Is FTTF worth it?

[hmwinter85]

Where are you given the opportunity to purchase this? Is it in the online check in section? And I would only have to purchase it for one of the 4 of us for our stateroom?

 

Rats - just read on Carnival's website that its not available on the Glory right now.

 

I just booked it for my Glory Cruise on March 31. It was offered where you book shore excursions.

[Chief1369]

For the Mrs and I on the Triumph 1/14 I would have to say it wasn't worth it, but as a caveat I don't believe it worked as it was supposed to.

We did get on board early (about 1130) but when we got to the stateroom it wasn't ready. I said to heck with it and dropped the carry on bags off anyway (on the balcony figuring they wouldn't be in the way there) and we went to the buffet. After we ate we went back to the room and it still wasn't ready.

I went to guest services and asked if it was supposed to be ready or if I misinterpreted and was told, "It should be ready soon, you'll just have to wait." I told the young lady at the desk that, "It's not that big of a deal, I just wondered if I was mistaken in what it was supposed to be. I already dropped the carry on bags off, so I'm not gonna raise a big stink or anything". She apparently didn't like my comment (and I'm honestly not sure, I was being polite) and told me again, "You'll just have to wait". I figured she must be having a bad day so I let it be.

 

Our room ended up being ready about 1245 and our checked bags showed up about 1530.

We were off of the ship and in the car right at 0900 when we got back though using the self assist right behind the diamond and platinum folks, so that was nice.

 

Sorry for the long answer, but I don't know that we'll be using it again.

[COPZWIFE]

Just want to make sure I understand.. those who have purchased the FTTF are the only ones who are able to have immediate access to their cabins...if you are Diamond/Platinum or in a suite, you just are able to board first. Booked in suite but just deciding if having immediate access to room is worth the $$. Thanx!!

Edited January 24, 2013 by COPZWIFE

[Fabulouskristen]

For the Mrs and I on the Triumph 1/14 I would have to say it wasn't worth it, but as a caveat I don't believe it worked as it was supposed to.

We did get on board early (about 1130) but when we got to the stateroom it wasn't ready. I said to heck with it and dropped the carry on bags off anyway (on the balcony figuring they wouldn't be in the way there) and we went to the buffet. After we ate we went back to the room and it still wasn't ready.

I went to guest services and asked if it was supposed to be ready or if I misinterpreted and was told, "It should be ready soon, you'll just have to wait." I told the young lady at the desk that, "It's not that big of a deal, I just wondered if I was mistaken in what it was supposed to be. I already dropped the carry on bags off, so I'm not gonna raise a big stink or anything". She apparently didn't like my comment (and I'm honestly not sure, I was being polite) and told me again, "You'll just have to wait". I figured she must be having a bad day so I let it be.

 

Our room ended up being ready about 1245 and our checked bags showed up about 1530.

We were off of the ship and in the car right at 0900 when we got back though using the self assist right behind the diamond and platinum folks, so that was nice.

 

Sorry for the long answer, but I don't know that we'll be using it again.

 

I'm booked for FTFF for our Triumph cruise next week and I would be really upset if that happened to me. Wouldn't ruin my vacation but if I paid for the perks I feel like we should receive them!

[Fabulouskristen]

Just want to make sure I understand.. those who have purchased the FTTF are the only ones who are able to have immediate access to their cabins...if you are Diamond/Platinum or in a suite, you just are able to board first. Booked in suite but just deciding if having immediate access to room is worth the $$. Thanx!!

 

Diamond/Plat get the same perks as FTFF. Suite gets VIP boarding but not the rest of them. Hope that helps!

[COPZWIFE]

Diamond/Plat get the same perks as FTFF. Suite gets VIP boarding but not the rest of them. Hope that helps!

@ FabulousKristen... Thanx..

[Socref124]

Just want to make sure I understand.. those who have purchased the FTTF are the only ones who are able to have immediate access to their cabins...if you are Diamond/Platinum or in a suite, you just are able to board first. Booked in suite but just deciding if having immediate access to room is worth the $$. Thanx!!

