Faster to the fun - worth it? or not so much?

[Newmrsvega]

We are sailing on our cruise on October 1st on the Valor out of Galveston. Our check in time is noon. I was looking at the FTTF and it shows check in time noon - 1pm as well. Is FTTF worth the 80.00? Is there really that much of a difference?

[shof515]

not worth it, i find it a big waste of money

[spiceyxi]

It depends on what value you place on certain things and when do you plan on getting to the port.

 

For us it was worth the extra money as we were going to be getting to the port early. My wife is very paranoid about her bags and the ability to drop them off in the room right when we boarded was the main reason we got fttf. We were suite guests so a number of the benefits overlapped.

 

Priority guest service was nice as well, but a secondary benefit to us.

 

To us the ability to place the bags in a safe and secure environment was worth the added cost due to a reduction in stress and worry.

 

Is it to you?

[bobandsherry]

I'd say only you can answer that question for yourself. Responses you'll get will be yes and no.

 

Those who don't mind spending the money will say yes. Those who have someone else pay will say yes.

 

Those who don't want to spend the money will say no. Those who are platinum or diamond will say no. Those who plan to arrive late at a port will say no.

 

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[teknoge3k]

You'll get 50/50 results here. Personally for us, we won't cruise without it. It's worth every penny even if the price goes up again.

[LuckyStar]

We are sailing on our cruise on October 1st on the Valor out of Galveston. Our check in time is noon. I was looking at the FTTF and it shows check in time noon - 1pm as well. Is FTTF worth the 80.00? Is there really that much of a difference?

 

I wouldn't think for this case it would be worth it, if early boarding is your only concern. Many people love the FTTF for early tendering to ports and an earlier disembarkation. I myself haven't found it worth it, but if I had an early flight and wanted to leave the ship earlier, I would consider it. Also, my next cruise has a tender port so since we have such a short time in port, I might consider the FTTF so I can get off the boat earlier. It just depends on your needs.

[JaxsMama]

We are sailing on our cruise on October 1st on the Valor out of Galveston. Our check in time is noon. I was looking at the FTTF and it shows check in time noon - 1pm as well. Is FTTF worth the 80.00? Is there really that much of a difference?

Fttf isn't really noon-1. You can enter the terminal as soon as it is open, skip the line and board when the ship is ready.

 

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[LuckyStar]

We are sailing on our cruise on October 1st on the Valor out of Galveston. Our check in time is noon. I was looking at the FTTF and it shows check in time noon - 1pm as well. Is FTTF worth the 80.00? Is there really that much of a difference?

 

When we left out of Galveston in January, they didn't have the assigned times and it was a bit chaotic but not too bad. When sister and I left out of LA in April with an assigned time, it was awesome!

[bury me at sea]

OP, you are missing the point that with FTTF, though you have to select, or are assigned, a check-in time, you can completely ignore it.

 

You can enter the terminal as soon as it is opened, use a priority line for checking in, and board as soon as boarding has been completed for wedding parties, diamonds, and platinums.

[kctwinmommy]

We've had it a few times, out of Port Canaveral and Seattle. It was worth it in Seattle as it was crowded and long lines. So we got on right after the suites, platinum, weddings, etc... Which means we got on before a lot of people. And then in PC we were traveling with friends who were platinum. It wasn't as crowded when we got there, which was early, and we walked right on with them. It was nice then because we could get to where we wanted without a big crowd there yet.

 

As to it being worth it, I'd say yes for those. But I know they raised the price again and I'm not sure that we'd pay that much for it now. It would really depend on the cruise and our timing. We might though! LOL! Of course, we don't have any cruises even planned. :(

[Newmrsvega]

Thank you. Nice to know that we can get to the port earlier. The biggest draw to me on this cruise was that our staterooms would be ready earlier.

 

BTW can I just say I love and value cruise critic for this reason!;)

[Havingfun2010]

It’s worth it if you don’t mind paying and getting stuff that Is free for Carnival to give. You are just buying free stuff.

[bakersdozen12]

It’s totally worth it in my opinion. I like to be able to board as early as possible. But the best part is that we can go right to our room and drop our stuff off. That alone is worth the money. The other perks are nice too. Short line at Guest Services, priority tendering, debarkation, etc.

 

 

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[Denise72]

For the most part, anyone who has been willing to pay for it will say it was worth it. Anyone who has not thinks it is not worth it.

 

I have used it a few times and loved it. But $80? Is that what it has gone to now??? I will have to take pause to re-evaluate the worth. Maybe if there is a tender port and we don't have an excursion booked. Otherwise I may have to say goodbye to FTTF. <|3<|3<|3<|3<|3:(

[TNcruising02]

I have cruised with it and also without it when it was sold out. For our family it is worth it. It saves time and we like to drop our carry-on baggage at the room before touring the ship and eating. We have also had to go to guest services when the line was very long, but were able to go to the express line. One time we cruised and the lines to get into the port area were so long. I am talking about wrapped around the building long. We skipped all of that and went through the express line and then to the express check-in line. Our time is worth the money.

 

Some people would rather get to the port later and don't care about their cabin being ready when they get on the ship. It really depends on your plans. If I can pay to skip the long lines, I will. Having immediate access to my cabin seals the deal. To those who don't care about things like that, it is a waste of money.

