sailing on the Oasis and rental of cell phones or use of two way radios

[d1cso4]

Hello,

we are going on the Oasis on november 9th..i heard about cell phone rentals..are they worth the cost ? and use of two way radios who has a favorite and how they work on the ship.

 

Thanks

[Eng23]

Iphones are available for rental but supplies of them are limited. The Iphones from the ship work well and only on the ship as I understand it. Two way radios are hit and miss and on a ship this big and can be problematic. One of the biggest issues is all the steel so they will not be real effective inside the ship. Up on deck they will probably work well. Also be aware that other folks bring these radios and use them and the frequency spectrum is very narrow so bleed over and interference from other radios happens often. Another thing to be aware of is if you plan on using them in a port you might be breaking local laws in regard to not being properly licensed.

Your radios can also interfere with local radio systems in the ports (like fire,EMS,police). Do people use them onboard? Yes, to differing degree's of success.

Last but not least alot of people will tell you that using these radio's is extremely annoying to other passenger's. So the best I can tell you is to weigh your options and decided for yourself. Good luck.

[d1cso4]

Hello ENG23,

i was just wondering about the phone and with my job my phone rings enough ! The radio system i guess would be a hit or miss..our own 800 mhz system can hit dead spots in the county. guess just have to make sure if were doing our own things just have to make sure to meet somewhere. Thanks..Roger

[Eng23]

Hello ENG23,

i was just wondering about the phone and with my job my phone rings enough ! The radio system i guess would be a hit or miss..our own 800 mhz system can hit dead spots in the county. guess just have to make sure if were doing our own things just have to make sure to meet somewhere. Thanks..Roger

Hi. This is a common question on here. Many people don't like the radio's. Many people that have used them have posted that after the first day no one used them due to the different issues I specified. Like mentioned, it's hit or miss. If you can get on the ship early enough and go to guest services you might be able to get the Iphones. There are other good ways to keep in touch. Use the voice message feature on your cabin phones, Post It notes are another popular way. And of course as you mention just be sure your group knows where and when to have meets throughout the day.

[d1cso4]

Hello,

Yes i think the radios will be a wash and the iphones may prove to be costly. Earlier i was enjoying the picture extended review of the Allure. The party also has reservations at the embassy suites on 17th st. I learned from your review i am just going to take the taxi instead of the shuttle. last year i was packed in the bus and the driver must had some anger as he took it out on the luggage ! beside its only two dollars more. This will be my first time on this class of ship and cant wait what it has in hold !

[wscott52]

We saw several people on the Oasis last week using walkies and they appeared to be working for them. Of course I don't know where the other party was. I think if you make sure you have GMRS radios and they are on a full power GMRS channel they will be helpful. They won't give you ship wide coverage but maybe enough. The people we saw using them had the volume low and they were not obnoxious. My wife and I used two sets of them with the kids on the Disney Wonder years ago and they were handy. As always, YMMV/

[Rn4val]

Can you reserve the phones before your cruise?

[d1cso4]

Hello Wscott52,

Thanks for the information !..not sure how big the group will turn out still have lots of time left before november 9th. I see you just came back from the Oasis ..what did you think of the ship ?..Thanks Roger

[d1cso4]

I dont think so..i believe its a onboard thing only and supplies while they last..still not sure how much it will be..

[Mama2Tay]

We were on the Oasis last week and tried the iphones. I returned them on Day 2 because they just didn't work well. The texts didn't always go through, and the GPS location feature was hardly ever right. Also, my iphone kept lighting up every 10 minutes like there was a text coming in, but there were never any new texts. Although later my son said he sent me a couple during that time, but I never received them. To me, they were more trouble than they were worth.

 

When I returned them, I saw the file of rental agreements that were filled out, and there were not too many, so I don't think they are that popular. You should have no problem getting the phones if you want them. They were giving them out on Deck 14 in the Card Room starting at 11:15 on Day 1.

 

We also saw people using walkie talkies. I don't know how well they worked, but I thought they were annoying. The people using them had to yell into them in order to be heard. Just my 2 cents.

[d1cso4]

Hello Laurie,

Thanks for the information !..guess the two are more than there worth. I am just waiting for the time i get to go on Oasis !..like to know about the shows, shops, etc. but thanks once again..Roger

[Bobbye]

We also saw people using walkie talkies. I don't know how well they worked, but I thought they were annoying. The people using them had to yell into them in order to be heard. Just my 2 cents.

 

I remember sitting near one of the pools on the Allure surrounded by empty chairs with walkie-talkies that were turned on at high volume. I really wanted to just go grab them and throw them in a pool <grin> But I finally gave up and moved to another area.

 

That night we were at one of the shows and some kids a few rows down were on their walkie talkies communicating with friends in the balcony.

 

I'm definitely not a fan!

[textbookcase]

I was traveling with DD so we decided to try them. They worked great for us - i didn't have any of the problems that were mentioned above. Every once in a while, I would lose her on the locator but it didn't take long for the signal to find her.

 

We got on board as soon as they started boarding and went straight to the Library (I think?). Ask for the rental location as soon as you get on board. I think you can try them out for a day or so, and if you don't like them, they will refund your SetSail Card.

[dread_pirate]

How much do the iPhones cost to rent? Do they behave any differently than my own iPhone?

[Clarea]

How much do the iPhones cost to rent? Do they behave any differently than my own iPhone?

 

http://www.royalcaribbeanincentives.com/docs/rccl-pdfs/connect-brochure.pdf

[wscott52]

Hello Wscott52,

Thanks for the information !..not sure how big the group will turn out still have lots of time left before november 9th. I see you just came back from the Oasis ..what did you think of the ship ?..Thanks Roger

 

The ship is amazing. Pictures and videos cannot convey it's true size. We were pretty happy with almost everything. The crew was great, the food was good to great, and the ship is beautiful with more to do than you can possibly experience in a week. Our sailing was near full capacity. Even though it is designed well on sea days especially you realize there are 6,000 other passengers sailing with you. Still the only really long wait we had for an elevator was right after the muster drill. The Windjammer can get crowded but we always found a place to sit and seldom had to wait for food.

 

I lived in the USVI for ten years and had been to St. Thomas several times and St Martin once before for a week. I'd also been to Nassau before a couple of times. The ports were not that exciting for me. My wife had been to Nassau but never to St Thomas or St Martin and was excited to see both of them.

 

We only ate in the MDR once on the first formal night. Otherwise we ate in the Windjammer, Park Cafe, or specialty restaurants. We did Chef's Table, 150 Central Park, Chops, and Solarium Bistro. All were good but Chops was probably our least favorite. The food was good but service was not on a par with the other restaurants. We are not big beef eaters anyway and both of us got steaks mainly because it is a steakhouse. We are already planning another one on the Oasis, or Allure, western caribbean itinerary. I would say you should definitely do it if you are thinking about it.

[d1cso4]

Hello,

I myself been to the eastern islands in st thomas..took a ferry over to st johns and nearly missed the boat !..it was fun though. st martin is really nice..last time we took a tour with bernards tours with a couple and there son..had lots of fun ..with a stop at the famed maho beach to watch the planes. nassau was good too ..but really pricey. as part of our booking we get a free dinner at one of the speciality restaraunts ,,we usually one a cruise or like the last cruise did one and the chef's table..guess the other times there are so many choices mdr not really an issue..thanks Roger