will pay for them, they are a little steep. For just the basic two way radio, I would buy a radio at target, walmart, best buy, etc. Buying one on ebay can be risky, some are unfortunately fake and are nothing more than a child's walkie talkie. I have the motorola talkabout t6300 and the range is much better than some of the other cheaper ones. I would go with a frs type radio which will allow about two miles depending on the terrain. Do not get a gmrs unless you want to pay for the license to use it, however gmrs can get 5-7 miles or even more, again depending on the terrain. You might look at Cobras for the cheaper radio, and Motorolas for the more expensive. You also can get some radios that will allow you to listen to weather channels which can obviously be nice. feel free to ask any questions, or if you find one you like, tell me what it is and how much and I will let you know if it is a good buy. my email is cannondale@juno.com

[-Lew-]

We have a pair of Motorola Talkabouts. Although they worked very well on the Disney ships and the Star Princess, they did not work well on the Crown.

 

If anyone has had a good experience using two-way radios on the Crown, I would be very interested in the brand and model.

 

Lew

[grammyandpoppy]

I for one go on a cruise for rest and relaxation. I find that nothing wrecks my mood more than someone screaming into a walkie talkie. I don't care how considerate you are, people tend to use them like a megaphone!.

[eagletwo]

I for one go on a cruise for rest and relaxation. I find that nothing wrecks my mood more than someone screaming into a walkie talkie. I don't care how considerate you are, people tend to use them like a megaphone!.

 

I agree wth grammyandpoppy, no matter how consderate you are, the beeping high pitched tones will bother anyone within 50 feet. Why not try to set up meeting times during the day. Come on, you are on vacation. We had a group of 8 on the Diamond, July 05. Some of us went our own way and met up later in the day. Our two kids checked in with us at specific times and we always knew where they were. Please leave the hand held radios at home.:)

[bobknight]

i guess i am from a different school of thought. I never have been offended by two way radios. I agree that if they are set to a megaphone like volume then it becomes a nuisance. We have used them before on the diamond and they were great. The ones I have a vibrate feature, so you don't have the chirps, loud calls or roger beeps. I have also used them with headsets and that is a win-win situation. Honestly most of the time that we use a two way is when we are at port, the rest of the time I can be found at the pool with dos xx beer and a sunburn. I can however understand the need for youth to carry a 2-way, the safety factor can never be too high with youngsters.

[kirbyrox]

On my first cruise i rented Princess's Motorola on the Sapphire.

they didn't work very well if you were on different floors and a half a ship length apart...

 

so on my next cruise i bought some Nice Mac daddy Talkies they retailed for 170.00 an were rated 19 miles and they didnt work much better...:cool:

[AAAAmerican]

The wattage does mostly determine the range of the units.

 

We use COBRAS that Vibrate as well. Using these on various Steel Hulled ships we have found certain areas more conductive than others..as well near electical outlets helps as intra wiring as well helps become an indoor antenna..

 

We have transmitted on ships also with HAM equipment. Say hi to the Radio Operators aboard ships they usually welcome this.

 

Walkie Talkies are so much better in communication than most UnSupervised :mad: children aboard... and you control the communication.

 

Having a WX does help a lot too.

 

Again its all personal choice.:cool:

 

Can anyone please recommend ( and I realize that alot of cruisers are against the use of these) the best walkie talkies. What brands maybe you have had success with while onboard and at ports of call.

 

I promise we will be considerate of others, but I feel it is a necessity for our group to be able to be in contact with eachother.

 

Thanksyou for any info you might be able to give me.

Crissy

[NJ2FL]

:eek: We go on vacation to escape people blabbling into cellphones without regard for anyone else in the room/store/line/wherever. (For one thing, people don't realize they should be able to speak at a normal tone not yell, and for another thing - NO ONE is interested in your business):eek:

 

Please - enjoy your cruise without the walkie-talkies so others will enjoy it as well. It will bother more people than those who will tolerate it. And those who tolerate it are probably deaf from blasting their car stereos.

 

I don't care how much you think you "need" them to keep track of family members. If your traveling companions can't be trusted to meet you at an appointed time they should have babysitters. Pretend it's 1980. You didn't need the walkie talkie then and don't need it now.

[kirbyrox]

I like to pretend its 1870's and use a Monocle instead of my Contact Lenses

but thats just me :)

[maldito]

Bring the walkie talkies. If you need them you need them. You have already said you would be considerate. Dont let the selfish ones dictate how you will spend your vacation. If a little thing like someone talking on a walkie talkie ruins their cruise, then they have issues they need to deal with.