 

If the reason you are looking into FTTF is to get to your room by 11:30 and the room will be ready, I wouldn't do it. Just think for a minute about the room steward. If they have multiple FTTF guests. They may or may not get them all ready by 11:30 which is when a lot of ships start boarding. It will be a hit and miss situation, imho. It has been my experience that the rooms are usually ready by 12:30 and from then until 1 the cabin stewards are finishing up and doing the corridors. That is when guest traditionally are allowed to go to their cabins. just sayin...

Edited January 26, 2013 by Socref124

[finzup-kt]

i just booked FTTF on our upcoming breeze cruise..

 

reason being is that we'll be travelling for the 1st time with our 9mo old and wanted to be able to go to the room early if she wanted to nap.. also wanted our luggage there so we could get to things packed in case we needed them...

 

plus didn't want to lug baby and our carry-ons around the deck until our room was ready...

[sonicbuffalo]

Personally, I wouldn't pay the extra unless we were tendering somewhere. That's the only scenario that would make sense to me.

 

JMHO

[ekanga@comcast.net]

I really don't know for sure if it was worth it. I was told that if you paid for fttf you would be the first ones on and off the ship after plat/dia people. When it was time to leave the ship all the folks that were carrying "All their luggage off the ship were off the ship before us.

Our room was ready when we got to it, mine and my neighbors luggage came quickly but my husbands took hours to get to our room.

[Elaine515]

Anyone want to know what the Diamond cruisers think about the program?

 

Probably not.:(

 

I do but then again, I probably think the same way about the program that you do!!!

 

 

I am traveling with 3, 5 (special needs ODD, RAD, G-J tube, and sensory issues), and 7 year olds. I snapped it up.

 

We travel with a crap ton of stuff, esp medical equipment and will have approx 400 oz of ready to feed formula with us that I refuse to check because it is irreplaceable by insurance if lost. I want to go straight to my room and put it all down. My son does NOT quietly wait in line for an hour unless he's in a stroller and I really don't want to bring a double stroller on board. I gladly paid the money for my room to be ready immediately and to put down all of our stuff.

 

If it was just me and my husband, I probably wouldn't have. But traveling with 3 small kids on an itinerary with a tender port, I was glad to get it.

 

 

That is an excellent reason to purchase FTTF ... I feel those cruising with little kids and passengers who have handicap and cannot wait in line or cannot carry their carryons for a long period of time this is perfect for... luvsviola, I just hope you're all in the same cabin or make sure you purchase it for both cabins...

[dolphiness]

I have purchased this for April. I am taking my 86 yr. old mother and I thought it might be a little safer for her than the stampede! lol..This will be my 9th cruise, so I'm almost legal! lol...Hope not to offend the plats. and diam. Just trying to make it easier for my little elf of a mom! haha...

[truecruiser]

I have purchased this for April. I am taking my 86 yr. old mother and I thought it might be a little safer for her than the stampede! lol..This will be my 9th cruise, so I'm almost legal! lol...Hope not to offend the plats. and diam. Just trying to make it easier for my little elf of a mom! haha...

 

No offense should be taken by any diamond/platinum guests against any other guests who take advantage of it because it's Carnival that put the add on in place for your availability. Guests who avail themselves of it can't be faulted for it's existence. They had nothing to do with it.

 

The program is a good way for non platinum guests to get more advantages for less money than they would have been able to get in years past by booking a suite (suite guests got VIP embarkation, that was it. no tender priority, luggage priority, dining priority, etc, and booking a suite was the only way you cld even get "that" perk). so for you guys it's great, and not your fault it's being offered. I would have done it too had it been offered before I became platinum.

 

But for us, it's not great unless it's limited and controlled. Someone on here posted that it's limited to 30 cabins per sailing, being released in two increments of 15, so that if the ship has a large plat/diamond guest manifest, the other 15 will not be released. if this is true, that is more than sufficient to control the situation, if it's not true, then it probably won't be enough. i have asked that poster twice to let me know where she got those numbers, because i see that info listed nowhere on their site, but rather a simple statement that availability is limited. Surprise, surprise, i got no response, lol. so i have written to guest services directly. I am interested in what they will say the procedure is, and I'll post it when i know because i will know (right or wrong) from someone real, lol

[blueneostang]

We didn't purchase FTTF and boarded in Zone 1 on the Liberty earlier this month. Our rooms were ready by noon. It would not have been worth it for us.

