FTTF Worth It?

I just purchased FTTF for my sailing in the pride august 7 out of baltimore. Do you guys believe that FTTF is worth is on this cruise. It stops in orlando nassau and freeport so we dont get to use the first tender and cut the tender line perk.

Some say yes, some say no. You will get both answers. For us yes we love it.

Hi Thehyperfisherman,

If you do a "search" on this forum for " FTTP " you will find at least 300-400 threads responding to this same question.

If you spend the several hours to read through them you will see, as True Texan has said, some people like it and some don't.

hope this helps

have a great cruise

You're buying peace of mind and if that is worth $60 then don't look back.

But don't be surprised or frustrated if others who don't purchase it board with you, or shortly after, or get their luggage before you, or their room is accessible as early as yours, and they are able to disembark as early as you do. All of these happened to us on the Sunshine last year and the other folks in our party laughed at us for purchasing it. But I'm buying it again next year if it becomes available (sold out). I'm a nervous traveler, so I regard it as cheap insurance. The price has gone up $10, I'm surprised they haven't raised the price more due to the popularity.

If none of your ports have tenders then this early boarding benefit won't apply. If you have a problem-free cruise then you won't use the priority customer service line.

If you didn't buy it you would have constantly questioned whether you should have after it's sold out. It's $60, just be glad it's not more...

I get it every cruise and I love the convenience.

+1 on the posts above. We didnt know about it on our first cruise. Now we get it on every cruise. As stated above, peace of mind. Usually it works out very well for us! It's always the first thing I look to purchase after booking a cruise now. Enjoy!

Our most recent cruise was the first time we bought it.

Where I feel it helped:

Early getting on board - Yes, maybe only 5-10 minutes ahead of zone 1, but I didn't have to worry about what zone I may have been given or anything, we were some of the earliest people to get our vacation started.

Early room access - we were able to put our carryons in our room right away, change and go have fun on Lido, watching others mill around with their luggage while sipping a mojito in the pool was nice.

Guest Services Priority - we used this several times. Sometimes the regular line was so long I felt bad. We missed an excursion so figuring out what to do, later on working out a refund for the excursion. My daughters used it to find out what a card she won in the arcade was for, and the other to get a deck of cards

Tender Priority - I know you won't be at a tender port, but putting this out there in case others see the thread later. After missing the excursion, this got us on a tender faster to make up for lost time. The other tender port, our excursion had us on the first one regardless.

Where I feel it didn't matter

Faster disembarkation - We planned on disembarking via FTTF, but the self-disembarkation line was so fast it didn't matter.

Express Luggage - our luggage, even though it had the stickers, still arrived around the same time as the others. No biggie.

Dining Reservations - we had late dining. Went to switch to any-time but did not know FTTF would not help move to your time dining. Wish I had switched to Early, but oh well.

I think the good outweighed the bad to me, and would probably utilized it again but it would not be a deal breaker if I did not get it.

In a nutshell, I fully agree with sabalon. To us it is worth it just to drop our bags off. Never feel we ever really got our checked bags earlier. We live less than a mile from the port so getting on early seems to add an extra day. If you research CC you will see this has been discussed over and over. You have already purchased it, so.....:)

I always get it!! If you change your mind you can cancel it and get a refund, I did once because we upgraded to a suite and didn't need it for priority, I think it's worth the $$

The main benefits are....earlier boarding, earlier entry to cabins, earlier luggage delivery, priority line at Guest Services, priority tendering.

If you intend to arrive later to board the ship, FTTF is not worth buying...the lines to board will be reduced, and the cabins are all ready by about 130pm. If you carry on your luggage, it is not worth buying since you have no luggage to be delivered. If you have booked Carnival excursions, priority tendering is not necessary since you will be lead off the ship in groups in time for your excursion, so FTTF tendering is not an advantage.

Ultimately, only you can decide if it is worth it or not. We buy it because we like to arrive early and get into our cabin early. The other benefits are not really important to us, but overall we have decided it is worth the price.

I personally thought it was worth it. Granted we got on the ship only 5 minutes before Zone 1, but early access to your room was nice. Skipping the loooooooong line at Guest Services was also a plus.

But I loved it for the priority debarkation. We had an 11:30am flight out of Miami and it was in the back of my head for part of the cruise. With FTTF, the ship arrived at 7:15 and we were off the ship at 7:30. Through Customs instantly, grabbed a cab instantly, checked our bags in and were through airport security by 8:10.

For us it is not worth it. Especially as there are no tender ports. But then we are patient people and have no problem spending that time we are waiting for things socializing with each other. I don't get what the hurry is since we are on vacation. We also have a carry-on that is easy to maneuver and is no problem having with us until the rooms are available. Others will not agree but that is life.

Will have it for the first time on our upcoming October cruise. The main reasons for choosing to try it this time:

Early check in - we will drive to the port, leaving quite early from our home. We do this in the event of any traffic hold ups, flat tire, which might delay our arrival. But have never had any issues....knock on wood.

Cabin ready when we board - even though our carryon (wine, cans of soda) is a wheeled case, it will still be nice to drop it off in our cabin.

Lunch! - we frequently have a hard time finding an empty table on Lido when we board, for lunch. Early - maybe we will have better luck.

Luggage early - we've actually never had a problem, always got our luggage before dinner the first evening, but if it actually does arrive earlier than usual, perhaps we can be unpacked before muster drill.

