Do You Use Hand Held Radios (Walkie-Talkies) on Board?

[ridgecrest]

Do you use hand held radios to talk with other members of your cruise party? I will be cruising with 5 other adults on the Freedom of the Seas in August and I was wondering if I should take my set and have them bring theirs.

 

My set is about 10 years old is quite crappy so I am thinking about getting a new set. If you are pleased with the performance of your hand helds, would you share what brand and model you have?

 

Thanks,

[jchiefs13]

My last cruise, on Explorer, my friend and I took a set. I'm sorry to say I don't know the model as they were my friend's nephews (that should tell you they weren't pricey or top of the line).

 

I enjoyed having them with me enough to want to get a set before my next trip - it was very convenient to allow us to do our own things and catch back up easily. We only had one day where someone else (prb also w/ walkie talkies) hopped on the same channel.

 

When I get a set I definitely want ones that recharge on a base and don't need batteries changed out. I also want ones with clips on them to attach them to my belt/pants, which we didn't have with ours and it was a bit of a nuisance.

 

Judy

[kenevenpar]

The best brand is the one you leave at home;)

 

Seriously, find ones that vibrate instead of beeping. I'm sure others know more about these; all I know is that some are very annoying, while others seem to be more like cell phones (not Nextel beep-beep) and are much less obtrusive.

 

Thank you and have a great cruise.

[CruisingSarah]

I haven't used them on board but do own a set and have used them on skiing trips and around Disney World. Our set is Cobra brand and they are very good. We have had them for over 4 years they are robust and reliable. I noticed they were selling them on board last week on Enchantment and that they were the same as ours, Cobra brand.

[Ann0513]

I just purchased Tri Square TSX 300 with vibrate & text features with 10 billion channels, so there should be no interference or annoyance to other passengers. They were about $80.00 online at Walmart, they are small and have a base to recharge them and come with headsets and belt clips

[CurtS]

We used Motorola T95 which supposedly had a 5 mile range. Okay, the range was more like front to back of the DCL Magic but it had enough power to allow our 16 year-old to keep in touch with us. I would recommend having a set with sufficient range (incidently, when you have one with sufficient range the FCC wants their money for a license). Sometimes the reception was scratchy and at some points we couldn't hear at all. Since the radios have an alert beeper that works better than talking, we devised a code (1 beep for "back at room", 2 beeps for "at the pool", 3 beeps for "at the arcade", 4 beeps for "at the teen club"). That way we could meet up with him when he needed something. Hope this helps.

[pltag]

The best brand is the one you leave at home;)

Amen!!!

 

If you do use them, concentrate on short conversations with one word answers!! :D

[mo&fran]

They sell them in the shop on ship. They even offered to cut the wrap off in the shop. But never got to use them.

[pcur]

I swear the next time I'm in the middle of a crowd on a ship with someone talking loudly on one of those, I'm going to walk over and joing the freaking conversation!! I figure if they turn up the volume that loud, they must want us all to join in, and I will!!

 

So, use the beeps or turn the volume down, PLEASE!! TIA :D

[marci22]

The best brand is the one you leave at home;)

 

Seriously, find ones that vibrate instead of beeping. I'm sure others know more about these; all I know is that some are very annoying, while others seem to be more like cell phones (not Nextel beep-beep) and are much less obtrusive.

 

Thank you and have a great cruise.

 

I agree. These things are a nuisance. There is nothing worse than sitting next to someone who is going "What????.....static.......What??.......static.....WHAAAAAAT??????"

 

Really a menace.

[granddutchess]

We have used them and they work great. They are good for keeping track of DS. However, we are leaving tommorrow for our cruise on AOS and I cannot find them anywhere. I know they are somewhere in the house. However, I refuse to buy another set.

[ken_nyc]

I didn't used it last time because it was only the wife & I, this time we will probably bring them because our daughter is going along with us.

[relaxandenjoy]

I would not use them when I'm traveling with all adults, but they would be handy for children. What we do use is the wipe-off white boards. We leave notes for our family and friends on the doors if we want them to meet us somewhere etc.

[PhoenixCruiser]

They are really not needed, you can use post-it notes and the cabin's voice-mail to relay messages if needed.

 

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[monicajay]

They are really not needed, you can use post-it notes and the cabin's voice-mail to relay messages if needed.

 

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I agree. Brought them once and hated it. They kept interrupting my poolside snooze.:eek: Now we use post-it notes and a regular 'beach chair area' . My kids know where to look for us.

 

I hate when people around me have them. They are always shouting.

[daisysheridan]

The best brand is the one you leave at home.

 

I agree! There is nothing more annoying then to here "Are you there? Mom....Mom...Mom...can you here me....Are you there???"

