2 way family radios, walkie talkies???

Since I dont want to pay extra to use my cellphone on deck...does princess or other cruise lines allow use of 2 way family walkie talkies on ship to talk with family or is it a security risk??? thanks.

They do allow them but I feel they're not worth the trouble since the reception is terrible at times.

We used them on one cruise and they worked fine but everyone had them and were screaming into them at dinner and during shows and as you were relaxing by the pool. It was very annoying. The next cruise we tried and reception was so bad it wasnt worth it. I always wonder if the cruise line did something to restore peace to the experience.

My brother brought some along on our last cruise. They were more trouble than they were worth. He used them for the first day and after that they were left in the room. Sometimes it was hard to get reception and you had to keep switching channels or you would be getting someone else's calls. It was easier to just leave a message in the room or prearrange a meeting time.

I always wonder if the cruise line did something to restore peace to the experience.

If so, I for one am appreciative. I'd also like to know what they did so I can use it in my classroom. ;)

One of the real joys of cruising has been an environment of peace in the absence of cell phones with their owners shouting into their hand held devices or seemingly speaking to themselves here there and everywhere. We hope there will never be a system aboard that will introduce this obnoxious means of communication.

We put a pair to good use in Alaska. While ashore, I could arrange a meeting spot for lunch, etc. with my partner who might still be on ship or somewhere shopping in port. Once I forgot a box of fishing lures, and was able to have a friend still onboard, play fetch.

I understand that use of these devices in certain foreign parts ashore is illegal.

I think Princess is missing out on a money making opportunity. They could rent text only units (with vibrate & beep notification) ;) that have complete coverage on the ship no matter where you are.

Princess already allows several great ways to communicate between family members and friends....the house phone, messaging on your cabin phone, notes posted on your doors, and the option to arrange predetermined times and locations to regroup. Just a passing thought.....

Princess already allows several great ways to communicate between family members and friends....the house phone, messaging on your cabin phone, notes posted on your doors, and the option to arrange predetermined times and locations to regroup. Just a passing thought.....

All are great, but when trying to contact a person and you don't know where they are, it becomes a little difficult. Sometimes it does pay to have radio contact even with the poor reception.

Thought I remember reading something about Disney Cruise line having rental cell phones to be used on ships...basically walkie talkies for you and your children.

Fortunately the ships arent so large that if you walk around you are bound to run into who you are looking for within 30 minutes or so. Cant be said about Oasis/Allure though!

We have used them successfully, but as others have said, the reception can vary depending on where you are on the ship (all that metal). We especially use them when traveling in groups. Say I get up first (I am usually up early). I take the radio and turn it on. If someone else in the group gets up, they can call to find out who in the group is up and where. No waking up anyone who might be sleeping in by knocking on doors or calling.

That being said, last year in Alaska when we frequently had AT&T service on cell phones we just texted as usual (yes, the five people on our family plan can accrue 15,000+ texts in a month, thanks to the teens...)

We used them very successfully for the first time on our cruises last winter, and now won't cruise without them. Even in our inside cabin, I could tell (by the clicking sound) if DH was trying to reach me. They were wonderful for those times when one of us wanted to linger ashore, and the other wanted to return to the ship. But the best part was when DH or I would leave the cabin first in the morning, and settle in at the IC or on the Promenade Deck, the other person could contact us when ready to start their day.

All are great, but when trying to contact a person and you don't know where they are, it becomes a little difficult. Sometimes it does pay to have radio contact even with the poor reception.

Great when you are on shore, but no so great when onboard.

If you are in a lecture or movie in the Princess Theater, for example, you really do not want your walkie-talkie to be on.

Walkie-talkies are not very reliable on ships. We tried on 2 cruises and gave up. We forgot them or turned them off because we got other people's notifications and got tired of saying "Was that you XYZ? What do you need? Hello? Hello? HELLLOOOOOO?"

We find we do better using the house phones. Our daughter learned to pick up a public phone anywhere on the ship and give us an update every now and then, or come by the cabin and leave us a post-it.

Great when you are on shore, but no so great when onboard.

 

If you are in a lecture or movie in the Princess Theater, for example, you really do not want your walkie-talkie to be on.

Of course not during a movie and during a show you probably couldn't hear it anyway with the way they set the volume. :D There's a time & place for everything.

I think Princess is missing out on a money making opportunity. They could rent text only units (with vibrate & beep notification) ;) that have complete coverage on the ship no matter where you are.

Ya know, that's actually a REALLY good idea. A complete win-win: money for Princess, communication for those who want it without the annoyance to the passengers around the "communicator" ... or "communicatee". Hmmmm.

