Cruise Tours Audio: How We Uplevel with One Simple Tool

Ever struggle to hear your tour guide on a shore excursion, or find that uncomfortable single-use earpiece driving you crazy? 

We're breaking down everything you need to know about the #1 listening device for cruise tours, called a Quietvox—the small audio device you'll find in your stateroom on most small ship cruises. We’re explaining how it works to deliver your guide's commentary directly to your ear and tips you’ll want to remember about them for your cruise.

We also share the simple hack we use to ditch that awkward earpiece entirely (the AirFly by Twelve South, linked below) so you can use your own wireless headphones or AirPods instead. 

We cover the differences between the AirFly SE and AirFly Pro, the cost, tips for hearing aid users, and why setting it up before you leave home is a must.

Whether you're a Quietvox veteran or have never heard of one, this episode will help you hear more, stress less, and look a little less like a tourist as you explore your next port.

Please consider using our affiliate links to purchase an AirFly: 

• AirFly Pro 2 —connects two pairs of headphones to one device: https://amzn.to/3OamYGS 
• AirFly SE: https://amzn.to/4e2phWY  
• AirFly case: https://amzn.to/4edjQo2

Thank you for supporting our podcast!

Transcript

Dan (00:34)

Welcome. Today, we're going to talk about how to get the best audio on your shore excursions. Now there's many different tips and tricks we'll give you in this short but ultimately it's about enjoying and being able to hear what your tour guide is saying on your next shore excursion.

Mikkel (00:54)

That’s funny. Or not hear, if you really want to tune them out.

Dan (00:58)

Right, yeah. Not all short excursions…

Mikkel (01:01)

…guides are created equal.

Dan (01:03)

Yes, that's for sure.

Mikkel (01:05)

So like Dan alluded to today, you are going to get a clear understanding of a device that is across a lot of small ships, cruise-wise, and that is called the Quietvox. Now, if you have been on a cruise and used a Quietvox, you're probably smiling and laughing. If you haven't, you're thinking, what the heck is that? Don't worry, we're going to go over that.

And also give you a tip, also like Dan said, about how to make your experience on an excursion audio-wise better if you are using that Quietvox and what we do, and that'll help you look like less of a tourist and give you more comfort using this device. So let's get right into it.

What is a Quietvox?

Dan (01:54)

So if you've been on a cruise, you've probably seen them or used them already. But if not, they are these clunky devices— I guess it's the best way to describe them. A little bit smaller than your phone. And then there's usually a lanyard involved. And then they give you a single earpiece with a wire that goes down to it. Now, what this is used for is to dial in

Mikkel (02:15)

Mm-hmm.

Dan (02:19)

to the receiver that your tour guide is using send audio to rest of the group, to the tour, in a quiet way, right? So it's instead of a megaphone or them yelling, it's just directly in your ear. So other people at the sites that you're visiting. And it's more of an intimate, private kind of audio experience.

Mikkel (02:42)

Yeah, I think that's a great description. It really does make it feel like even if you're 20 feet away from the tour guide that you're right next to him or her. And I'm trying to picture it. You're on an excursion and there's a group of, let's say, 12 to 30 people. I don't know where that arbitrary number came from. Usually they'll divide up the groups if everybody's going on the same excursion. And let's say it's like 20 people or so to a tour guide.

But everybody has a lanyard around their neck and this audio device. And I would compare it... you know, you said a phone. I would also say like a deck of cards almost. And you put your headphone into there. There's a jack for it. And you put it in your ear. And all the small ship cruise lines provide this disposable— I guess anything is disposable if you throw it out, unfortunately— but this disposable one piece

Dan (03:16)

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Mikkel (03:36)

earphone. So it goes over one ear, not two.

Dan (03:39)

And then anybody that's ever used one of those knows that is some sort of torture device. They're uncomfortable. They don't stay in your ear. And they dig into the side of your head.

Mikkel (03:44)

They are, right?

Yeah.

Sometimes it's one little earbud attached to a wire. But it's like when the airlines provide headphones for your flight, it's kind of like the same thing. They'll provide a earpiece for your cruise. And a lot of people... you can save it and use it again. But we're going to get into the trick that we use so you can sync up wirelessly.

