Best group communication

[Kuiet-time]

Any tips on the best way to stay in communication with my family and kids while we are on our cruise. We have a group of 16. 

[ColeThornton]

https://www.ncl.com/apps

[Kuiet-time]

Does the communication feature have to be added to each phone??? So will it be $10 per phone

[PTC DAWG]

Dry erase board on the door…most folks are in the same few places after the first day or two. 

Edited February 11, 2023 by PTC DAWG

[Kuiet-time]

Thank you that’s a great ideal

[vacation44]

22 minutes ago, Kuiet-time said:

Does the communication feature have to be added to each phone??? So will it be $10 per phone

Yes, it is per phone.

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Dry erase board on the door…most folks are in the same few places after the first day or two. 

I like this idea.  Of course, I'm not going to go back to the room to report that I'm moving from the bar to the buffet to the bar.

[SunshineGal2022]

12 hours ago, Kuiet-time said:

Any tips on the best way to stay in communication with my family and kids while we are on our cruise. We have a group of 16. 

iMessage seems to work on the ship, even without Wi-Fi.  That may be an option for some people instead of paying for the messaging which may not work.

[NoMoreRain]

iPhone iMessaging worked great for us on the Joy.

[zzdoug]

Not Cruise Critic forums. A lot of people here are often talking past each other, so I suggest staying in touch using some other means of communication. 

[zzdoug]

But seriously: If you have the wifi package, maybe use WhatsApp? 

[PTC DAWG]

18 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I like this idea.  Of course, I'm not going to go back to the room to report that I'm moving from the bar to the buffet to the bar.

Me neither..honestly, I don’t care if folks know where I am or not.  They find the party, they find me. 🙂

Edited February 12, 2023 by PTC DAWG

[Biglove1954]

Can u use whatsapp with your wifi pkg. I do not have an iphone

[Kuiet-time]

On 2/12/2023 at 10:08 AM, PTC DAWG said:

Me neither..honestly, I don’t care if folks know where I am or not.  They find the party, they find me. 🙂

True about the room to the board and board to the room. I just want a way to keep up with my pre-teen kids. I want to give them space but also parent and not let them be run all around the ship causing havoc. So I do care if they know where I am or not. However, $10 per phone for messaging might be ok although I’d rather have a free method. 

[Calicoskies1234]

We used the messaging 9.95 add-on.  Worked well for. Msg alerts came thru to my Apple Watch. I could also message any iPhone user with airplane mode on, not using my Wi-Fi min.  We also used sticky notes on doors. And we established meeting places. Most of my group gathered in Maltings between 4-5pm to catch up on our days and head to dinner. My inner circle and I had a few areas where we knew the others like to be on Deck 8 Waterfront near Starbucks. 

[debenson0723]

On 2/13/2023 at 8:58 AM, Biglove1954 said:

Can u use whatsapp with your wifi pkg. I do not have an iphone

Yes but it works best if you have the unlimited wi-fi. I would find it hard with the minutes included plan because you would have to constantly be logging in and out. 

[sid_9169]

Fb messenger worked great on board for me, and no $9.95 fee...

[debenson0723]

1 minute ago, sid_9169 said:

Fb messenger worked great on board for me, and no $9.95 fee...

That's what my friends and I do that are on FB but one of them isn't so we used What's App with him.

[evanskl4]

My kids (age 11) don't have phones yet. Has anyone used walkie-talkies?

[zzdoug]

10 minutes ago, evanskl4 said:

My kids (age 11) don't have phones yet. Has anyone used walkie-talkies?

Yes, back in the day.  The cheap ones barely worked but that may be due in part to the fact that there were so many on the ship.  Like I could understand if someone was calling me but I usually couldn't understand the details of what they were saying.  Also if more recent ones transmit digitally they would probably be more reliable.  Or if there is some kind of walkie talkie device that could send a text message.

[TSUmom]

I was just thinking the same thing with the dry erase boards.  Before everyone had cell phones that is how we kept in touch on our early cruises.  We all had dry erase boards on our doors and would leave messages...my how times have changed.