FTTF not selling out.

[pacruise804]

$90 buys a lot of pictures. Or an excursion. Or booze. Or steakhouse dinner for 2 plus money left over. All of which I find morevaluable than getting on the ship an hour early.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Each person should spend (or not) where they find value. It's fine that you don't value getting on the ship early (or early room access, priority tender, priority disembarking, and priority guest services line) but that doesn't negate the value for others. Since it's a per cabin - not per person - charge, it can be a reasonable splurge for those who do want those features. I don't value $20 pictures as much as the FTTF features, and there aren't very many excursions I would want to take at $45 pp (or even less for families).

 

$90 Steakhouse for 2 PLUS a bottle of wine.

You would need to go first or second night - I doubt there are many $20 bottles of wine available on board without the 50% off.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Ok 2 steak dinners and 4 beers

[cruizinisthebest]

Ok 2 steak dinners and 4 beers

Five steakhouse selections in the MDR. [emoji38]

 

Really I'm just kidding. People can spend money on what they want. Fttf is IMO a huge waste beyond $60. Probably a waste FOR $60 but I'll play along to a point.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[Jimmy Geegitz]

You can get the same thing for free by showing up an hour later

[teknoge3k]

It's amazing that so many people think early embarkation is the only benefit to FTTF.

[kona_wahine]

I look at it this way. If someone else doesn’t buy fttf, then there is a better chance of me getting it. So by all means, don’t buy it. Lol

[Lottacruises]

90$ is 90 chances on the claw machine to pull out a $100 stack

[bUU]

Each person should spend (or not) where they find value.

It is troubling that this needs to be said.

 

It's amazing that so many people think early embarkation is the only benefit to FTTF.

That's a good point. It was worth it just for the ability to avoid having to wait on the line to speak to the front desk; we used that twice and both times there were at least 8 people waiting on the regular line.

[cruziJenn]

Drink up!!! No one is going to tell you how to spend YOUR $90....just sayin :rolleyes:

 

Yes exactly :)

 

One other thing that I almost wrote last night. If FTTF is broken down into at least 3 things that you get for it, priority boarding plus early to the cabin plus priority at GS, then yes it may well be worth even $90....$30 per. Our room steward, even if we are not totally happy with his or her service for 7 days is still going to get a $10 to $20 cash tip in hand plus their percentage of our gratuities. $20 extra for personal services....$30 for priority at GS....

[pacruise804]

You can get the same thing for free by showing up an hour later

 

How do you get guaranteed room access (if you arrive at 12:30 instead of 11:30), priority guest services, priority tendering, and priority disembarking by showing up an hour later:confused:

 

90$ is 90 chances on the claw machine to pull out a $100 stack

Also, 90 rubber ducks from the guaranteed win machine:D

[AdGuyMG]

Ok 2 steak dinners and 4 beers

 

Almost 7 feet of Gold by the Inch or 9 $10 watches.

[LuckyZ]

Not a big fan of FTTF as I’m platinum and earned by benefits the hard way

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Organized Chaos]

Not a big fan of FTTF as I’m platinum and earned by benefits the hard way

Sorry, but choosing to go on multiple cruise vacations over time isn't hard. FTTF is a service provided by a company for a fee that gives its customers something extra for their money. There are countless numbers of other companies that do it, too. People who find value in FTTF are no less of a cruiser than P/D's.

[LuckyZ]

Sorry, but choosing to go on multiple cruise vacations over time isn't hard. FTTF is a service provided by a company for a fee that gives its customers something extra for their money. There are countless numbers of other companies that do it, too. People who find value in FTTF are no less of a cruiser than P/D's.

 

 

 

Agree to Disagree. FTTF is shortcutting to rewards that cost $90 whereas my Platinum benefits cost me thousands of $$

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Organized Chaos]

Agree to Disagree. FTTF is shortcutting to rewards that cost $90 whereas my Platinum benefits cost me thousands of $$

Not a shortcut, it simply allows customers who are a long way from platinum, or may never reach it, to enjoy the same perks, for a fee. It's just good business. Your platinum benefits didn't cost you thousands of dollars, your cruises cost you thousands of dollars.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

I agree kind of a slap in the face to the Platinum cruisers.