Of course not during a movie and during a show you probably couldn't hear it anyway with the way they set the volume. :D There's a time & place for everything.

Very true. I personally understand the benefits and don't begrudge anyone the desire or ability to communicate with fellow travelers (especially children.) I just wish more people using walkie-talkies would also employee a little common courtesy. I see people wandering around all the time screaming into those little boxes, or hear the squawking coming out of them at full volume, when I'm trying to relax or nap or read. One cruise not too long ago, there was a family on the next balcony who seemed to spend all their time on their balcony screaming into their staticy walkie-talkies looking for their kids. As with anything (walkie talkies, smoking, personal music, etc.), if one employs a little common courtesy toward fellow passengers, they should be able to be used on a cruise effectively and without undue disruption to others.

Although, I do have to add that - as others have mentioned - we've never had a problem merely using the house phones, the Voicemail on cabin phones, notes in the "mailbox" and/or the little white boards that we now take and attach (with magnets) to the wall outside our cabin when traveling with others.

Just a few thoughts. I hope they help.

We put a pair to good use in Alaska. While ashore, I could arrange a meeting spot for lunch, etc. with my partner who might still be on ship or somewhere shopping in port. Once I forgot a box of fishing lures, and was able to have a friend still onboard, play fetch.

 

I understand that use of these devices in certain foreign parts ashore is illegal.

You are correct. The FRS radios are licensed for U.S. use only. (Obviously perfectly OK in Alaska...) Some countries do not allow them and you could have them confiscated if you use them ashore.

We tried them on one trip and found them not worth the trouble of carrying aboard. As noted above: all that steel blocks the signal.

If you are in a lecture or movie in the Princess Theater, for example, you really do not want your walkie-talkie to be on.

Of course not. The ringers have adjustable volume, and, with ours, we can turn the volume all the way down and the unit still lights up when it is being paged. DH can have his with him in the dining room, and when he sees I'm trying to reach him (to ask him if he's in the IC, or buffet, or wherever), he excuses himself to the lobby area and gets back with me. It's not rocket science to do this; it IS common courtesy.

I think many posters here do a disservice to those people interested in these units by implying they 1.) don't work and 2.) they are a huge disruption to normal ship activities. Neither is true. They DO work...yes, the ship's steel is a barrier, but, as I said, even with DH out and about and me tucked away in our inside cabin, I could always tell when he was trying to ring me (by the clicking sound). We could not have had a full conversation if I was in the inside cabin (on the back of Riviera Deck) unless he was only as far as the Terrace Deck, some 50 feet away.

As for the Caribbean islands where we use ours, we haven't found that two way radios used by cruise ship passengers warrant even a second glance.

As I said, we didn't try them for almost 40 cruises, thinking they would be useless. The only reason we tried is that we bought a set for 7 year old twins for Christmas and took them with us to become familiar with them before we gifted them (which we have learned is the ONLY way to give electronics to kids...know how they work before you hand them over, or you'll spend Christmas morning reading instruction books). They worked so well that we kept them, and bought a second set for the boys.

I work with 2 way communications for a living. With the right set of radios they will work on the ship. Just going to walmart and buying a set with no understanding of how they work is a hit or miss item. Asking a store employee which is the best one to use is like asking a 5 year what to have for dinner. Do some research, check with friends and neighbors and find someone who uses them to hunt with. Then go with the most recommended one you can find. As always they work when bought properly and used properly. Good Luck.

For thsoe who have used them successfully please post the model number of the unit you used if you still ahve them. That way many will have an idea what to buy.

We have a set of 2-way radios. We've never used them on a cruise. We purchased them for our kids to use at the amusement parks before they had cell phones. I could see them working well while ashore, but I'm not sure how well they would work on a cruise. Not all the units light up, ours do not.

PescadoAmarillo, I applaud you for being very considerate when using them. I wish everyone was as polite. On our cruise on the CB last month, we encountered a few people using them turned all the way up, wherever and whenever they wanted, including the MDR, the theater, pretty much everywhere. I am completely fine with someone using them so long as they are polite about it. But I don't think having a two or three minute long conversation during dinner in the MDR hardly qualifies as polite. The pax should have excused himself and walked out. Encountered the same in the buffet quite a few times as well.

By the way, I had Nextel some years ago and got rid of them after a year just because I disliked the 2-way radio option. Got very annoying after awhile.

As for the Caribbean islands where we use ours, we haven't found that two way radios used by cruise ship passengers warrant even a second glance.

 

Funny you should say that because when we were in Mexico (Chichen Itsa) some years back, everybody was trying to buy ours since they have some channels on different frequencies and at that time they couldn't get them there. We've been using ours in different countries for years & never once questioned about them.