Faster to the fun priority boarding

[Eswheeler1992]

Hello,

 

with faster to the fun priority boarding is that only good for priority during your check in time or can you show up at anytime they are boarding and get priority?

 

Thanks

 

ps. Is check in at midnight eastern time or pacific time for cruise out of California?

Edited May 17, 2023 by Eswheeler1992

[Eswheeler1992]

Thank you for answering my questions. It’s very helpful.

[kelkel2]

So on the Mardi Gras in January, FTTF was a part of priority boarding. There was the on time line, the late line, and the priority line. So, although we were suites and not FTTF, it was my understanding that it didn’t matter what arrival appointment you selected at check in, you could arrive any time you wanted and get in that priority line. If you got there before boarding started you would board when they called fttf. If you got there after you would go though security and board in the priority line. I hope that makes sense. So if you checked in and got a noon appointment, you could still choose to arrive at 10:30 if you wanted to. 

Edited May 17, 2023 by kelkel2

[kelkel2]

9 hours ago, TreyB said:

Yes, one can show up prior to appointment time, but that won’t impact boarding time. Just depends on where you want to sit and wait. 

Correct! And fttf in January did not get use of the priority lounge either. Just so the OP knows. If I paid for fttf, I would personally be there before boarding starts, priority boarding happens pretty quickly. 

[Bob NC]

With FTTF you get priority boarding but for some strange reason have to choose a boarding time.

 

When we have FTTF we always choose a late boarding time leaving early ones for people that want them.

[asalligo]

Yes, I tested this to be certain on the Celebration in April. I intentionally chose an noon check in time with FTTF and I arrived at the port at 8:45am. They opened the line at 9:10am and I was ushered right inside. FTTF can ignore check in time and arrive when they please. To me, that is the best perk of buying FTTF. 

[kelkel2]

22 minutes ago, Bob NC said:

With FTTF you get priority boarding but for some strange reason have to choose a boarding time.

 

When we have FTTF we always choose a late boarding time leaving early ones for people that want them.

We had to choose a boarding time with a suite too. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Other than if they’re trying to get a better idea of who is coming when? Not everyone wants to come early and may prefer to come later in the day due to travel plans? No idea. I for one like coming early. There’s something about the anticipation of waiting to get on the ship that doesn’t bother me one bit! 

[jsglow]

One has to be careful not to over generalize 'Arrival Time flexibility' and being able to routinely ignore your assigned slot. Every port's enforcement is a little different. Certainly in Long Beach, one is absolutely required to line up in your assigned time-slot check-in line. That's true even if you're Diamond. There is no 'show up early' allowed; for anyone. You WILL be held outside.

 

The best strategy..... Take full advantage of the 16 day window for check-in.  If one does, you'll have no problem getting the 10:30 slot at worst. Show up at 10:30, do all your check-in stuff, and be ready when FttF is called from its seating area right after the Platinums typically by about 11:15. 

Edited May 17, 2023 by jsglow

[Colorado Beach Bum]

23 minutes ago, jsglow said:

Certainly in Long Beach, one is absolutely required to line up in your assigned time-slot check-in line. That's true even if you're Diamond. There is no 'show up early' allowed; for anyone. You WILL be held outside.

Is this still happening now that priority boarding started back up?  They did enforce times after restart when they weren’t doing priority boarding but once priority boarding started back up the times don’t matter for those with priority. 

[jsglow]

21 minutes ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

Is this still happening now that priority boarding started back up?  They did enforce times after restart when they weren’t doing priority boarding but once priority boarding started back up the times don’t matter for those with priority. 

It was certainly true at Long Beach in March and priority boarding was in full operation. They had reopened the Priority Lounge and we were called Wedding/Dia/Suites/Plats/Fttf in order followed by A01, 2 etc.  We even inquired about the line. They had a 10a line, a 10:30 line and an 11a line as we arrived. ALL were required to use them. Once that line was cleared Priority was pointed left while 'regular' went right.  Now of course everyone in the 10a line WAS Priority. I think the first 'regular' had 10:30 slots.

 

We have seen more lax enforcement at Miami, Galveston and New Orleans since protocols were eased.  My point is what happens at one port may be different than what happens at another. Someone's experience with Celebration may be different than someone's experience with Panorama.

Edited May 17, 2023 by jsglow

[nwcruiselover]

13 minutes ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

Is this still happening now that priority boarding started back up?  They did enforce times after restart when they weren’t doing priority boarding but once priority boarding started back up the times don’t matter for those with priority. 

They’re still enforcing arrival windows in Long Beach.  When you arrive, there are multiple lines for the various arrival times, and everyone, diamond, platinum, suites and FTTF included, must get in the line for their arrival time.  Once inside the terminal there are priority lines.

[Essiesmom]

2 hours ago, TreyB said:

Haha, thanks for leaving those early boarding times open! 😉

That seems very magnanimous, but there is a problem with it.  The purpose of assigned times is that not everyone shows up at once.  But if all of those with built in priority choose later times, so that others can choose the early times…but plan to show up early anyway,  then double the crowd could be showing up early.  If you plan to show up early, choose early.  EM

[mz-s]

24 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

That seems very magnanimous, but there is a problem with it.  The purpose of assigned times is that not everyone shows up at once.  But if all of those with built in priority choose later times, so that others can choose the early times…but plan to show up early anyway,  then double the crowd could be showing up early.  If you plan to show up early, choose early.  EM

 

It depends on the individual sailing but generally the number of priority guests isn't that big of a deal except right at the start in the morning, when everyone is standing there acting like they've never seen a cruise ship before. If the number of priority guests gets to be anywhere near that number (like the Journeys sailings), Carnival suspends the benefit for that sailing.