But back to the QuietVox. And if you're thinking, what is she saying? Quiet what? It's "quiet," like the word quiet: Q-U-I-E-T. And then it's V, as in Victor, O-X: Quietvox. So these to transmit to everybody walking around. I think it's such a great improvement over just a megaphone or just yelling, like you said. And it doesn't make you self-conscious on a tour.

Dan (04:42)

Yeah.

Mikkel (04:46)

It allows you to kind of explore on your own and still hear the commentary, as we said before, which I love because I'm always kind of like in the back taking photos and I still want to hear what the historian, you know, or the guide is saying. Technology moves fast. So, you know, when we first started river cruising years ago, we had devices, these Quietvoxes, kind of an earlier model, your guide would have to sync it to a number on a card. Do you remember that?

Dan (05:17)

Yeah, and they were like almost like a comical cigar shape, like an oversized cigar shape. Yeah.

Mikkel (05:22)

Yeah, like a pointer, right? Like you would have to point it. That was the old device, right? And now they're like a deck of cards. So it was like a comical cigar pointer shape. But now with the upgraded models, you simply tune into the radio channel, almost like you're tuning a walkie talkie. And the guide can help you do this.

So like I said, technology moves fast and the cigar-shaped ones are a thing of the past. And now we have, you know, the ones that you move the channel. this is all to say that we've looked up Quietvoxes and the current model is actually even more advanced and not what most cruise ships have on the ship. 

So, I imagine it's very costly for cruise ships to replace all of their quiet boxes on a fleet. So it's better than it was years ago. And I can only imagine what the future brings. Who knows? Maybe they'll tap into Google Glasses. I have no idea. When people thought that eight, what were they called? Eight tracks? Those big cassette things? And then small cassettes came out. And then

Dan (06:11)

Sure.

Right, right, right. Yes.

Mikkel (06:34)

CDs and then the iPod came out. So, you know, technology moves fast. So this is what's on today. Who knows what it'll be five years from now, but...

Dan (06:42)

And then, I will note too that I can't remember what cruise line it was, but there was one that we used that it wasn't a Quietvox brand. It was a different brand. And yes, yeah. And I can't even... yeah, I couldn't even remember the name of it because it's Quietvoxes. They

Mikkel (06:52)

Whisper is a competitor too. Whisper. Yeah.

Right. 

Dan (07:01)

are the Kleenex of the industry.

Mikkel (07:00)

market share, right? They are the Kleenex of the industry. know, but that's a good point. It does leave room for somebody to come in and revolutionize. Hey, this is how you know we're married. Finished each other's sentences. OK, so where exactly do you find these Quietvoxes? Do you need to bring your own?

Dan (07:11)

Revolutionize it.

Yeah.

Mikkel (07:23)

Do you just find it somewhere in the, you know, auditorium of the cruise ship? No. A Quietvox is in your stateroom. Now on big ships like mega cruises, Virgin Voyages, Celebrity Cruises, what else? I don't know, Norwegian Cruise Line, all these big ship cruises, you're likely not...

I'm not going to say never, but these aren't in your staterooms. This is mostly on small ships. So what we talk about on our podcast, it's river, it's expedition cruises, it's yacht cruises, barge cruises. Actually, barge cruises don't have them because it's so small. It's only like four to 12 people on the ship. small ships, and I think most readily, people think of river cruises when they think of Quietvoxes. And I would say that's accurate.

Dan (07:59)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. And some land tours that are off ship will provide them that's baked into the tour, right? So they pass them out at the beginning and

Mikkel (08:18)

Mm-hmm.

Dan (08:19)

we were just on a tour— a land tour somewhere— and I saw another handing them out prior and then collecting them at the end.

Mikkel (08:27)

You're thinking of Venice, when we did our food tour with Devour. Yeah, that was great. I mean, every time we're given a Quietvox or something similar, we've also had like a little Bluetooth ear device, almost like you're on the phone back when everybody had a little Bluetooth device in their ear and was walking around and always had this blue light going off on their ear. ⁓ A lot of nostalgia today with technology.

Dan (08:30)

Yes, that's what it was. Yeah. A lot of nostalgia today.

Mikkel (08:53)

had that too, and that was great. But, the point is, every time we're given this, I really appreciate it because it really, really, really does improve the audio for your excursion. So if you haven't used a Quietvox and this sounds intimidating, don't be intimidated. It's so easy. The guide shows you how to use it. Other cruise passengers can help you too. It's basically a little

Dan (09:08)

And now.

