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Old 01-10-2011, 02:06 PM   #1
purplegal
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Communication in the parks

We are heading down for 11 days, and are wondering the best way to communicate while at the parks.
We are from Canada so we can't bring our cell phones. There will be DH and myself as well as 2 kids 21 years old and 2 18 year olds. We assume they will want to split up with us.
If we get some pay as you go phones what are the best providers for coverage in the parks?
Anyone got any great ideas?
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Old 01-10-2011, 03:34 PM   #2
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I would maybe call Disney and ask them....
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Old 01-10-2011, 03:46 PM   #3
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Back before cell phones were common, my wife and I had some Motorola 2-way radios that we used when skiing. (Think walki-talkie.) they were small enough to fit in a pocket and would have enough range to cover an entire Disney park. They weren't terribly expensive even 13-14 years ago, I'd imaginve the price would be fairly cheap now.
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Old 01-10-2011, 03:57 PM   #4
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Back before cell phones were common, my wife and I had some Motorola 2-way radios that we used when skiing. (Think walki-talkie.) they were small enough to fit in a pocket and would have enough range to cover an entire Disney park. They weren't terribly expensive even 13-14 years ago, I'd imaginve the price would be fairly cheap now.

That is what I would say. They are still fairly cheap and should have reception throughout the parks.
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Old 01-10-2011, 04:38 PM   #5
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Back before cell phones were common, my wife and I had some Motorola 2-way radios that we used when skiing. (Think walki-talkie.) they were small enough to fit in a pocket and would have enough range to cover an entire Disney park. They weren't terribly expensive even 13-14 years ago, I'd imaginve the price would be fairly cheap now.
Before cell phones, that's what we did as well.
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Old 01-10-2011, 04:40 PM   #6
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You could also buy some cheapo pre-paid cell phones at Target/Walmart in Orlando if you have a car -- or maybe get them in the airport. (They'd work better than the 2-way radios and have the ability to leave voicemail)
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Old 01-10-2011, 05:40 PM   #7
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You could also buy some cheapo pre-paid cell phones at Target/Walmart in Orlando if you have a car -- or maybe get them in the airport. (They'd work better than the 2-way radios and have the ability to leave voicemail)
That's what we do as we live in PR and with roaming our bill would go way up.
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Old 01-10-2011, 10:16 PM   #8
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Being that you are from Canada if you get the 2 way radios you would be able to use them for other purposes where the pre paid phones would only be good here in the states. It would be less hassle than setting up the phone accounts and you could purchase these before you leave home.

Ifnyou do decide to go with the pre paid phones, we have AT&T and never had a problem with the coverage. However we only had a couple occasions we needed to call each other. DS was on prepaid with them at the time.

I do like the idea of being able to use the voicemail feature on the prepaid phones...
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Old 01-10-2011, 10:28 PM   #9
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I'm not sure about the cell providers in MB, but when we went down this summer (14 of us in total) our plan with Telus (AB) allowed us to text with each other at no extra cost. As most had phones with unlimited texting, it was no extra charge to use it in the US. My in-laws added 100 text messages for $5 / month and were able to also use them to communicate with us. It worked out so well, especially when we did have a pre-designated meeting place and time, but someone in the party was running late. Now none of us have 3G phones (like Blackberry or iPhone) as I have heard that they run under a different network so may not have the same text cost.
We always had our cell phones on, but as long as we didn't dial or answer an actual phone call, there were no roaming charges.
This worked really well for us, so I hope that they have something similar over there. Check with your provider(s) and see any or all of your phones could be set up with this type of plan.

