To Get FTTF Or Not To Get FTTF...

[shellster1]

It should be wedding parties, diamond/platinum/suites and then FTTF.

 

However, suites do not get early cabin access, faster gs line, priority tenders, etc...

 

 

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The Carnival reservation agent said we would get early access to the cabin. It also says PRIORITY on our luggage tags. ??

I should call and double check this. My seven year old will freak out if we can't go directly to the watersides. LOL!

If not, looks like I'll have to slip our stateroom attendant an extra $20: That works too, if anyone doesn't have FTTF and wants to drop off bags. :)

[hannahouse]

The Carnival reservation agent said we would get early access to the cabin. It also says PRIORITY on our luggage tags. ??

I should call and double check this. My seven year old will freak out if we can't go directly to the watersides. LOL!

If not, looks like I'll have to slip our stateroom attendant an extra $20: That works too, if anyone doesn't have FTTF and wants to drop off bags. :)

 

I don't think the waterslides are open until the 1st sea day.

[shellster1]

I don't think the waterslides are open until the 1st sea day.

 

Oh no! Thank you for the warning!! The last ship we were on, the waterslides were open. It was a cruise out of Long Beach.

However come to think of it, it seems like I have been on other ships out of Miami in which case they were not open. Now I know to come up with a plan B for the little one just in case. Thank you again. :)

[Vitamin_Sea]

well that's my question!

I've been debating it. Some have said it was a waste of their money and others have glorified it.

 

We are leaving out of Galveston and live in Austin so we will probably be leaving around 5:30am and hoping to get there by 10am (depending on traffic of course)

The main reason I want FTTF is so that we won't have to wait in those long lines before boarding the ship, so that our luggage will arrive to our room without worry, and so that our room will be ready as soon as we step foot on the ship so we can drop off our carry-on's and go grab lunch without carrying anything around. We'd also like to be able to explore our ship and take lots of photos before a ton of people are in the areas...but if we are carrying around luggage and what-not that will be a lot more difficult.

Another perk would be getting on the tender in Grand Cayman as fast as possible, as I want to do a little shopping before our excursion.

 

As far as the other perks I don't think I care too much about them, but I guess it would still be nice it was a choice if we needed them.

 

And as far as Galveston goes, we can be on the ship at 11am with FTTF correct? How early would you recommend we get to the port to park and go through security, etc? Or really, what is the earliest we can get there to do all that?

 

So...for what I'm looking for would $50 be a good deal? Opinions and experiences would be great (:

 

Bought FTTF once and will likely never again. Just not worth it to us.

If you plan on visiting GS 20x a day then I say ok.

Keep the $50 in ya pocket :cool:

[cmecruise1962]

I just want to be able to get on the ship early (as early as possible) and take my bags to my room. Since this will be my first time buying Cheers, I probably won't bring wine on with me, but my kids want to bring Capri Sun, Mountain Dew and HiC, so we will have beverages. I will order water for the cabin, but the beverages that they want, they can't get on board. :D

 

And what I know about kids, is that they would expect me to sit and watch their stuff for them, while they run around having fun and exploring the ship!! :mad:

 

Also, even though I don't use guest services often, my son will probably lose his key at least once (if not more often) on the cruise and we will be waiting in line to get a duplicate. :confused:

[DannyGreg]

Just got off the ship, best investment ever made on a cruise well worth the money

 

 

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[dyson]

I have done it both ways, with or without FTTF and honestly I will buy it until I get the same results through platinum.

Yes its nice to get on a little faster, but what are we talking about 30 minutes?

it was very nice to have my room ready and luggage there fast. Heck I didnt even tote my backpack around.

the priority tendering is nice as well

but the real value to me was the guest service help. not having to wait in that line hearing the same statements over and over.... yes the tips are per person.. sure your gonna tip them yourselves.... yes you spent that much on drinks and gambling ... It makes me want to pull my hair out and apologize to the crew

[cruisexlife]

Love FTTF. I have lived without it, but I do prefer it. You will come to enjoy its perks.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[momof3cruisers]

If you arrive at 1, you will breeze thru check in, and your cabin will be waiting for you. I really don't understand that urge to be the first onboard. Now I'm Platinum and I still arrive around 1. No need to have lunch in a packed Lido. But that's me.

 

I just like to start my cruise as early as possible. Plus, I am always nervous before boarding, be it plane or ship. Once I am onboard then all the stress goes away.

[goduckies05]

I will gladdy pay 50 bucks not to wait in lines. Yes I could get 4 Dods with it but as a solo it was well worth not having to lug my bags to the lido...