[LuckyZ]

Not a shortcut, it simply allows customers who are a long way from platinum, or may never reach it, to enjoy the same perks, for a fee. It's just good business. Your platinum benefits didn't cost you thousands of dollars, your cruises cost you thousands of dollars.

 

 

 

Thanks for defining what a shortcut is “allows customers who are a long way from platinum, or may never reach it, to enjoy the same perks, for a fee”.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[angela12345]

Yeh, those ten 3-night cruises were really hard for some of the platinum folks.

[Ihearttravel11]

This thread actually inspired me to purchase FTTF for my 3 night cruise next month.

So, thank you!!

I don't drink much (we figure *maybe* a drink a day), and this is our first cruise.

Go big or go home!! It will be exciting for us to get our Carnival version of Southwest Airlines "Early Bird Check In".

[Organized Chaos]

I've been on a lot of different types of vacations over the years. Cruising is the only one I can think of off the top of my head where so many people who have done the same type of vacation over & over hold themselves in such high esteem. Fortunately, the "holier than thou" attitude that's prevalent on this forum didn't carry over to actually being on board on our cruise two years ago. Let's hope it never does.

 

Thanks for defining what a shortcut is “allows customers who are a long way from platinum, or may never reach it, to enjoy the same perks, for a fee”.

Actually, it defines a service. It's not our fault you feel your loyalty status is somehow threatened by this service.

[bUU]

Sorry, but choosing to go on multiple cruise vacations over time isn't hard.

This. In the end, both ways involve spending money; one way you're getting something else for the money, and these benefits are "sugar on top"; the other way, these benefits are that for which you're spending the money. If either way is harder than the other, the latter is the harder of the two.

 

I've been on a lot of different types of vacations over the years. Cruising is the only one I can think of off the top of my head where so many people who have done the same type of vacation over & over hold themselves in such high esteem.

Well put. However, to be fair, I've felt at least 85% welcomed by this forum, and by frequent Carnival travelers I met on-board, despite being new to Carnival. There are some cruise lines (cough cough check my signature cough cough) where some frequent travelers behave in a much more offensive manner toward those new to the line than anything I've seen with regard to Carnival. Edited April 25, 2018 by bUU

[LuckyZ]

My beef is with Carnival, not you people . Fact is fact. They have several perks that is enjoyed by loyal long time cruisers , and then they go and offer up those perks to newer passengers so they can make more money (and they don’t care about how their platinum members feel about it).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Jerseygirl1416]

My beef is with Carnival, not you people . Fact is fact. They have several perks that is enjoyed by loyal long time cruisers , and then they go and offer up those perks to newer passengers so they can make more money (and they don’t care about how their platinum members feel about it).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

But why would you even have a beef with Carnival over this? It’s not like they are giving this benefit to non P/D cruisers for free like they are P/D cruisers. They have to pay extra fee for the benefit. Does it effect your benefit? Do you still board the ship among the first people on? Is your cabin still ready upon boarding? Do you still get priority tenders? Designated GS line. You’re benefit is that you get all that for free, not that no one else on the ship can get the same benefits for a fee. Like laundry, you get if for free does that mean no one else on the ship can use the laundry service?

[Retired_to_Cruise]

Agree to Disagree. FTTF is shortcutting to rewards that cost $90 whereas my Platinum benefits cost me thousands of $$

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I guess I would agree with you if FTTF gave every single benefit that the P/D get. However, that is NOT the case. They are paying the $90 for a few of the same benefits as P/D, not all of them. As many people have said, businesses have the right to do exactly what Carnival is doing with FTTF. Why aren't you complaining that the Cheers package allows people to drink 15 drinks for the price of 5 or 6. If they give that benefit to anyone who pays the fee, shouldn't they give free drinks to the P/Ds?

[angela12345]

And also . . . room ready when you board would not even be a platinum perk if it wasn't for the FTTF program. So by Carnival starting that program, the P/D folks got an extra, very useful perk that they never had before. Would you be willing to give that perk up if Carnival agreed to dismantle the FTTF program ?