This is exactly why I asked this question. I am sailing on the Breeze and was wondering if I would be able to board quickly if I didn't purchase FTTF?

 

We are booked in 2 cabins, so it would cost $100 for the 4 of us to have FTTF. Not worth it for us since (a) we only do carry-on, (b) we plan to arrive at the port fairly early, and © aren't in any hurry to get off the ship in any of the ports.

I'll keep my $100 for better use.

 

That's the stuff I'm debating. We're 4 people in 2 rooms, so that's $100 to include everybody. I fly coach a lot, so not only am I used to lines, impatient people amuse me :p, And we're gonna be there pretty early anyway, as well as my carry-on is a backpack. I keep leaning towards "No" the more I read...

[mbalmr71]

I would never fault anyone for purchasing it or anything else that has value for them.

That being said, I find it a bit comical that standing in a line, waiting a bit for a room to be ready, or being the first to be able to leave your vacation paradise is anything anyone would pay for much less $50. Personally, I would rather be patient and drop the $50 in the first slot machine I see and hope for some ROI.

While not nearly as silly as the airlines who now sell spots in the first boarding group to people who are somehow afraid that their reserved seat on a plane that is not leaving until everyone boards, this is the same thing. I wonder if our sense of self importance and entitlement as a society has spun so out of controll that we eagerly pay for even the smallest sense of being better than the person next to us?

To each his own, but my preference is generally to arrive at the port city a day before sailing, sleep in, enjoy a late brunch and arrive at the port after 1pm. In nearly every case the lines were never much of an issue. Sometimes they seemed long but moved very quickly. I have always gone directly to my waiting stateroom and on only 1 occasion of 10 has my luggage not arrived prior to sailing. On my last cruise I had VIP because of a suite and 5 other staterooms full of family did not. We arrived at the same time and they were on the ship less than 10 minutes behind me.

 

NOW, hopefully some cruiseline exec sees this, What I would gladly pay for is a spot on a photograph free gangway. Which, regardless of your elevated status either earned or purchased, you will find yourself waiting in line just like all the folks in steerage.;)

 

Callm waters to you all.:)

 

EDIT: BTW If you want a sense of the true value of FTTF, take a look at the reviews here. My reasearch, while limited saw at least 6 people who did buy it that wished they had not. Two that mentioned they did and enoyed it but not one who did not or did not mention it that was overly frustrated or said anything about horrible lines at embarkation, exept the line to get on the ship that is created by the photo op.

Edited January 26, 2013 by mbalmr71
forgot to add something.

[blueneostang]

@mbalmr71 Exactly. If the lines are short, great! If they are not, like I said before, watching the impatient people is amusing to me. All the same reasons I STILL fly coach on Delta. Photo op? Act a goof! The pic will probably be better than the faux smiles that scream "Get me to DOD status ASAP, I've got my own camera!!". Plus, who wants to pay more to go home quicker! To that, I say get out of my way! More elbow room for breakfast!

[Pellaz]

But for us, it's not great unless it's limited and controlled. Someone on here posted that it's limited to 30 cabins per sailing, being released in two increments of 15, so that if the ship has a large plat/diamond guest manifest, the other 15 will not be released. if this is true, that is more than sufficient to control the situation, if it's not true, then it probably won't be enough. i have asked that poster twice to let me know where she got those numbers, because i see that info listed nowhere on their site, but rather a simple statement that availability is limited. Surprise, surprise, i got no response, lol.

 

I can confirm that, if F2F slots are offered at all, they are released in 'batches' of 15 per sailing: I queried the check-in lady at the Port of Miami when we were picking up our S&S cards and she said "30 for this cruise, in two groups of 15." When I asked her about that 'capacity-controlled' part, she said that sailings with a lot of P/D pax on them might only have 15 slots, and -- rarely -- none at all if it's a P/D heavy cruise.