[dude_hdt]

Haven't been on Carnival in a while...we've always got assigned boarding like 1pm or so but have always gotten to the port early and all checked in by 11am and was able to board right after the diamond/platinum. Is that still the case or with FTTF nowadays, we'll be forced to wait until our assigned time?

[SpaceCoastPirate]

We have had FTTF twice. Here is my take on it. Embarkation isn't really a long wait so it isn't really worth it for that. Getting off the ship early has never been necessary for me so it isn't worth it there. Where it does have value is if you have tender ports and are not booking an excursion through Carnival. Carnival excursions at tender ports come with a meeting time and a location on the ship, when they go, they get priority over others who are waiting and they go in a group. If you are just going ashore, I think it would be hard to justify the expense just to jump the line but if you have a non-Carnival excursion booked, it may really be a necessity.

 

 

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[grandmarnnurse]

For me, definitely worth it. I have a hubby that grumbles and grumps over waiting in line. He starts off every cruise in a fouls mood over that. My next cruise is my first with Carnival since 2007, and first time trying FTTF. If I can get this man on a ship in a good mood, it will be worth every single penny!

 

 

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[Newmrsvega]

For me, definitely worth it. I have a hubby that grumbles and grumps over waiting in line. He starts off every cruise in a fouls mood over that. My next cruise is my first with Carnival since 2007, and first time trying FTTF. If I can get this man on a ship in a good mood, it will be worth every single penny!

 

 

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Said like a true fellow nurse (I am a grandma RN nurse as well :hearteyes:) and my DH bellyaches about lines as well. I do like getting on early, but the most important to me is the stateroom being ready ASAP to drop off my carry on and starting the vacation! We are not doing any excursions, but I would like to get off the ship early to begin our beach day in Port. So will give it a shot and see

[grandmarnnurse]

Said like a true fellow nurse (I am a grandma RN nurse as well :hearteyes:) and my DH bellyaches about lines as well. I do like getting on early, but the most important to me is the stateroom being ready ASAP to drop off my carry on and starting the vacation! We are not doing any excursions, but I would like to get off the ship early to begin our beach day in Port. So will give it a shot and see

Greetings to a fellow nurse, although this nurse retired nearly 3 years ago. I love everything about FTTF, including dropping bags at cabin early, just as you do. Then I can enjoy my lunch and a cocktail! 🛳🏖🌴

[Nic6318]

Haven't been on Carnival in a while...we've always got assigned boarding like 1pm or so but have always gotten to the port early and all checked in by 11am and was able to board right after the diamond/platinum. Is that still the case or with FTTF nowadays, we'll be forced to wait until our assigned time?

 

 

Hi

 

Yes, you seem to have it. Too many people were arriving very early and it would cause a lot of congestion. People complained, so Carnival introduced a scheduled arrival time at the port to check in. It reduced the congestion and people were happy again. Then a smart carnival employee came up with the FTTF concept and Carnival has been taking advantage of the fact that people will pay for something that as some suggest cost the company very little, and they have been raising the price yearly to see what the market will tolerate. (I predict just one more increase :))

 

If you arrive before your scheduled time, you may not be allowed into the terminal building at all. However, because the scheduling of arrival times have been so successful in making the boarding process much smoother, if the process is flowing smoothly that given time, they may allow those arriving early to enter if it doesn't clog up the process. One of the benefits of arriving around 1 p.m. (and it doesn't cost anything), is that there is almost no waiting in the boarding process, and by the time you get on board your cabins are ready.

 

hope this helps

have a great cruise

[stellarose]

we did it when it was 60 a room (pride june of this year). YES.

 

1. get to your room early- drop off stuff, change into bathing suits

2. HMC- first tender!!!!

3. self disembark. we had to take son to camp and getting off at 9am was Key.

[Lee Cruiser]

We have cruised with it several times. For us, it was worth it, especially for a tender port. However, that was also before the latest huge price increase. We have one cruise remaining before platinum. It is a four day out of N.O. in November. It is simply not worth $70 for a four day cruise with Cozumel as the only port. That makes the cruise fare almost 10% more. We will not be doing FTTF for that cruise. Instead, we will do what we have before when we didn't have it. We will wait until one or so (depending on our check in time) to arrive at the port. Then we will be able to check in and go straight to our room anyway.

 

 

With that being said, only you can answer the question for yourself. Since you are going on the Valor, you probably do not have a tender port, so that part is not even a consideration. Are the other benefits really worth paying $80? What else could you spend the $80 on during your cruise?

[MommytoAsquared]

I think FTTF is worth it, but I could also have a great vacation without it.

[Joebucks]

To us the ability to place the bags in a safe and secure environment was worth the added cost due to a reduction in stress and worry.

 

Is it to you?

 

I can actually do this without FTTF. I walk right to my room and put the bag in there. I have no interest in being the first person on the ship.

 

However, I think FTTF adds value for those who want the early access to their room. Whether you are driving in and want to be done with the whole process, or just want more time on the boat. I can see the interest there. Priority tendering can also be a good thing.

 

For me, I don't really care for it. Bought it once, and quickly realized how I wouldn't use any of it