 

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[GeorgiaMomof4]

We just booked our first FTTF yesterday for our Paradise sailing in February. Our 1 other experience leaving from the port of Tampa wasn't the best so we decided this might be a good time to try FTTF.

 

My question is - how do you know how many are left? When I booked mine - I didn't see how many had been sold or how many were still available.

 

Just curious for the next time if we decided we loved it and had to have it again.

 

Thanks everyone!

[Havingfun2010]

My feelings is this is nothing more than free money for Carnival, with no cost. On a RCCL cruise, as well as others the experience goes something like this.

 

Arrive at 10:15 - 10:30. Check in, for all passengers usually has about a 1 or 2 people line to wait in. Instead of "zones" you are seated in areas for you loyalty level. The higher level and suites begin to board first, with the others behind in order. I'm on the ship usually within about 15 minutes after boarding starts. So by 11:15, I am on the ship, looking for food, and my carry on is a backpack. Have a nice leisure lunch, go for a walk, and around 1:00 visit the room. Often times, the luggage is already delivered. Mostly, I have had it by 3:00. NO big deal.

 

Other big things is that lines on Carnival are so long because they make every person stop and get a picture. RCCL the pictures are off to the side, and are optional. Lines move fast, so the "artificial" wait to get on, does not exist.

 

Most of the time, no lines to get off the ship. It is a continuous flow. Meaning, no one is standing in the way for passengers to get off, because those that want another picture taken, can step to the side, and get it without holding up the line. Very efficient.

 

I never waited for a long line on a tender either.

 

My points are that most everything Carnival will do, "creates" the Need for the program. They create bottlenecks. What is perceived as a good deal, is achieved on other lines for free.

 

It's tough to understand how many people will go on a Carnival ship, because it is cheap, than pay extra money for items that other ships offer for free.

 

FTTF is a win/win program for Carnival. Get money, perform no extra service.

[gremlinbangles]

We just booked our first FTTF yesterday for our Paradise sailing in February. Our 1 other experience leaving from the port of Tampa wasn't the best so we decided this might be a good time to try FTTF.

 

My question is - how do you know how many are left? When I booked mine - I didn't see how many had been sold or how many were still available.

 

Just curious for the next time if we decided we loved it and had to have it again.

 

Thanks everyone!

When I went to buy it it should how many left.

[lady_cruiser]

No matter which cruise line we sail on we always seem to get our luggage with the last group of those being delivered. So being able to purchase FTF and receiving our luggage early is a perk that we are more than willing to pay for.

 

As for the early tenders we just leave that to the other cruisers. I prefer to book a mid-morning excursion, if I can, so I can ride a tender when it is half empty.

[twocruiseguys]

well that's my question!

I've been debating it. Some have said it was a waste of their money and others have glorified it.

 

We are leaving out of Galveston and live in Austin so we will probably be leaving around 5:30am and hoping to get there by 10am (depending on traffic of course)

The main reason I want FTTF is so that we won't have to wait in those long lines before boarding the ship, so that our luggage will arrive to our room without worry, and so that our room will be ready as soon as we step foot on the ship so we can drop off our carry-on's and go grab lunch without carrying anything around. We'd also like to be able to explore our ship and take lots of photos before a ton of people are in the areas...but if we are carrying around luggage and what-not that will be a lot more difficult.

Another perk would be getting on the tender in Grand Cayman as fast as possible, as I want to do a little shopping before our excursion.

 

As far as the other perks I don't think I care too much about them, but I guess it would still be nice it was a choice if we needed them.

 

And as far as Galveston goes, we can be on the ship at 11am with FTTF correct? How early would you recommend we get to the port to park and go through security, etc? Or really, what is the earliest we can get there to do all that?

 

So...for what I'm looking for would $50 be a good deal? Opinions and experiences would be great (:

 

We are in Austin also, and sail mostly out of Galveston. We have purchased FTTF (if available) from the start of the program. Sure, it makes the boarding process a bit smoother, and it helps to free up some your time ashore at a tender port by letting you board a tender early. But the best advantage for us is debarkation at the end of the cruise. In my opinion, the port of Galveston could do better. The baggage claim congestion, while getting better, is still a mess. If you don't have a zone 1 debarkation tag afforded to you by FTTF, you may be on the ship for a couple of hours while the congestion downstairs begins to clear out. On one of our recent sailings on the Magic, we could not get FTTF. At the end of the cruise, we had a zone 7 debarkation. We didn't even get off the ship until 11am.

 

What time to arrive at the port for boarding? Based on our experience, I would suggest that you be parked by 1030. If you have FTTF, you should be able to check in by 11 and be on board very shortly after that. But all of this depends on the debarkation of the previous cruise.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Jon