Walkie talkies on ship?

[Heatherdbby]

Has anyone used walkie talkies on ship? Do you have a recommendation that can work being surrounded by metal?

We don't want DS to have his iPhone bc he will be online/apps/texting instead of playing/having fun.
But also don't want a 9 year old running amuck without a way to check in. (Mainly worried about him being able to summon us when he wants to leave kids club- or if we let him check himself out- him finding us)

 

[insureman]

Tried them years ago on the Magic and Wonder and it didn't work out so well since the ships are made of metal that blocks the radio signal. This was before the Wave phones.

 

[lanejudy]

We don't want DS to have his iPhone bc he will be online/apps/texting instead of playing/having fun.

Wifi isn’t free onboard except to access the DCL app (or other Disney sites). He won’t be online/apps/texting unless you buy him a wifi package.

As PP says, walkie-talkies can be hit or miss onboard.

 

[Marc D]

Wifi isn’t free onboard except to access the DCL app (or other Disney sites). He won’t be online/apps/texting unless you buy him a wifi package.

As PP says, walkie-talkies can be hit or miss onboard.

The only possible exception is the free iMessage feature, if that's still a thing. I'm not sure what other chat apps are included.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

The only possible exception is the free iMessage feature, if that's still a thing. I'm not sure what other chat apps are included.

My understanding is that WhatsApp works sometimes too. I bought some cheap android phones for the kids for our upcoming cruise, so I hope it works, lol.

 

[OpieDoodle]

I would turn off roaming for data and cell service on his phone and let him use the phone. You should be able to turn it off from the phone itself but also depending on your service you can lock it down through your service itself.

 

[SnowWhite2]

The kids club will message you if your kid wants to leave the programming. Have him go back to the cabin and use the phone to message you for a meeting place.

 

[tvguy]

The metal in the ship would make family radios useless.

 

[Weedy]

Or if you have an old IPhone at home it will work just connected to the cell service onboard

 

[DIS_MIKE]

I tried walkies on the Dream but it didn’t go well at all. As others pointed out, there is too much metal which interferes with the signal. Leave ‘em home.

 

[Heatherdbby]

Wifi isn’t free onboard except to access the DCL app (or other Disney sites). He won’t be online/apps/texting unless you buy him a wifi package.

As PP says, walkie-talkies can be hit or miss onboard.

If I buy a wifi package does it go for the whole cabin or per device?

 

[Heatherdbby]

The kids club will message you if your kid wants to leave the programming. Have him go back to the cabin and use the phone to message you for a meeting place.

I was going to but someone told me they don't have wave phones any more

 

[randumb0]

Are wave phones available if you request them? They were great. Also walkie talkies should work on the top decks and sometimes in the lower decks if you are on the same floor. If someone is inside their cabin then it will not work

 

[lanejudy]

If I buy a wifi package does it go for the whole cabin or per device?

We don't buy the wifi but I believe anyone in the cabin can access it -- however I also think you log-in with a password, so if you don't share the password other devices won't access it. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong on that.

 

[onesam319]

The Disney Cruise Line Navigator app has messaging built in. Just turn on airplane mode then turn wi-fi back on for the ship's wi-fi to use the app.

 

[erionm]

If I buy a wifi package does it go for the whole cabin or per device?

We don't buy the wifi but I believe anyone in the cabin can access it -- however I also think you log-in with a password, so if you don't share the password other devices won't access it. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong on that.

It's per device. If you share the password with a family member and they log on, it will disconnect the person that is logged on.

 

[randumb0]

The Disney Cruise Line Navigator app has messaging built in. Just turn on airplane mode then turn wi-fi back on for the ship's wi-fi to use the app.

Most 9 year olds don't have phones

 

[onesam319]

Most 9 year olds don't have phones

We don't want DS to have his iPhone bc he will be online/apps/texting instead of playing/having fun.
But also don't want a 9 year old running amuck without a way to check in.

The original poster's 9 year old does.

 

[Dug720]

Please don't. Even if you manage to get them to work you could a) be on a frequency used by the crew for their communication devices and b) will most definitely annoy everyone within earshot of the squawking and talking.

 

[Lizardgi]

We used WhatsApp on our android phones on Disney Magic this past February, worked great.