PS. My in-laws just called and cancelled the 100 text/mth package when they returned back to Alberta and only paid for that one month of the trip.
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Old 01-10-2011, 11:06 PM   #10
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We have Alltel and have always had excellent coverage all around Disney.
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Old 01-10-2011, 11:25 PM   #11
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my question about the walkie talkies is, would there be interference with all the gizmos, gadgets, doohickies and what not that is being used in the parks?????? IMHO, prepaid phones would be the way to go. Along with voice mails there is txting, which to me is alot easier to understand given how noisy some areas of the park can be.
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Old 01-10-2011, 11:52 PM   #12
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The walkie talkies would only be good if everyone was in the same park. Given the ages of your kids, 18 & 21, they may want to go further afield. To a different park, or DTD.
So I'd look into your texting plans. They work differently, depending on the type of phone you have.
When I had a regular cell phone, with a texting plan, it didn't cost me anything to text in the U.S. But now that i got an i Phone, it's different. I'm getting ready to leave soon, and have to phone Telus. I may have to add on a US roaming package for the dates we'll be away.
I've heard good things about the Net 10 phones from Walmart.
You'd have to call your carrier to see if you'd need a roaming pkg for texting, and see which way would be cheapest for you. Good luck.
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Old 01-11-2011, 12:39 AM   #13
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Update- I decided to phone Telus, as I leave in a week. I have a smart phone (i Phone)
I have a text plan on my phone, so texting in the U.S. is free for me.
To add a U.S. voice roaming plan -30 day plan. $20 gives you no roaming, and you pay $0.25 per minute for calls anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.
I'm not adding a Data plan, way too expensive I think it was $1 per mb. I'll just take my laptop to check e mail, etc.

So, don't know what kind of phone you have or carrier, but this will maybe give you some idea. If you have a regular cell phone, plans will be different.
I think to keep in touch all you'll need is texting. Easy to add on if you don't have it.
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Old 01-11-2011, 06:19 AM   #14
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I have some Canadian friends who go to WDW about 3 or 4 times per year, and they actually keep separate US cell phone accounts active; I believe they go with cheap prepaid plans and cheap, basic dumb phones, but they keep the account active so they don't have to do anything to activate them when they arrive.

Even though you're in Canada, you may be able to order prepaid US cell phones over the internet in advance and have them shipped to you. If they will only ship to the US, you might be able to get them shipped to your WDW resort.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin_Wadsworth View Post
Back before cell phones were common, my wife and I had some Motorola 2-way radios that we used when skiing. (Think walki-talkie.) they were small enough to fit in a pocket and would have enough range to cover an entire Disney park. They weren't terribly expensive even 13-14 years ago, I'd imaginve the price would be fairly cheap now.
They're downright cheap now - a pair can be had for about $30 at Walmart or Walgreens. They're called FRS radios.

They will only work in short-range situations, such as when both radios are inside the same park. They won't work much father than about 1/2-3/4 mile.

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Originally Posted by Caldercup View Post
You could also buy some cheapo pre-paid cell phones at Target/Walmart in Orlando if you have a car -- or maybe get them in the airport. (They'd work better than the 2-way radios and have the ability to leave voicemail)
Getting anything at the airport will cost a fortune, compared to Walmart. If at all possible, go to Walmart to get your communications devices. Even if you are using DME and don't have a car, a taxi ride to the Walmart on SR 535 to get radios or prepaid cell phones, and some snacks, drinks, and non-Disney souvenirs, is well worth the time and cost.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie97 View Post
my question about the walkie talkies is, would there be interference with all the gizmos, gadgets, doohickies and what not that is being used in the parks?????? IMHO, prepaid phones would be the way to go. Along with voice mails there is txting, which to me is alot easier to understand given how noisy some areas of the park can be.
Electronic interference is not a problem with FRS radios. However, those radios have the same drawback as a cell phone - they don't work inside buildings or attractions. And they have a drawback that cell phones don't have - they have limited range.

But they also have an advantage over cell phones - they are usable world-wide, so they can be useful once you get home.
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Old 01-11-2011, 09:36 AM   #15
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Thanks everyone for the great info.

We have Telus so I will go in today and see if we can text each other for free, that will solve all our problems.

We do plan on having pre arranged meeting places, but if someone gets held up we would need to know.

If we were staying on site it wouldn't be an issue we could just meet up in the room. Since we are paying for the trip for 6 we had to stay off site.

Once again thanks everyone for the info, passporters are the best.
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