 

Besides, people tend to talk so loud when using them that the other party probably can hear them without using the 'walkie-talkie'.

[daisysheridan]

I swear the next time I'm in the middle of a crowd on a ship with someone talking loudly on one of those, I'm going to walk over and joing the freaking conversation!! I figure if they turn up the volume that loud, they must want us all to join in, and I will!!

 

So, use the beeps or turn the volume down, PLEASE!! TIA :D

 

AMEN! I fell the same way about people and their cell phones!

[funcky]

We used a set my daughter got free from her Kumon class. Forget what the brand is but it is works ok. Here are some of my dislike with radio:

 

1. Charging the battery.

2. One way CB style radio where only one can talk

3. Pickup conversation from other using same frequency.

4. Annoyance to other cruisers :^( (sorry!!!)

 

The other solution is renting DECT phone from cruise. The cons are cost is per phone not pairs, availability is hard to come by. We drop by right after embarkation and they say there is none. If you can get just one unit, then you would give it to your kid. When you want to get in touch, you would use phone in your cabin or public areas on ship to call.

[cruzendude]

I swear the next time I'm in the middle of a crowd on a ship with someone talking loudly on one of those, I'm going to walk over and joing the freaking conversation!! I figure if they turn up the volume that loud, they must want us all to join in, and I will!!

 

So, use the beeps or turn the volume down, PLEASE!! TIA :D

 

Frankly I dont find them any more annoying than lots of other pax just being themselves...I say bring em and let it rip!! hahahaha...:eek:

[satxdiver]

For those who find the two way FRS/GMRS radios and cellphones intrusive, get a jammer. They are available online but illegal to use in the USA (if they find you!). I have a good friend who has a cellphone jammer because he was tired of all the people that shout into their cellphones in noisy restaurants or other public areas. They work. I have a jammer for the FRS/GMRS radios and usually have it with me on the ship. It works and I love to watch the expression on the faces of pax who insist on shouting into them.

 

An example: Johnny the thoughtless pax using his two way radio:

 

what?....<static>....I can't hear you.....<static>....WHAT? .... <static>

 

then the radio suddenly goes completely dead as I turn on the jammer - no more static or anything. Peace returns.

 

Maybe I should add a message: "This radio has been neutralized due to abuse of your fellow passengers"

[unklez]

Leave the radios home. They are useless and annoying to your fellow passengers.

[pody]

They are really not needed, you can use post-it notes and the cabin's voice-mail to relay messages if needed.

 

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I agree that they can be annoying onboard, but they can come in handy in port when trying to locate members of your party who got off the ship before you. I don't think we would have found our friends on Coco Cay (without walking a mile) if we hadn't had them. People tend to blend on a beach, and they're much cheaper to use than cell phones.

[RFM Daughter]

I would HIGHLY reccomend going to guest services as soon as you board and rent the ships DECT phones. We have rented them many times and they're WONDERFUL. They are the same phones the crew uses. Each has its own phone number, caller ID, programmable phonebook (just like a cell phone) and can be called from any phone on the ship ie: from your staterooms. We took our walkietalkies on Freedom and because the ship is SO big and there is so much interference, we often times could not use them...or the reception was horrible. We found the DECT phones to be a great way of always knowing where our kids were, and they could always get in touch with us, too. Keep in mind that there are only so many of these phones available so if you want to get a few, head directly to guest services upon boarding the ship. Good luck, and have FUN!!

[unklez]

I agree that they can be annoying onboard, but they can come in handy in port when trying to locate members of your party who got off the ship before you. I don't think we would have found our friends on Coco Cay (without walking a mile) if we hadn't had them. People tend to blend on a beach, and they're much cheaper to use than cell phones.

 

People tend to be cheaper than cell phones? LOL

[teajak]

For those who find the two way FRS/GMRS radios and cellphones intrusive, get a jammer. They are available online but illegal to use in the USA (if they find you!). I have a good friend who has a cellphone jammer because he was tired of all the people that shout into their cellphones in noisy restaurants or other public areas. They work. I have a jammer for the FRS/GMRS radios and usually have it with me on the ship. It works and I love to watch the expression on the faces of pax who insist on shouting into them.

 

An example: Johnny the thoughtless pax using his two way radio:

 

what?....<static>....I can't hear you.....<static>....WHAT? .... <static>

 

then the radio suddenly goes completely dead as I turn on the jammer - no more static or anything. Peace returns.

 

Maybe I should add a message: "This radio has been neutralized due to abuse of your fellow passengers"

Love it!!!Now I know what to ask for my 81 birthday in July.I will then have it for our Freedom cruise in August.I can hide it in my walker. LOL.