Where are you

[ronl]

I was just wondering if walkie-talkies work on a princess ship?

[Colo Cruiser]

I was just wondering if walkie-talkies work on a princess ship?

 

 

Yes.

[Pam in CA]

I was just wondering if walkie-talkies work on a princess ship?

Yes, but often they don't work between decks or from one end of the deck to the other due to all the metal and steel. Make sure you turn it off between use so it doesn't squawk and use it away from people. I haven't seen walkie-talkies being used in years.

[giselleacttwo]

We took a pair on our first cruise and haven't bothered since. Service was sketchy, (and we were on a much smaller ship than anything in the current Princess fleet save the Ocean and Pacific), the feedback was annoying, and they just generally weren't worth it. We stick with notes in the mailbox or "meet me____ at____" now.

[paul929207]

Sometimes. If you are on different decks, the ship's infrastructure often blocks the signal

[Astro Flyer]

Yes, but often they don't work between decks or from one end of the deck to the other due to all the metal and steel. Make sure you turn it off between use so it doesn't squawk and use it away from people. I haven't seen walkie-talkies being used in years.

Sometimes. If you are on different decks, the ship's infrastructure often blocks the signal

We tried them on a couple of cruises & had the poor experience you described so we leave them at home. They may be helpful when it port if separated from someone & don't have cell phone usage.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[Colo Cruiser]

I think PescadoAmarillo is using them right now on their 100+ days on the Emerald, maybe you should ask them.

Judging from their blog they work pretty good. :cool:

[mreasier]

We took them on an Australia/Asia cruise a couple of years ago. We found them essentially useless on board. Reception between decks (Diamond Princess) was very poor. They were handy on shore. Bonnie could find me when she was done shopping and I was done wandering. Wayne

[satxdiver]

Ships are made of metal. The walls are metal (great for using magnets to hold notes in your cabin!), as are the floors, doors, etc. Metal will shield the signals making contact between decks difficult.

 

The "walkie talkie" sold in the US are actually FRS/GMRS two way low power radios. There are 22 channels assigned. Therefore there can only be 22 different conversations going on at the same time without interfering with each other. Marketing will have you believe there are hundreds of channels or that they are private. Truth is that anyone with a FRS/GMRS radio can hear everything being discussed on any one of the 22 channels at any time. Remember there are ONLY 22 channels available and every FRS/GMRS radio has the same 22 channels.

 

The FRS/GMRS radios operate under the US FCC rules and are tightly controlled as to power (500 millewatts or 1/2 watt) and frequency used (462.55 MHz to 462.725 MHz). They have to use NFM (Narrowband FM) which limits their fidelity as compared to your cell phone that has much better fidelity. This makes them harder to understand common speech.

 

They are only authorized for use in the US. Canada has similar rules. However using them in most other countries is illegal. You will be subject to fine or imprisonment if they decide to enforce their laws. European countries have a similar radio service but on a different frequency. Using US FRS/GMRS radios in Europe will interfere with their emergency frequencies!

 

Finally shouting into the radio since the other party cannot hear or understand you will only make reception worse. The radio was built to accept normal volume speech and will electronically clip any loud speech. Because of the low fidelity, pax have to turn up the volume to understand what is being received making them most annoying.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Alternatives: use the phones (which are all over the ship) to call your cabin to leave a voice mail message. Leave notes on the desk. Leave notes on the outside of your cabin door (some people bring a small dry erase board or do what my hubby did on our last cruise: tape a message to the door). You can also set up a meeting place and time.

 

You'll be surprised too at how easy it is to run into people on the ship.

[Holomoku]

We take ours on every cruise and they work fine, from the dining rooms to the spa and everywhere in between.:D The only place they don't work is from inside a cabin. Also, great for on shore when walking around in different places. My DW and I have found them invaluable, they kept me from almost missing the ship in Halifax. So, very close and the next stop was in Scotland!:eek: We wouldn't be without them.:D

[Potstech]

For the benefit of all around you they make cheap earpieces that you can buy at any electronics store. This way all do not have to listen to them when they are on.

 

Again they are illegal to be used in many other countries and can result in fines and even jail. All it takes is one law enforcement officer to be having a bad day and you will soon know how he is feeling. Please do not take the chance or experiencing a foreign country's legal system.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Potstech

[cruiseywoozey]

They will work but expect some interference... I agree with the other posts about using then respectfully... Also remember that other people might be using them on the same channel so don't be surprised if someone else pops up...

[caribill]

And remember there are many places you should not be using them since they would disturb others:

At any inside entertainment

At any lecture

In any dining room