[sydney dog]

OK, so if I have FTTF, do I still have to get an early check in time to board early or am I automatically boarded after Weddings, Platinum and Gold?  I am am leaving from New Orleans.

[kelkel2]

1 hour ago, sydney dog said:

OK, so if I have FTTF, do I still have to get an early check in time to board early or am I automatically boarded after Weddings, Platinum and Gold?  I am am leaving from New Orleans.

You do not. Although it still makes you pick an arrival time when you check in online, you would be able to show up and get right into the priority line and head in whenever you arrive. 

Edited May 19, 2023 by kelkel2

[wemjam]

1 hour ago, sydney dog said:

OK, so if I have FTTF, do I still have to get an early check in time to board early or am I automatically boarded after Weddings, Platinum and Gold?  I am am leaving from New Orleans.

You will pick an "arrival" time at the port.  This is when you can arrive and check in.  You can pick a time or it will assign one.  With FTTF you can however arrive at anytime and use the priority line.

 

Boarding is different, this is when you will actually be able to get on the ship.  FTTF will board after Weddings/Suites/Diamond/Platinum - then FTTF.

 

 

Edited May 19, 2023 by wemjam

[jsglow]

3 hours ago, sydney dog said:

OK, so if I have FTTF, do I still have to get an early check in time to board early or am I automatically boarded after Weddings, Platinum and Gold?  I am am leaving from New Orleans.

I'm going to still STRONGLY encourage you to get an early Arrival Appt. check-in time. The purpose of FttF is the actual boarding priority that takes place once inside the terminal.  So weddings, Dia, Suites, Plat, FttF and then the unwashed masses. But there's shoreside check-in prior to the waiting area and that process is theoretically controlled by your Arrival Appointment.  Now each port handles Early/Late Arrivals somewhat differently.  I've personally never heard 'late' ever be a problem.  But 'early', that can be another matter. Some (like Long Beach) are super strict. Others less so.  And by the way, this Arrival Appointment thingy technically even still applies to Diamonds. I'm sure you understand that if being enforced for those with the most seniority it'll be enforced for the lowly FttFs.

 

I have some specific experience with New Orleans where there seems to be a tendency for folks to arrive well before their scheduled appointment.  Perhaps it has something to do with available parking or something; not sure. They'll be queued up outside along the sidewalk at some distance away from the actual entrance door. Nobody seemed upset. They just waited. We had the earliest time slot, arrived on time, and were allowed to bypass that large 'early' group. Now what I don't know is if folks with FttF (or Dia/Plats) were also allowed to bypass that group, regardless their scheduled arrival time. But I am certain that folks at the actual entrance door were examining each BP and those that arrived early were sent over to the sidewalk to wait.

Edited May 19, 2023 by jsglow

[nwcruiselover]

I’m on a Journeys Cruise (Venezia TA) coming up soon, and just received a letter from Carnival outlining terminal check-in procedures.  It stated that for Journeys cruses, arrival times would be strictly adhered to, and people arriving before their arrival times would not be admitted to the terminal.  

[jsglow]

9 minutes ago, nwcruiselover said:

I’m on a Journeys Cruise (Venezia TA) coming up soon, and just received a letter from Carnival outlining terminal check-in procedures.  It stated that for Journeys cruses, arrival times would be strictly adhered to, and people arriving before their arrival times would not be admitted to the terminal.  

That makes absolute sense.

[pinklucky61]

I had FTTF on Glory last month in NOLA. There is a separate line at entrance to building, just show them your boarding pass with FTTF showing.  We were directed to sit with general boarding, but were called after the other priority boarders. They checked boarding pass several times when we got into boarding line.

BTW- also self-disembarked.  Meeting time was 7:15am, I was out of terminal before higher priority people since I took escalator instead of elevators.  Was at my shuttle bus by 7. very fast and easy with facial recognition.

[bassmk]

On 5/17/2023 at 6:48 AM, Bob NC said:

With FTTF you get priority boarding but for some strange reason have to choose a boarding time.

 

When we have FTTF we always choose a late boarding time leaving early ones for people that want them.

DANG! This is a very good tip! I never considered it before but I definitely will going forward. Thanks for sharing.

[LHARTWICK]

On 5/19/2023 at 8:23 AM, jsglow said:

I have some specific experience with New Orleans where there seems to be a tendency for folks to arrive well before their scheduled appointment.  

We were on Glory 2 weeks ago.  Embarkation was a mess because they were not enforcing check-in times at all.  We had the 10:00-10:30 AM slot, but regardless of what boarding passes said, any and all passengers were being herded into the building.  We heard several others make the same observation. We are used to Galveston where they enforce the times.  We've sailed out of NOLA several times before, but we had never seen it as chaotic as it was. Like anything else these days, pack your patience pants!