Tampa Port - FTTF vs Not

[cruiser05]

What time has everyone had good luck earliest boarding Paradise in Tampa? Flight arrives at 6am. Not sure if I should find something for us to do around Tampa and wait until noon or if we will wait in long embarkation process?

 

What time do they start boarding the first group to get on regularly?

 

How long have you waited with FTTF vs just normal wait?

 

 

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[indygirl76]

I was on the May 18th sailing of the Paradise with FTTF. We were the first guests to board, just after 11am, due to a mini-snafu. (See my review on the Carnival board for details.) But had that not been the case, we would have boarded around 11:15/11:30. With a 6am flight arrival, I personally would make a plan to kill some time - that's a LONG time to hang out in the cruise terminal in my opinion. Maybe get a nice hotel on Hotwire or Priceline - technically a reservation for the night before - where you can freshen up, nap*, hang out by the pool, whatever.

 

* I can't imagine how early your alarm is going to go off to make a flight that lands at 6am! You're a stronger person than I am, haha.

[JohninDC]

Grab breakfast (and maybe a mimosa or two :) ) at the airport or one of the nearby hotels (think full service Hilton or Marriott - tip them to watch your bags); then taxi/Uber to the port about 10:00. If you've paid for FTTF you should arrive early and enjoy your benefits.