[crissyp]

Wow...touchy subject:eek:

 

Thanks Bobknight for the info...I'm going to look around, and will let you know which ones I end up with... My first thought is going right for the motorola's.

 

FYI....I will be traveling with a large group....8 teens included...I'm also bringing along a friend of my son's (17 yr old)... all responsible kids, but lets face it.....their teens. It would help me have a better and more relaxing time if I NEEDED to locate someone, I knew I would be able to.

 

I was hoping cell service was available (Cingular) but from what I've been reading it does not seem to be offered yet on the Crown.

 

So thanks for all the pros and cons....but I will be one mom that does have her walkie talkie in her pocket:D

 

Crissy

[bobknight]

Two ways are a great item to have on a cruise. I am sorry that some of you dont like the people cruising around with 2ways talking to one another. As I stated, they dont bother me, and I am not deaf from loud stereos either... I will be traveling with four adults, and we will be utilizing two ways, we all have different interests and habits, and we dont really want to have a schedule or checkins, its truly a convenience for all involved. And i think that its pretty fun, but I also LOVE gadgets... and again I will be more than willing to help any of you out. I used to sell these at a travel, outdoor outfitter store.

[neptune18]

We have Motorolas but they don't work real well on ship.

[jak378]

Like another poster, I also like gadgets, but if you need walkie talkies to keep track of your "responsible" kids, why not just leave both at home. You will enjoy yourself more, as will your fellow passengers.

[grammyandpoppy]

Bring the walkie talkies. If you need them you need them. You have already said you would be considerate. Dont let the selfish ones dictate how you will spend your vacation. If a little thing like someone talking on a walkie talkie ruins their cruise, then they have issues they need to deal with.

 

What happened to meeting at a specified time. Your cell phone won't work out there so now you want to bring a walkie talkie. No one said it would ruin a cruise - just asked for some peace and relaxation and because of that I am being selfish and have issues. God you are so self absorbed.

[maldito]

LOL

 

What happened to meeting at a specified time.

If that is the way you want to run your vacation, go for it. Dont dictate how others run theirs.

 

 

No one said it would ruin a cruise

Maybe not, but you did say it would "wreck your mood". If someone talking into a radio "wrecks your mood", what happens when you see and hear people having fun and being loud?

 

just asked for some peace and relaxation

You could relax more if you stoped telling others how to run their vacation.

 

and because of that I am being selfish and have issues.

IMHO Yep. You want peace and relaxation but dont care that she has peace of mind by being able to reach her kids if she needs to. So you tell her not to bring something that will help her relax.

 

God you are so self absorbed.

Not me. I am not the one who tries to tell others how to run their vacation. You are.

[grammyandpoppy]

Being a seasoned cruiser, we realize that everyone on board is on their own vacation and my vacation is no more important that yours. We respect others and their wishes. We have sailed all the major cruise lines and have had "fun" on them all. When I referred to my mood I was referring to the serenity felt while on the ocean rather than your interpretation of a mood - as in being in a mood. Maybe people from New York and other urban places are use to noise all around them. I'm not and perhaps I am more sensitive to noise than you. I never said you should be put in a situation where you needed to worry about your children. My original post mentioned people using walkie talkies like megaphones and yes - I have been on enough recent cruises where it was apparent that their usage was a bother to others. If you are not taking advantage of the children's program on board you are going to miss a great opportunity to enjoy yourself and not be worried about your child(ren). We have taken our grandchildren with us on quite a few cruises and they have thorougly enjoyed their time meeting other children from other parts of the country or the world for that matter. My husband and I nor our children and their spouses have never had to resort to walkie talkies. We found that when traveling with a group it works for us to have our children check in at periodic times. People enjoy life more when they are respectful of others and yet have the ability to have fun at the same time. Apparently I hit a raw nerve with you. Sorry Enjoy your cruise and savor the moment!

[seattlec5]

Does any brand of walkie-talkie come with an earpiece or "Bluetooth" type setup?

 

That would be the best of both worlds since it would allow people that must have them to track their parties whereabouts the ability to constantly communicate on their vacation while keeping the volume down for others who like the peaceful nature of a cruise.