Mikkel (09:14)

talking box that you plug in and you have on your body and then you have an earphone. So you'll find it in Viking, Emerald, Scenic, AmaWaterways... all of them. There's not an option to talk back to the guide. So it's a one-way audio device. So the guide has the master device that he or she is tuning into a

Dan (09:30)

Mm, right, yeah.

Mikkel (09:38)

channel – a lot of the time it'll be your group number, right? So like if you're in group 12, she'll tell you to tune into channel 12 on your device. But again, your guide will tell you. Going off on a tangent as usual. Okay, so where you're going to find it, it's going to be in your stateroom. So when you go back to your room after an excursion, you need to put it back on the docking station to charge. Yes.

Dan (10:01)

Very important because the next day you go or else day three into your tour it's like it dies in the middle of the tour because you haven't charged it.

Mikkel (10:12)

Yeah, which stinks. And a lot of the time, the tour guide will have maybe one or two extra, but not a lot, right? Usually not. He or she will usually have some extra earphones just in case, but they usually don't have a ton of extra. So, make sure you put it in the docking station. And also when they announce the tour or you show up for the excursion before you get off the ship, a lot of the time they'll make sure that you have your Quietvox or when you're right there on shore, they will make sure that you have your Quietvox to get started.

Dan (10:45)

So now let's talk about audio quality and that listening experience. a couple hacks here to help with the comfort level and the audio level of your Like we discussed earlier, the problem is the single-use earpiece they give you— they're uncomfortable, they're awkward, and it just really screams tourist. It often gets like wrapped around your bags or in your hair or around your hat, you know.

So, we use two solutions for this. You can use just wired headphones, just like your Apple headphones or something like that, cause it's a standard headphone jack. And then we also use AirFly and this is a receiver

Dan (11:31)

that is pretty small, but the size of,  I don't know, your thumb, maybe, and...

Mikkel (11:39)

If you're watching on YouTube, we are @Sometimes-Sailing on YouTube. I am holding the device. It comes in this little pouch and it is like Dan said, it's actually less than two inches. It's one point seven five inches and it weighs like three ounces not even.

Dan (11:57)

But what this device does is it plugs into the Quietvox and then it broadcasts out your Bluetooth so you can use your AirPods.

Mikkel (12:10)

Right, so wirelessly. So when you referenced Apple headphones before, just to clarify in case somebody was confused listening, you were referring to the wired headphones back in the day. But now, you know, if somebody purchases AirPods or Bose or Beats or, you know, all wireless headphones, then you can connect with an AirFly.

Dan (12:22)

Correct.

Mikkel (12:36)

Now, this is a brand name like AirPods. It's from a company called Twelve South, and it's available on Amazon. We have it linked in our show notes. No, they are not sponsoring this episode, but we really like these, and we were made aware of them from... actually, we saw it on a plane. I saw somebody using it on a plane, and then I looked it up, and we obviously didn't discover it. We just use it. So,

Dan (12:48)

Yeah.

Mikkel (13:02)

they range in price from, it depends what model you buy, from around $35 to $60. I have the AirFly SE and Dan has the AirFly Pro. Now, what is the difference? The difference is the AirFly Pro, you can connect two sets of wireless headphones to. So if I have my own set and Dan has his and we only want to use one Quietvox, we can do that. Or if we're on an airplane and we both want to watch

one screen to see a movie on the flight to Europe, let's say, then we can both sync up to one AirFly device. Mine only connects to one. So I would say, you know, I really like the one. We rarely use two on one set, that's a great option. And again, it varies in price and the model. And also, it could depend on the month or the week with, you know, how sellers set their prices on Amazon and if there's a sale, let's say.

Dan (13:57)

Both options—your own personal corded headphones, and the AirFly, enabling your Bluetooth wireless headphones—really bring that comfort level and also audio quality into the tour that really, for us, makes the difference.

Mikkel (14:12)

The other thing I really like about this option of bringing your own headphones, and any headphone with a single jack will work. You don't need fancy headphones. Or the AirFly is that you're not throwing out a pair of headphones or an earpiece that the cruise line gives you because inevitably they're lower quality and people just throw them out after. I hate that. We believe in being a friend to the environment when we travel and are advocates for that on this show. So I love that aspect of it as well.

