Carnival's FTTF option and excursions

FI and I are planning a cruise on the Carnival Glory in April 2014. We'll be doing the Western Caribbean itinerary and since this will be our first cruise, we're playing it safe and booking all of our excursions through Carnival. By doing this, I know that if something happens and we are late getting back to the ship, that it will not leave us. However I'm more worried about being one of the last groups OFF the ship and the excursion leaving without us.

...which brings me to the "Faster to the Fun" option. I know this speeds up your embarkation and debarkation processes, but does it also allow you to get off the ship earlier for excursions? Will excursion tours wait for everyone who's registered before they leave? I just have this insane fear of our excursion leaving us behind and I don't want to miss it... probably just first-timer nerves but the intinerary/excursions are why we chose this particular cruise and I want to be safe than sorry, even if it means spending the extra $50 and getting the FTTF option. Thanks in advance for your help! :)

I can post this in Carnival as well if it needs to be there... but I figured since it's such an obvious first-timer question, I'd try my luck here first!

You will do better putting this on the Carnival page. Here some will answer with the info for another cruise line. Sometimes it will be accurate for Carnival, other times not.

The ship will occasionally leave without passengers from its tour, but will make arrangements to get those passengers to the next port.

Thanks! I'm posting it on the Carnival board too. Realized after I submitted it yesterday that my initial thoughts turned into more of a Carnival question instead of a First Timers question, my apologies :)

Thanks! I'm posting it on the Carnival board too. Realized after I submitted it yesterday that my initial thoughts turned into more of a Carnival question instead of a First Timers question, my apologies :)

No apology needed.

I can't speak for Carnival, but when we boarded our HAL cruise, inside our cabins were tickets for our excursions, with instructions on when & where to meet. At ports where we were docked, you just walked off the ship, and it took litte to no time. We may have waited in line a few minutes, but not too long. At our tender port, we met in the show lounge, and they announced when our tour was able to board the tender.

Like you, we did all of our excursions through the ship. Cost a little more, but it added to our on-ship spending for the loyalty program, and we had the peace of mind knowing if there was a delay, they'd take care of us.

Enjoy your cruise - we departed the ship already planning the next one. (and a year from now, I'll be on Noordam :D)

FI and I are planning a cruise on the Carnival Glory in April 2014. We'll be doing the Western Caribbean itinerary and since this will be our first cruise, we're playing it safe and booking all of our excursions through Carnival. By doing this, I know that if something happens and we are late getting back to the ship, that it will not leave us. However I'm more worried about being one of the last groups OFF the ship and the excursion leaving without us.

 

...which brings me to the "Faster to the Fun" option. I know this speeds up your embarkation and debarkation processes, but does it also allow you to get off the ship earlier for excursions? Will excursion tours wait for everyone who's registered before they leave? I just have this insane fear of our excursion leaving us behind and I don't want to miss it... probably just first-timer nerves but the intinerary/excursions are why we chose this particular cruise and I want to be safe than sorry, even if it means spending the extra $50 and getting the FTTF option. Thanks in advance for your help! :)

 

You will get two different thoughts on excursions. There are those who believe that the excursions through carnival are way too expensive and you can do better on your own by booking them online or at the port. Then there are those who believe that it's better through carnival because the ship will wait for you in case you are late coming back. On my last cruise at Roatan, a group of about 5 people were late coming back. We ended up leaving port almost 1 and a half hours late. While standing up on the top deck I saw a golf cart rushing through the port complex on the way to the ship. I guess that was them.

The way I see it is to do your research. If you are doing an excursion that involves going far from the ship, maybe you want that safety net. If you are doing an excursion close to the port, then maybe it's not needed and you can sign up for an independent excursion.

Also, if you do miss the ship can you drive to the next port? Or would it involve a flight? That's another thing to consider.

The excursions will wait for everyone but I don't think they'll wait forever. Obviously others need to get what they pay for also. From my experience, the excursion guides are at the port complex as you exit the ship. They round everyone up there and leave. Just make sure you have the right time and get there early. Don't schedule an early excursion if you know you will be late because you want to sleep in.

If you go to carnival.com and look up FTTF in the FAQ, there they have all the things that are part of the plan. Check it out.

FI and I are planning a cruise on the Carnival Glory in April 2014. We'll be doing the Western Caribbean itinerary and since this will be our first cruise, we're playing it safe and booking all of our excursions through Carnival. By doing this, I know that if something happens and we are late getting back to the ship, that it will not leave us. However I'm more worried about being one of the last groups OFF the ship and the excursion leaving without us.

 

...which brings me to the "Faster to the Fun" option. I know this speeds up your embarkation and debarkation processes, but does it also allow you to get off the ship earlier for excursions? Will excursion tours wait for everyone who's registered before they leave? I just have this insane fear of our excursion leaving us behind and I don't want to miss it... probably just first-timer nerves but the intinerary/excursions are why we chose this particular cruise and I want to be safe than sorry, even if it means spending the extra $50 and getting the FTTF option. Thanks in advance for your help! :)

 

I can post this in Carnival as well if it needs to be there... but I figured since it's such an obvious first-timer question, I'd try my luck here first!

FTTF won't help with excursions where the ship is docked. You just walk off and find the person holding the sign for your excursion. Excursions are SUPPOSED to leave at the designated time. I have been in both situatyions, once where they made 100 people wait for the four straglers who couldn't get out of bed on time and once where we waited maybe 10 minutes and then left. So that one is hard to guage. Tickets for a ship excursion will be in your cabin, but check them carefully. Mistakes are known to be made; sometimes excursions are cancelled without warningh and then you have to scramble.

FTTF does give you priority on tender tickets in ports where you will need to use the tenders to get to shore. If it is a ship's excursion, then you will be told what time to meet and where [usually the theater]. If it is a private excursion, then jumping the tender line is helpful!

FTTF also gets you a priority line at guest services, which is very helpful when you have an easy question and don't want to stand in line for 30 minutes or more. And having your cabin ready when you get on is just wonderful! Dump your carry on and off ou go, unencumbered!

It's worth the $49, IMHO!

With ship's excursions, you will be told where to meet (usually ON the ship) and will proceed "en masse" to the fun. You won't miss your excursion!

Thanks everyone! I've been researching Carnival's FTTF and I think we're going to get that regardless, since the perks are nice for only $50. And I appreciate the details about the excursion process; I don't really have anyone to ask about that aside from you guys here on the forums, so I appreciate the answers. Makes me not so nervous about missing them!