Talkabouts on the ship

[shellgoodman]

Yesterday we went out and bought the 5820 Motorolas for $100. It has 22 channels, 38 privacy codes and a 5 mile radius. We tested them out and my DH drove 1/2 a mile out of our subdivision where it promptly broke up.

Question, how do these things work on the ship? Are they really worth it? We might go to the mall today to test them out but I am really interested in knowing how these work on a huge ship and even WDW.

 

[bethsg]

We took them with us on the cruise. We have kids... not small but 4 of them, and we just wanted to be able to go out at night, touring the ship, sitting in a steamer chair, getting a drink etc, while they were watching TV. We found them to have spotty coverage on the ship. I guess it's due to the steel between the areas of the ship. But from our room on deck 2, to the club areas on deck 3, we couldn't communicate. Some places they work, some they do not. So, their unreliability creates a problem in my opinion. We also have Motorollas, with the 14 channel 38 code model.

 

[kiddisney]

hi - we have the bell south - and they worked great - yes there is some spotty operation - but it would be the same as you would get from the mall - we used the "call buzzer" and that alerted the kids to use wanting to keep in contact w/them and then they would call back - because sometimes the problem w/operation is that they just aren't used to listening for someone calling them -

 

[Hans Solo]

We have the Motorola T6210 from Costco and they worked great onboard. We have DD (13) & DS (10) that went off to the movies and we had no problem getting intouch with each other.
My DW and DD went into Nassau and I stayed onboard and we were able to communicate with very little problems.

 

[shellgoodman]

Hans Solo, do you have the 5 mile radius radios? Should I keep the 5 mile radius radios or should I get the 2 mile ones instead? I don't know if the mileage range matters much on the ship or not. We are not quite sure if these are a waste of money for us. We have a 4 & 2 yr old and thought these would be a good idea if we have to split up with the kids.

 

[Hans Solo]

Hi Shellgoodman
In response to your question, our Motorola radio are the 2 mile range type. We had a cat. 6 room with the verandah.
I could stand outside on the verandah and talk to my DW while DD was getting her hair braided.
Let me know if I can help .

 

[Carol RN]

Does anyone know if they rent Walkie Talkies onboard, or do you have to bring your own?

Thanks.

 

[dylan'smom]

There were a few people inquiring because they were wishing they had them - but no luck.

We had the motorolas w/ 2 mi. radius & they worked great - we really relied on them.

 

[Hans Solo]

Hi Carol RN
We brought our own radios. We did not see any reference to rentals onboard.
Another way for Disney to improve?

 

[goofysgirl]

W bought 2 mile radius Unidens at Wal Mart for about $15.00 each. Used them on the ship and in WDW. Well worth the money and the kids play with them at home. The Motorolas seemed a little too pricey for us, and we found the ones we had to be more than adequate.

 

[JimB.]

We had a set of Audiovox radios.

The coverage was spotty in certain locations, but good enough to keep in contact.

The 2 or 5 mile range claim is theoretical in nature only. Here on land we gat MAYBE 1/2 mile out of ours. They probably mean 2 miles out on the water on a flat. clear day with nothing in between you and the person you are talking to.

 

[DisneyKids]

We brought Motorolas and they worked pretty well. The comments about spotty reception are true. The 2 or 5 mile distance rating is on flat land/water with no obstruction. But, we felt they worked pretty well. The 5 mile channels work on double the power. We had 2 mile ones last cruise but have since upgraded to the 5 mile Motorolas. I'll know in October if that helps. Either way, we felt it was worth having them.