Do I really Need FTTF??? Help me decide please!!

[memecakes]

Sailing on the Freedom October 5th. We do not have any tender ports on this trip. (San Juan, Grand Turk, St. Martian, and St. Thomas) so don't need it for that. In the last 5 cruises we have taken we have never gone to the service desk, so I don't know if it would be helpful there. I do like the idea of being of the ship early but for $50 bucks is it really worth it? Help please!

[Lovefuninthesun]

IMO -- For a cruise without any tender ports, it would be nice, but not essential. I'd use the $50 for 5 cosmos!:p

[WetToes]

It wouldn't be worth it to me.

[RhondaC]

Maybe it depends on how much stuff you'll be carrying on. It will be nice to just dump it in your room right away, then go have lunch. It will also be nice to get your luggage delivered and get unpacked early, so it's out of the way and you can just enjoy your first afternoon/evening. And you won't have to worry if your clothes will be there in time for dinner. :)

[skyeman27]

Thats how some people feel about driving on toll roads, they would rather drive another 40 miles longer, add another hour to their trip, drive on more congested roads just to not pay tolls. FTTF is just a convenience not worth the money to many cruisers, but worth it to some, as FTTF is always sold out on the ships...

[megnut78]

It's worth it for me, but that's a matter of opinion. We dont have any tenders on ours either, but I booked the FTTF so we dont have to wait on the lines at the port in NYC and so we dont have to carry our stuff around the ship for a few hours when we get on board. It's sooo worth it for our family to be able to get on the ship as soon as possible and beat the crowds lol. Just our preference and I am thrilled we were able to get it for this cruise.

[Warm Breezes]

Sailing on the Freedom October 5th. We do not have any tender ports on this trip. (San Juan, Grand Turk, St. Martian, and St. Thomas) so don't need it for that. In the last 5 cruises we have taken we have never gone to the service desk, so I don't know if it would be helpful there. I do like the idea of being of the ship early but for $50 bucks is it really worth it? Help please!

 

Not worth it to me but others feel differently.

[skyeman27]

read this thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1890500

[Miller_KC]

If you have to ask, it's probably not worth it to you. Basically $50 to board a little faster and be able to put your things in your room right away.

 

Additionally:

 

It may be worth it if you are not going to get to the port early enough for a low boarding number, but not so late that most people are on board and the lines are short. Something like between 11:30 and 2:00.

 

It may be worth it if you have an early flight or long drive after the cruise and want to get off early.

 

It may be worth it if you plan on making a couple of last minute restaurant reservations or did not get the dining time you wanted and need the Priority booking to have a better chance of getting the times you want.

 

It may be worth it if you use the pursers desk a lot.

 

Otherwise with no tender ports, there is not much advantage.

[secac]

What does FTTF mean? I am booked on the Pride but I don't recall seeing anything called that.

[Artemus]

I had it last week on the Carnival Pride. There were no tender ports. For the ease of getting on and off the ship and having my bags delivered quickly to my room and being able to get to my room as soon as I boarded the ship, it was well worth it to me. The best $49.95 I think I've ever spent.

[poolman11]

What does FTTF mean? I am booked on the Pride but I don't recall seeing anything called that.

 

First To The Fun! You can book it as if it were an excursion. The $50 includes everyone in your cabin.

[Singer4Him]

What does FTTF mean? I am booked on the Pride but I don't recall seeing anything called that.

 

FTTF = Faster to the Fun

[rebel7254]

My wife and I have read up on FTTF, and the general consensus seems to be that the people who have bought it have not regretted it.

 

We bought FTTF for our cruise in October. Never used it before. We only have one tender port on our cruise in October. But being able to get to the room right away and not worry about long boarding lines, along with knowing that we can use the platinum line at the service desk if we need to, sounds like it'll be worth the fifty bucks.

 

When you're already spending several hundred to a couple thousand bucks on a cruise, $50 really doesn't make that much of a difference. It seems like a reasonable price to me for what you get. Now, if it was $50 per person, then I might not splurge on it. But for $50 for the whole cabin...why not? You could just try it out and if you feel like it wasn't totally worth the cost, then don't buy it again. Worst case scenario is you're out $50, but as I alluded to earlier, if you're already paying for the cruise then $50 isn't going to break you.

[memecakes]

Forward to the fun FTTF :) You can buy it for $49.99 under excursions. It will be listed in your home port. You only need one per cabin. You get to board the ship right after the platinum guests and the special needs people. Your room will be ready early and you get to go the platinum line at the pursers desk and time you need anything. You also get tender after the platinum card holders, which I think is the biggest "perk."

[marshhawk]

We are using it for the first time in October. My DH hasn't been that well, and starts radiation soon, so for us it was getting on the ship and getting him a place to crash for a while. We have one tender port, so it will help there. Next cruise, we have an early excurison which gets us off early! and then the other port we walk to where we are going. I would say, no tenders, no not really, just pack smart and you wont have to lug all your stuff around for two hours.

[A2Mich]

Sailing on the Freedom October 5th. We do not have any tender ports on this trip. (San Juan, Grand Turk, St. Martian, and St. Thomas) so don't need it for that. In the last 5 cruises we have taken we have never gone to the service desk, so I don't know if it would be helpful there. I do like the idea of being of the ship early but for $50 bucks is it really worth it? Help please!

 

 

I know it was a typo, but a funny one.....is St. Martian between Earth and Jupiter?

[Jettalinc]

Totally worth it to me. I've waited at the customer service desk on the first night for almost 2 hours just to get some sea sickness pills! I appreciate FTTF for the simple fact that priority has their own place at customer service! :)

[secac]

Is there a difference between FTTF embarkation perks and priority embarkation because cabin is a suite?

[Firechief84]

We disembarked the Carnival Magic this morning and had FTTF. It was the best spent 50$ ever. Embarkation day we went from porter leaving car to on ship in 25 minutes bypassing all lines that had over 2 hour waits already. This already paid for itself. On return to port we self assisted luggage and went from boat to car as fast as you can walk. No lies took about 15 minutes through passport line and out the door. Well spent money. You will be pleased.

[suz1729]

Never heard of this, so if you are platinum, no need to purchase it?????

[Firechief84]

Never heard of this, so if you are platinum, no need to purchase it?????

 

Platinum has priority boarding, tender and disembarkation included

[skyeman27]

For two people in a cabin FTTF is $25 each, four people in a cabin FTTF is $12.50 each, well worth it, the positive responses on this board far outnumber the negative...

[Almost Packed]

This is how i determined whether or not to purchase it.

 

Size of ship

how many guests will be sailing with us.

time of year

tender ports

flight times

 

Since we were cruising spring break, lots of people, on a big busy ship, with a stop in GC with early flights we booked it. It was a great $50.

 

Loved getting to our cabin early and getting our luggage early. I love to get unpacked right away and get my cabin all set up.

 

There were 4 of us in our party-so definitely worth it for us.

 

If it were just dh & i on a smaller ship and no tender ports...I would spend the money on cocktails or in the casino.