Wallow talkies on Breakaway - yay or nay

Hey everyone. My kids, dh, inlaws and I are sailing the Breakaway this winter. I am thinking of purchasing walkie talkies for everyone to use while onboard because I hate not being able to locate everyone and being stuck searching the ship! Has anyone used walkie talkies on the Breakaway. Which brands worked and which didn't? Also my dh and I have iPhones so I was thinking of trying that app that allows for free texting between phones too but this still won't work for my inlaws because they don't have iPhones.

Thanks!

We used the app to communicate on the Breakaway and Getaway and never had any issues. Walkie talkies will not work well or at all due to all of the metal in the ship.

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Nay.

There's a huge number of threads on walkie talkies..However, the majority of opinions say no. Just too much metal usually blocking the signals.

We used the app to communicate on the Breakaway and Getaway and never had any issues. Walkie talkies will not work well or at all due to all of the metal in the ship.

 

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Was it the ripple communicator app? I think my dh and I will use it. But still need to figure out what to do re inlaws and my older son really wants a walkie talkie of his own. Has anyone used one that works? On different threads some people say they go ones that did work but I think on different ships...

Thanks!

Download the NCL iConcierge app to all phones before you board.

Worked well most of the time for texting.

Great to use for checking account, dining and dailies.

No need for walkie talkies!!

Have fun!

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Will definitely look into iConcierge. Does it work for Blackberries as well? That would solve the inlaw issue. We still want to try walkie talkies for our boys. Has anyone used some that worked?

I thought/heard that if you have your phone on while cruising you can get all sorts of roaming charges, is this not true? I was told to even take the battery out :eek:

Don't know about Blackberry phones. We had iPhones.

Put phone in airplane mode. Turn of voice and data roaming. Turn off cellular roaming. We have Verizon service.

Hope this helps.

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Was it the ripple communicator app? I think my dh and I will use it. But still need to figure out what to do re inlaws and my older son really wants a walkie talkie of his own. Has anyone used one that works? On different threads some people say they go ones that did work but I think on different ships...

 

Thanks!

If you look at what the crew uses to communicate, they are 5 watt UHF radios and there are repeater antenna around the ship tuned for the frequencies they use. Anything less will work maybe the length of the ship down a passageway on one deck, and possibly 3/4 of the ship down or up a deck, but much beyond that, consumer radios will not work.

IConcierge or Ripple - which is better?

Will definitely look into iConcierge. Does it work for Blackberries as well? That would solve the inlaw issue. We still want to try walkie talkies for our boys. Has anyone used some that worked?

iConcierge is only for Apple or Android devices. Calls can only be made on the app from a phone (so no iPad or other tablets for calls).

All that being said, you can buy an Android phone from Walmart for $30 that has wifi that would also work for this if it is terribly important for the in-laws to be able to text back and forth with you. Here's one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-LG-L34C-Optimus-Fuel-Android-Smartphone/36202741

Will definitely look into iConcierge. Does it work for Blackberries as well? That would solve the inlaw issue. We still want to try walkie talkies for our boys. Has anyone used some that worked?

Depends on which Blackberry they have. If they have one of the newer phones running OS10 with the latest updates, then you can run most Android apps on it.

Just be aware the I-concierge app costs $7.95 per device.

Just be aware the I-concierge app costs $7.95 per device.

The App Store says it's free. Am I missing something?

The App Store says it's free. Am I missing something?

The app is free - the calling/texting feature is not.

It's a bad idea, a waste of money, a waste of time and highly annoying to people near you while you discover all of the aforementioned problems.

So........ nay.

I thought/heard that if you have your phone on while cruising you can get all sorts of roaming charges, is this not true? I was told to even take the battery out :eek:

When using the app, the phone is in "airplane" mode to prevent roaming. The app works through the ships wifi.

The app is free - the calling/texting feature is not.

The app is free unless you activate the calling/texting feature. In that case is costs $7.95 per device for the duration of the cruise (unlimited calling/texting to other iConcierge users). My wife and I used it on the Pearl last month.

Even if you don't use the calling/texting features, you can use it (free) to keep an eye on your cabin account, check and book excursions, check restaurant menus and IIRC, make restaurant reservations, view the daily activities and a few other things. NCL's website has info on the app.

Yes, the app has other free functions, but where it was brought up as an alternative to walkies, I felt it should be mentioned.

My BF had lost me at one point on our BA cruise in May. ( I was happily lounging by the pool ☺️) He activated the messaging on his app, it notified me somebody was trying to contact me, but I could not open the message until I accepted the one time (per cruise) charge, as well. After that, it was a great help. In fact, I was looking through the old messages the other day. It brought me back to some hilarious times. I kept the app hoping it would now be available on the Gem, but it looks like I might be outta luck.