Phones for Parks or Two way Radios?

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Hi, I was thinking of getting a few cheap phones from Walmart when we arrive. We are a party of 2 families and thought this would let us keep in touch with each other. As we are from UK, our own phones will probably cost a fortune to use. A friend said that they used radios one time but the connection was hit or miss. Do any of you frequent visitors know if I can get a few really cheap phones to use for the 3 weeks we are there. When we arrive in Coronado Springs we are taking a taxi to Walmart for essentials.

 

[fortcampers]

Trac Fone makes a cheap phone you can use for a few weeks. You have to buy minutes for the cards, but if you only need them for a few weeks, it might be a good option. I had one a long time ago but now have Verizon phones for the whole family. A friend's daughter just but herself one that has texting on it as well---of course that takes up some of the minutes, but when the parades and shows are loud, a text works better than a phone call where you can't hear what the other person is saying. You might need a computer to activate it, but check that out first since you might be able to do it by phone. You will also need a charger for the phones. If you all got the same phones, you might be able to share the charger. We tried the 2-way radio things several years ago and their were so many people using them that no matter what channel you turned the radio to, you could hear other conversations and we never did manage to get in contact with each other.
http://www.tracfone.com/

 

[momofrrr]

Use phones. We tried the radios a couple of times and they were not very reliable. Have a great trip!

 

[Tank]

ATT also has a cheap phone called the go phone. I bought my DD one to use in emergincies. It only cost me $20 for 100 min and the phone was free. I bought it at a ATT store in a mall.

 

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thank you for your replies. I will look into cheap phones.

 

[all4fun]

Walmart has a service called "ship to store" where you can order something online and then pick it up at the store (free shipping). You might have a better selection doing it this way. Here's a link to what they have.

hth

 

[NotUrsula]

You might want to look at Virgin Mobile's US website. They normally have several phones that are free if you purchase $20 of airtime for them, and shipping is normally free. This is an online-only deal, but you could probably order them to be shipped directly to your resort. You can then activate the phones using a pay phone via their toll-free number. As it is a UK company, they may be fine with accepting UK credit cards for transactions on the US website, and even if they do not normally do so, you might be able to call and get an exception. (Their phones all come with a charger included. I didn't know that there were some companies that require you to buy them separately; that was news to me.)

Two things: 1) Be sure to get a phone and setup that allows text messaging. The ambient noise in the parks is quite loud, so you often really can't hear to speak on the phone. I've found that texting works best when trying to communicate with other members of your party who are elsewhere in the parks. 2) Be aware that in the US, pay-as-you-go minutes used for incoming calls are also charged, at the same rate as outgoing. You are likely to use your minutes more quickly here for that reason.

 

[*Seanaci*]

Def phones over radios.

 

[PollyannaMom]

We used phones, and I definitely agree with those who said text!! It was the only way we communicated across the park.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

I've got a box of two way radios that we've tried at the parks. I can sell them to ya reeeeeeaaaalllll cheap; they're WORTHLESS.

Phones, definitely the way to go.