Cell phones ok?

[lentnej]

We are a family with boys 6 and 11 so my wife and I foresee a lot of splitting up in April. Will cellphones work ok for coordinating in the parks or should we pack walkie-talkies?
Thanks.

 

[PrincessTigerLily]

We have always used our cell phones at Disney World. That being said, definitely check with your provider to make sure there is decent coverage. I did have certain areas that I had no coverage (like the time DH took the kids to find a seat far away at Flame Tree BBQ and I was to call him when my 2 heaping trays of food were ready and he would come back to assist me. surprise- my cell phone couldn't get a signal!) I have never used walkies there, but I asked this same question a long time ago and heard a lot of responses that said they picked up a lot of other people's chatter, and it was a pain to constantly change channels to find a clear one. Hopefully someone else will give you a better view of the walkies!

 

[tadamom]

We use our cell phones too. But then again, when we go there are 10 of us and 6 of us had cell phones and 2 blackberries as well so surely someone was getting service.

I have heard of people taking walkie-talkies and I don't believe they work out as well.

 

[caitty13]

I used cell phones. The worst part though is if your on a ride and it goes off.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Cell phones work great (better than walkie talkies I feel--we did use those many moons ago). As a pp pointed out, please put them on vibrate and do not answer them on rides or shows.

 

[Kies99]

The issue you run into with walkie-talkies is that there are only so many frequencies. You probably will end up having cross-over with other people using them. Go with cell-phones.

 

[irene_dsc]

Cell phones worked out great for us. Actually, texting was the winner, because we didn't have to worry about interrupting rides or shows, and we were mainly using it for keeping track of each other. I definitely improved my texting skills a lot during our trip! But, I also made a point of keeping my phone in my pocket, on vibrate+ring, because I never hear it in my purse in a crowd!

 

[TheDizMom]

We used our phones and it worked great . I don't think the walkie-talkie would work at all. There are just 2 things. They can be hard to hear when they ring with all the noise, so you may have to call several times before they answer, and even harder to hear what's being said. Whenever you go into any kind of show you need to remember to turn them off or onto vibrate, but then it has to be attached to you somehow so you can feel it. Since we rarely separated we haven't had to use them too much, but they do come in handy when you decide to go on two different rides or someone runs for fast passes.

 

[Not so Dumbo]

I recommend cell phones, but check with your provider first. I had a problem with my pre-paid last trip where I couldn't call out but I could receive calls at .50 a minute.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I think it depends on your cell phone company on whether it works or not.

We've had great success using ours. No charge calling to each others phones and no problems reaching each other.

We just set them on vibrate when we have to split up. We found out very quickly that we couldn't hear them ring and when in some buildings you don't get a signal but when you leave the building you can check for messages.

Just be sure your cell phone carrier won't charge you alot for the calls. Some have roaming charges if you aren't in your home area.