I just tried with Princess (March 2018). The answer is an emphatic "All ham radio equipment will be confiscated and returned when you disembark." Getting the Bermudian Reciprocal Agreement is quite easy, getting other countries is mostly easy (except Mexico or St Lucia), but cruise ships have become much more paranoid. Oh, well; a "sign of the times"...
And...... radio equipment could be used to call in your terrorist buddies with guns in rubber boats. I think it is a sign of the times.
The drunks and their antics aboard are far greater liability. I take the prohibition of radio to be more a result of corporate "fear of the unknown." Maybe it's an easy way to shut down a nuisance issue. Who knows? Maybe one ham decades ago ruined it for us all.
Why would you need to get another Licence or Callsign to operate on a ship? Surely you can just operate your Home call /MM ? (no matter where in the world you are, or where the vessel is registered) Or is there some restriction in your US Licence Conditions? Our British Licence is very straightforward these days . . . you can operate from any vessel and simply sign /MM . . . all you need is the Master's permission. Roger G3YRO
Absolutely. I just got back from a cruise and there were far far too many different things available for my enjoyment than to worry about playing radio. To be honest, before we left for the cruise I was thinking about how much fun it would be to have a rig on board (this was my first cruise, the wife was finally able to talk me into it). Once I was on the ship I realized that I'd survive just fine for a week with no radio gear.
That's the problem....if the cruise line says "no radios"....they mean what the say. And from the discussion here more than a few cruise lines no longer allow transmitters.
Does somebody tried just move to crew member who work with ship radio and ask permit go on the air on amateur band?
If I was the Master, I wouldn't allow it either. He or she is responsible for thousands of passengers, the crew, and the ship. He doesn't know you from Adam and has no idea of the type of radio equipment you will be operating, your abilities to do so properly, or even your intentions in using it. For all he knows the radio equipment could cause GPS problems, or interfere with the GMDSS system, or have some other effect on the ship's systems or other passengers, leaving the ship with compromised navigation, communications or something else. Taking even a tiny risk of such consequences for the sake of one hobbyist's pleasure would be extremely poor judgement, IMO.
