How do you communicate onboard?

[stah1mr]

My wife and I will probably be at different places on the ship, a lot!  🙂 

We probably won't be using our phones.

I wish the app had a messaging feature so we could meet up.  Of course, the Solstice doesn't even have the app yet.

Telling my wife I'll meet her at 1 PM at the coffee bar is not going to work.  She might not show until 4.  🙂 

How do others manage keeping in touch?

[davekathy]

11 minutes ago, stah1mr said:

My wife and I will probably be at different places on the ship, a lot!  🙂 

We probably won't be using our phones.

I wish the app had a messaging feature so we could meet up.  Of course, the Solstice doesn't even have the app yet.

Telling my wife I'll meet her at 1 PM at the coffee bar is not going to work.  She might not show until 4.  🙂 

How do others manage keeping in touch?

Without a cell phone. When we make plans to meet at later time and place we respect that and show up at that time and place. Simple. 

Edited January 6, 2020 by davekathy

[ACJV]

you can always leave a voicemail on your cabin phone

[stah1mr]

1 minute ago, davekathy said:

Without a cell phone. When we make plans to meet at later time and place we respect that and show up at that time and place. Simple. 

I respect that and that should be the natural answer except my wife has serious ADD and she has serious issues being on time.  She just has no concept of time.  What you mention is probably what we will have to do but I'm not holding my breath.  🙂 

[bbnjcruiser]

Without cellphones or the ability to keep an appointment at a specified time you are going to need to signal in some way. 
 

this first option is to find a high location where you will be visible and wave a brightly colored banner at the appointed time.

 

the second option requires an airhorn or Audio signaling device - in this case it will be best if you pre arrange a a code so she will know it is you and not some random stranger with an airhorn.  
 

In both cases she will need to be within seeing or hearing distance.

[stah1mr]

3 minutes ago, ACJV said:

you can always leave a voicemail on your cabin phone

That is a very good suggestion.

[chemmo]

Take a pack of post it notes....Leave messages on the mirror about where you are/expect to be...

[amcco]

Won’t help if the ship isn’t using the app but it does have a messaging function to guests you have linked to. 
 

Or phone message as stated or paper with a magnet to the wall in the cabin. 
 

or air horn 🤪

 

Margaret

[btregoning]

There is always the old-fashioned portable radios.  

[jelayne]

If she has difficulty showing up on time get her a watch with an alarm and set it for her.

[NHCRUISIN]

Yell

[PTC DAWG]

44 minutes ago, bbnjcruiser said:

Without cellphones or the ability to keep an appointment at a specified time you are going to need to signal in some way. 
 

this first option is to find a high location where you will be visible and wave a brightly colored banner at the appointed time.

 

the second option requires an airhorn or Audio signaling device - in this case it will be best if you pre arrange a a code so she will know it is you and not some random stranger with an airhorn.  
 

In both cases she will need to be within seeing or hearing distance.

LOL

[Noreen411]

Since this is a concern for you, why not just use your cell phones?

 

Depending on your provider you can get a cruise ship plan that would cover text and calls and data.

 

Noreen

[shipshape sam]

55 minutes ago, ACJV said:

you can always leave a voicemail on your cabin phone

Good idea.  

[Peter118]

Back in the day we used to use pigeons. And believe me they worked.

[Jim_Iain]

We often use postem stickers in the room. 

 

Maybe a dose of what's good for the Goose....   Set a time with her to meet and then don't show up yourself.   2-3 times and the message might sink in. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Well if you have iphones you can keep your setting in air plane mode and access wifi...assuming you have a package, and use your phone as usual.

[davekathy]

4 hours ago, stah1mr said:

I respect that and that should be the natural answer except my wife has serious ADD and she has serious issues being on time.  She just has no concept of time.  What you mention is probably what we will have to do but I'm not holding my breath.  🙂 

My answer to your question would have been different if you would have provided that important detail. 

[Muffinz]

on my iPhone I have reminders and I can set any reminder to go off at any time / day

 

so in the morning you put a reminder in your wifes phone (assuming her phone has a reminder function) that says 'meet at Café Al Bacio' and set it for 1:45pm - if you intend to meet there at 2pm

 

and at 1:45pm her phone should make a beep / ring tone or vibrate and the reminder will pop up

[PelicanLvr]

Is this really the new reality?......So sad.

[VitaminSea53]

If you both have WiFi then you can message each other using WhatsAp or on iPhones you can text each other or even call each other using WiFi calling. No fees involved anywhere in the world- just have to be on WiFi. 

[Larwos]

I have seen families where they carry walkie talkies. The only way todo it with a whole mob of you around the ship. 

I like the reminders alarm idea though. I just leave a message on our phone in our cabin. 

Good luck anyway. 

[GastroGnome]

ADD is an issue.  Some of the suggestions are funny - but bear in mind there is a serious query here.  Setting alarms on her phone is probably the easiest.  Not just one.  For DD before she learned to manage her condition herself we used to use three with different sounds so she knew she had a 10 min warning, a 5 min etc.  Adult diagnosed ADD / ADHD is increasing so much now there are loads of websites and forums on how to manage day to day lifestyle issues like getting to where you are supposed to be in a reoasnable time.  Have a google and see which ones work for you.

[shipgeeks]

If she is likely to be in the cabin, you can call from just about anywhere around the ship.

[robmab]

Download GroupMe or WhatsApp to your phones and you can message each other from anywhere, as long as you're connected to WiFi. We used GroupMe on our last cruise to communicate with our teen daughters about dinner times, meeting places, etc. or just to find out where they were on the ship. The internet package was worth it for us to be able to send/receive messages from them.