Anyway, this is a try-out for us....we will have a firm opinion after our cruise!

For us it's worth it simply for early disembarking. We have a 10 hour drive & want off as early as possible. It seems like we are always on a floor that goes last.

What I saw happen on our cruise to Alaska aboard the Legend, I would say no. FTTF did not get priority debarking at ports. People who booked excursions through the ship were debarked first. We were late to every port! FTTF (for the record), platinums and diamonds didn't get their perk either and Jen the CD lied through her teeth. I call FTTF FTYW (faster to your wallet).

We have had it for every cruise. When we used it, we would have gladly paid $300 for it. It was invaluable when our kids were young to be able to board the ship early, drop everything off in the room, grab lunch when there are plenty of tables open on the Lido, and get the kids settled in for a few hours nap (okay...us parents also haha) all before muster. The guest service line is a bonus of handling stuff without waiting for slow times. We don't care about the priority disembark or tenders. There were only two cruises where we didn't end up using any of the perks at all, but the nine other times were so worth it.

We don't bring the kids now. We probably wouldn't buy it now, but we are platinum and still enjoy having lunch and taking a good nap before muster so we are full of energy for the sail away and first night.

Oh I forgot, but we had anytime dining on the last cruise on the Splendor and they never made us wait for a table where they gave others a beeper to come back later. I don't know if that is what the "priority dining" perk does since I haven't seen anything about it. I thought it may have been because of the type of table we got, but they gave people in front of us beepers who requested a 2-seat table and took us right away, and larger mixed tables. I chalked it up to priority dining, but am still not sure.

You are in zone 4 watching people board and hearing them call zones, just waiting for your turn to get on that boat. Would you pay $60 at that moment to walk out of that zone and get on the ship without waiting? I would, and that makes FTTF worth it every time for me.

Same goes at guest services. I did not even think the guest services perk even mattered to me, I seldom need them. Then three times on the last cruise I had something I needed from them and the line at the desk was honestly 30 minutes long. I was able to walk right up and get my questions answered.

I no longer even consider not purchasing FTTF.

We (try to) get it, we're 2 for 3. We cruise with my parents, who are platinum. So, we can tender with them at the ports. Also, we can drop our stuff in our room, change into swim attire and head to Lido so our dd doesnt freak out from boredom and I dont parish from thirst.... :D

Were the Alaska ports tender ports??? I don't think so.

FTTF only gets priority debarking on tenders, not for docked at pier ports.

We like getting on and off early with cabin ready.

We would buy for that reason alone even if no tender ports.

But then we are patient people and have no problem spending that time we are waiting for things socializing with each other.

This is my problem and the reason Carnival will always get my money in this instance. I recognize this as a flaw in my personality, but no one has ever used the word Patient to describe me except when I am complaining how long it takes for my appointment at the Dr's office.

Maybe that is how you decide if FTTF is waste of money for you. Look deep inside, are you patient? As bad as it is to say, I am not.

Not worth it to me at all personally. I dont care to have my cabin ready the minute I board. I dont need my luggage ASAP as I carry a carry on with at least a full days worth of clothes, swimwear etc. Im in a wheelchair and in my experience Im called right after or right with FTTF. I dont tender. Ive never ever seen a 30 minute line at Guest Services. In fact, every time on Magic i went by GS there was no line. Thankfully the kiosks can handle about everything I need from GS.

None of the benefits are worth it to me to pay the 59.95. Everyone is different though. Its a personal decision you have to decide for yourself. As for me, I will keep my money :)

I may get totally flamed here but I think its kinda unfair that people can pay 59.95 to purchase perks that long time Carnival loyalists have spent thousands to earn. Flame away, Im a big boy :)

You're buying peace of mind and if that is worth $60 then don't look back.

 

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If you didn't buy it you would have constantly questioned whether you should have after it's sold out. It's $60, just be glad it's not more...

AIP said it best.

If the $60 is agreeable to you, then it is a great deal.

We make our decisions/spend our $ and don't look back guessing yourself.

Have a great time!!

I just purchased FTTF for my sailing in the pride august 7 out of baltimore. Do you guys believe that FTTF is worth is on this cruise. It stops in orlando nassau and freeport so we dont get to use the first tender and cut the tender line perk.

I'm a new Diamond cruiser after years at the Platinum level, so FTTF wasn't even dreamt of when I was a new cruiser. I do enjoy the perks of platinum and diamond, however I don't think I would have paid for some of them except by being a frequent cruiser.

I find the best value is using Global Entry for US Customs at ports that have dedicated lines for this classification. It's good for 5 years, and gets me through airport and seaport lines easily and quickly.

If you cruise or fly more than once a year, Global Entry is a better value than FTTF. If you can afford it, get both!

 

I may get totally flamed here but I think its kinda unfair that people can pay 59.95 to purchase perks others have spent thousands to earn. Flame away, Im a big boy :)

I agree with you completely, if I was platinum, I would have been steamed when FTTF was released and still mad about it. Instead I have forty something sea days to make platinum and that sure is a long way off in just carnival cruises.

Schooott.......you kidding me...worth it!?!? Dang straight it's worth it..hell, I've reached the exalted Platinum status, which I got for free btw...and I still pay for FTTF!!!

Ok, I really don't pay for FTTF having reached the silver colored card status..but did think it was worth it the few times we got FTTF before being blessed with a silver colored card.