 

It's really not a secret or some sort of conspiracy! :rolleyes:

[NavyWife93]

We are sailing on the Dream in June for son's graduation. There are 10 of us total going. My uncle was hit head on a few years ago and walks with a cane (1 leg is at least 1.5" shorter than the other after they repaired his hip) and my mom can walk, SLOWLY, but she can't stand for long periods of time without her knees giving out so we rent a wheel chair for her. We did FTTF for this cruise because we are hoping that it will cut down on some of the standing and waiting in line. We also got it for the tender. Hope it is worth it. If not, then we will know and next time not purchase it.

[texsun49]

Just got back from the Magic...FTTF was best $50 I have spent cruising. Skipped all the lines at check in, and boarded immediately after Weddings, Platinum and Diamond. Room was ready and luggage waiting when we got on. Was zone 1 for debarkation, which normally I would not have thought would be that big of a deal, but due to some kind of customs issue there was a big mess at debarkation, I was at the parking lot and leaving at 11am and most on the ship still behind.

[truecruiser]

I can confirm that, if F2F slots are offered at all, they are released in 'batches' of 15 per sailing: I queried the check-in lady at the Port of Miami when we were picking up our S&S cards and she said "30 for this cruise, in two groups of 15." When I asked her about that 'capacity-controlled' part, she said that sailings with a lot of P/D pax on them might only have 15 slots, and -- rarely -- none at all if it's a P/D heavy cruise.

 

It's really not a secret or some sort of conspiracy! :rolleyes:

 

This post is great and actually helps to shed some light on things considering you got info first hand and relayed it. It's the last part with the emoticon that I don't understand. I never said the system they use to control it was a conspiracy. I said I couldn't find any particulars on it other than a statement that it is "limited." And so, when I asked the person who posted those numbers where the numbers came from, she never replied. I also said that I think the people who can get this are lucky, and that I would have done it too had it been available before I became platinum. So not sure why you got twisted over it.

 

I have to think (and always thought when first started reading about this), that this is not limited to a ceiling of 30 cabins max, as the other poster stated. And this in fact seems to be the case based upon what you have posted.

 

A cabin max would make no sense since every sailing is filled with a different mix of passengers, and every class of ship has a different cabin capacity. So, my hunch would be they do it on a %age basis, and my concern, if at all, was that they really do cut it off at the ceiling %age so that everyone gets what they expect.

 

The info is good. Thanks for the post.

[Fabulouskristen]

Just got back from the Magic...FTTF was best $50 I have spent cruising. Skipped all the lines at check in, and boarded immediately after Weddings, Platinum and Diamond. Room was ready and luggage waiting when we got on. Was zone 1 for debarkation, which normally I would not have thought would be that big of a deal, but due to some kind of customs issue there was a big mess at debarkation, I was at the parking lot and leaving at 11am and most on the ship still behind.

 

These are all of the reasons that we purchased it for our cruise today!

[Honeybear]

Does "Carnival Conquest" have the FTTF program? If so, how do I sign up for it? Thanks in advance

[tdogcruiser]

I called Carnival today since DH uses a walker. They mark that on your boarding pass if you let them know ahead of time; so you have priority boarding and assistance if needed without purchasing the FTTF, only thing is you still won't have early access to the cabin.

[musicmantrs]

I've been reading about FTTF and I've got the option for our Cruise in September. Long story short... we're getting married in Austin at night on September 7th and then sailing the next day out of Galveston. Figure we'll be done with all that and at the hotel by midnight and then we plan on getting up around 8 to head for Galveston. We don't plan on doing much that morning in the way of showering/looking presentable so we want to get on and in our room quickly. We booked a suite so it would be special so we'll get VIP (which I still don't know what that entails). The plan is currently board and immediately go to the room, we were going to take a change of clothes in our bag and any toiletries to shower later. Without FTTF and only VIP would we be able to get into the room as soon as we board or not? Has anyone "stacked" both and had VIP with FTTF?

[rjrice1]

We purchase this for the Legend 2/10. Especially with two tenders, two children and DH meds needs to go in the fridge... be worth the $$. Only thing I had to reprint my boarding pass & luggage tags.

Will post after cruise on how it was.

Cathy