We don't have hearing aids now, but we do know this is a common question. Will the AirFly work with a hearing aid? And our message to you is you definitely want to check. You can check with your audiologist, for example. You can check with the company that makes your hearing aid. We have heard that it works with companies like Oticon, Phonak, Kirkland (Costco brand) hearing aids.

You know, I will say that I think the best route is to buy the AirFly device before your trip, test it out, and if it doesn't work and you want to return it, you can do that. On that note, don't leave buying this AirFly device to the last minute. You need to open it, charge it, and sync it to your headphones. It doesn't take long, but it's a piece of technology. So you don't want to be frustrated and in your stateroom wasting time to get this thing set up. So don't leave that to the last minute.

Dan (15:35)

Right. Yeah.

Sure, I think I use this AirFly device five or six times a year and still, every time I sit down to use it, I'm like, "How does this thing work again?" So yeah, it's good to get

Mikkel (15:56)

Yup. 

Dan (15:59)

it before you get there and you're frustrated standing there at the Vatican going, "Why isn't this working?"

Mikkel (16:05)

Good point. And also, you bring up a point that I've walked away from my airplane seat and gone to the restroom, come back, and then try to hook it up again. And I just have to unplug it and plug it in again or turn it off and on. And it resyncs because it has to be in range of your headphones still. So AirFly has competitors. You'll find other competitors on Amazon, for example.

But I kind of feel like it has such good reviews and it's so affordable. Like, why go with an imposter? You know?

Dan (16:39)

Ha

Mikkel (16:41)

The last thing I want to do before we wrap up is just say one major pro of using this wireless device, if not two: Number one is your favorite, and I agree with you. You don't look like a tourist because what the AirFly enables you to do is put it on the Quietvox and then you can put your Quietvox, including the lanyard in your pocket or in a backpack or in a purse. So you're not walking around like a tourist target.

Dan (17:08)

Right, yeah, yeah. Also, keep in mind too, you can just use one headphone or one AirPod or… 

Mikkel (17:14)

…one of your AirPods, the right and the left, just right or left. Some people will get one device to share amongst a couple, let's say, and give one AirPod, the left one, to one person and the right one to the other. Now, the disadvantage is that you have to be close to each other and close to the device. You can't wander away from each other, and one person is controlling the volume.

Dan (17:38)

Great. Yeah, that's true.

Mikkel (17:40)

So that's why we have two separate ones. Because I often wander away, like I said.

You know, and the other pro, I think, as we've said this whole time, is just your comfort level.

Dan (17:49)

Yeah, you get to use your headphones and you're used to them. You purchased them. Maybe they're custom fit to your ears. And then, especially if you are able to use your hearing aids, then you've got even more of a custom fit and feel.

Mikkel (17:59)

Also, if you have a hearing aid and you don't have an AirFly device or a transmitter that allows you to hook up wirelessly for Bluetooth with your Quietvox, I've seen that people ask the cruise line for a special headphone. A lot of the time, the headphone they provide will fit over your hearing aid, depends what kind of hearing aid or the contour of it.

They also have a headphone that goes around your head and kind of braces your hearing aid. Again, it depends what year it is, what technology they have, what headphones they have on the cruise. ask if you have a hearing aid and you want to know.

Dan (18:38)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. So as we start to wrap up, really, this is all about making sure you really enjoy tours and your shore excursions in a comfortable and safe way, So you're not calling attention to yourself that you're a tourist with your Viking lanyard on your Quietvox and it's swinging around on your chest as you walk through a European city. Right. So

Mikkel (19:04)

Yes. As you walk through Vienna.

Dan (19:11)

bringing your own headphones or bringing a device like AirFly to connect to your wireless headphones, it's gonna elevate your experience, make sure you can hear the guide and then also just elevate your comfort level on the excursion.

Mikkel (19:24)

Mm-hmm.

It sounds like we're exaggerating, but it really does make a difference. It really does. All right. Well, thank you for listening. If you have experience with your hearing aid device using a Quietvox or want to add to the conversation, feel free to reach out to us. We are @SometimesSailing on Instagram. We are @Sometimes-Sailing on YouTube.

Dan (19:30)

Yeah, it does.

Mikkel (19:53)

Our website is SmallShipCruiseTalk.com. So that's easy for you to reach out to us there. And you can also leave us a voicemail or fan mail through the audio version on Buzzsprout. So that is SmallShipCruiseTalk.buzzsprout.com. And as always...

Dan (20:13)

Keep cruising.