[maldito]

Being a seasoned cruiser, we realize that everyone on board is on their own vacation and my vacation is no more important that yours. We respect others and their wishes. We have sailed all the major cruise lines and have had "fun" on them all. When I referred to my mood I was referring to the serenity felt while on the ocean rather than your interpretation of a mood - as in being in a mood. Maybe people from New York and other urban places are use to noise all around them. I'm not and perhaps I am more sensitive to noise than you. I never said you should be put in a situation where you needed to worry about your children. My original post mentioned people using walkie talkies like megaphones and yes - I have been on enough recent cruises where it was apparent that their usage was a bother to others. If you are not taking advantage of the children's program on board you are going to miss a great opportunity to enjoy yourself and not be worried about your child(ren). We have taken our grandchildren with us on quite a few cruises and they have thorougly enjoyed their time meeting other children from other parts of the country or the world for that matter. My husband and I nor our children and their spouses have never had to resort to walkie talkies. We found that when traveling with a group it works for us to have our children check in at periodic times. People enjoy life more when they are respectful of others and yet have the ability to have fun at the same time. Apparently I hit a raw nerve with you. Sorry Enjoy your cruise and savor the moment!

 

I am happy you were able to take your kids with you and still relax. However the OP is not you and may not have your nonchalance to let the kids go off on their own. Maybe someone in the group has special needs. Did you think of that?

 

I also appologize for being so harsh. Yes I am new to cruising and come to this board to learn. However some experienced cruiser on this board have a tendecy to tell newbies how to run their vacation instead of giving advice. Walkie talkies are just a single example. So Yes you did hit a nerve. If someones is "mood" is upset (I understood what you meant when you said "mood") by having someone near them talking loudly whether into a walkie talkie or just through exuberance with friends, then maybe being on a ship with several thousand other people is not the vacation for them.

[bobknight]

they do make earpieces for basically all the radios, and they work fairly well, but sorry no bluetooth that I am aware of.

[AAAAmerican]

Yes most Walkie T's your able to get a Boom Mike and ear piece.

 

The BlueTooth would be the best of both worlds now.. I have never seen that in any yet.. But why not call Cobra or other MFG.. they would be able to tell ya once you speak to the E.E., P.E. and /or techies there..:cool:

 

I use my Cobras with a VOX.

 

 

 

 

 

Does any brand of walkie-talkie come with an earpiece or "Bluetooth" type setup?

 

That would be the best of both worlds since it would allow people that must have them to track their parties whereabouts the ability to constantly communicate on their vacation while keeping the volume down for others who like the peaceful nature of a cruise.

[AAAAmerican]

Yes hitting nails on the head is best and so much nicer than sore fingers..

 

Choice is so nice. They have it. We have it. Some like Lobter some dont.. some like it with butter some with margarine (most cruise lines call that Melted Butter) some like it without any condiments like I do.

 

When a person has good character.. that is a learned trait not inborn.

 

The pendulum of time swings back and forth ..so no answer is actually right and true but only a given opinion.

 

Do onto other as you would oneself is a very nice way of rules.

 

Numbers of people together exaserbate many things..some good some bad..

 

If rules are made they should be followed and if not then the consequences should be accepted.

 

Does everyone watch there Children well? There are so many documented events of that aboard ships when they get unruly etc...:mad:

 

Now on so many Cruise Ships Cell Phones are used too in most areas of the ship ..well except dining halls etc...

 

So yes having Walkie T's should be used in areas where the annoyances are minute.

:cool:

 

 

 

I am happy you were able to take your kids with you and still relax. However the OP is not you and may not have your nonchalance to let the kids go off on their own. Maybe someone in the group has special needs. Did you think of that?

 

I also appologize for being so harsh. Yes I am new to cruising and come to this board to learn. However some experienced cruiser on this board have a tendecy to tell newbies how to run their vacation instead of giving advice. Walkie talkies are just a single example. So Yes you did hit a nerve. If someones is "mood" is upset (I understood what you meant when you said "mood") by having someone near them talking loudly whether into a walkie talkie or just through exuberance with friends, then maybe being on a ship with several thousand other people is not the vacation for them.

[crissyp]

My first plan was not to read this post anymore ( and I am the OP), but I just had to add my two cents here.

 

I surely hope I do not ruin anyones vacation by bringing my walkie talkies with me, but if for some reason I do let me just remind you that I am paying the same amount of $$ as you are to have a nice vacation. I do not want to have to worry about meeting places and having my time or my teens time interrupted by getting to a meeting place at a certain time.

 

My plan is to just hear their voice's once in a while if we're not together, to make sure that everyone is accounted for.

 

And for the poster who recommended that I leave my "responsible" kids home along with my walkie talkies.....:p

[AdmiralJohnson]

Those types of radio signals don't travel well through steel walls (aka ships), so many people make up the difference by raising their voices or moving around while raising their voices.

 

It does not bother me near as much as amuses me.

 

I do have to say that the whole "I paid for my vacation too" is a pretty selfish attitude and if everyone on the ship acted like that, things could get pretty ugly - so even though we all paid to be there, let's try and be civil and respectful of each other :)