Boarding order question - FTTF vs. Suite Passengers

[LMaxwell]

What does FTTF really get you? It was not available the last time I cruised on CCL. Seems like a $50 placebo? Early luggage dropoff , anything else?

[christmas]

My last cruise was on the Magic. They boarded the wedding parties first. Then they called for the Platnuim Guests, Chefs Table and Suite Guests, but not more then a few seconds later, they called the FTTF guests (where I was). They had kept us in a roped off area. Upon debarkation, all of the above plus self debarkation were in the same dinning room and it was a complete mad house to get out. I think the next cruise I purchase FTTF, I will just wait for a while...I drive to the port, so I can afford to wait.

 

Chefs Table???

[jimbo5544]

What does FTTF really get you? It was not available the last time I cruised on CCL. Seems like a $50 placebo? Early luggage dropoff , anything else?

google is your friend

[fuddrules]

What does FTTF really get you? It was not available the last time I cruised on CCL. Seems like a $50 placebo? Early luggage dropoff , anything else?

 

The ability to board like this....At least it's how I do it. CHARGE! :D

 

 

[christmas]

What does FTTF really get you? It was not available the last time I cruised on CCL. Seems like a $50 placebo? Early luggage dropoff , anything else?

 

 

Note: VIFP Club Platinum and Diamond members do not need to purchase this package as these and other benefits are included as part of your VIFP Club status.)

Priority Check-in with Express Boarding

The quicker you board the ship, the quicker you're holding a frosty drink.

 

Guaranteed Stateroom

Your stateroom will be ready as soon as you board, so you can relax or freshen up for the fun you're about to have.

 

Express Luggage

Your luggage will be expedited to your stateroom so you can unpack and get settled in for a great vacation!

 

Guest Services

You'll have a dedicated phone number and line at Guest Services so you can quickly have your questions answered.

 

Dining Reservations

Priority Main Dining Room and Specialty Restaurant reservations.

 

Tender Priority

You will have the option to choose a priority tender from the ship to shore (multiple departure times may be possible), so you can explore ashore as quickly as you would like.

 

Debarkation

We're always sad to see you go. But when your cruise is over, you may choose an early or late disembarkation time upon arrival to your homeport.

 

 

The Faster to the Fun price is not Per Person as listed. The $49.95 price covers all occupants of the cabin so only 1 guest needs to purchase but all occupants receive the benefits.

Please note, there is no specific "set" time, nor a specific arrival time required... once clearance is received from Customs to start boarding, Faster to the Fun guests will board after our VIFP Club Platinum & Diamond Guests.

Space is Limited.

After purchasing Faster to the Fun package, please remember to re-print your boarding documents so Faster to Fun reflects on your documents. Have FUN!

[LMaxwell]

Thanks for the info. In practice are the benefits noticeable? Early luggage drop is nice perk. The rest is hard to quantify. I guess if you are impatient or want to maximize a tender port it has its plusses. I usually try to avoid the mad rushes ans hang back a bit. I feel less frazzled. Not sure if this would be a worthwhile purchase for me or not.

[MIZZ_K]

My last cruise was on the Magic. They boarded the wedding parties first. Then they called for the Platnuim Guests, Chefs Table and Suite Guests, but not more then a few seconds later, they called the FTTF guests (where I was). They had kept us in a roped off area. Upon debarkation, all of the above plus self debarkation were in the same dinning room and it was a complete mad house to get out. I think the next cruise I purchase FTTF, I will just wait for a while...I drive to the port, so I can afford to wait.

 

Chefs Table:confused:

[1313steve]

The more I think about it, the more I think on my cruise boarding should go smoothly and the cabins should be ready for just about everybody when we board.

 

The Glory disembarks passengers in NYC Saturday morning, the 12th. Then it sails empty to Norfolk, where we embark on Sunday the 13th. So the crew has entire day to gets things ready, without any passengers to slow them down!

[jerseyralph]

What does FTTF really get you? It was not available the last time I cruised on CCL. Seems like a $50 placebo? Early luggage dropoff , anything else?

 

We are usually in no rush to board a ship. We have experienced VIFP boarding on Carnival because, when we travel with our daughter, now age 20, we almost always book an OS. We booked fttf for both our 9/21 and 11/9 Carnival cruises so that we could drop our luggage off early.

 

Last January we boarded RCCL's Explorer in Cape Liberty for a nine day. We had our daughter with us and we had to haul carry-ons with us into a very crowded lido buffet space, where passengers were repeatedly told to eat and leave because the space cannot handle the passenger load and the stateroom opening was delayed. I stood there thinking, if I could only get rid of the carry-ons we could Explore unencumbered.

 

When Carnival offered FTTF, I took it.

 

Turns out the opportunity to use FTTF became even more important when we found out the Lymphoma Research Foundation's Educational forum was to be held in Brooklyn, the day we got off the Glory. I am a lymphoma patient and wanted to attend. Getting off the Glory early suddenly seemed important.

 

In the end I am not sure it made any difference. We were delayed getting off the ship by circumstances beyond our control.

 

Gina

[CapeCodCruiser]

Originally Posted by Raven Days View Post

My last cruise was on the Magic. They boarded the wedding parties first. Then they called for the Platnuim Guests, Chefs Table and Suite Guests,

 

Chefs Table???

 

Chefs Table:confused:

 

 

My thoughts exactly!

 

Chef's Table??:confused::confused::confused:

[winddawn]

Having just retuned from a cruise on the Glory I can tell you there was no order to early boarding. We are Platinum and they called everyone in the lounge at the same time. It was not pretty. There seems to be no standard for boarding in any of the ports of call. We have boarded four Carnival ships in the last year and not once did they call Diamond/Platinum before the FTTF folks!!! Very disappointing to be honest.

My last cruise out of Miami was the same as this. They boarded everyone together--Diamond, Platinum, FTTF, and suites. It was standing room only in the VIP lounge. Priority debarkation was the same, and since they made us carry our luggage down several flights of stairs to debark, it was a mess. The lounge they had us wait in to debark was standing room only with more people spilling out into the promenade waiting. About a hundred people plus luggage herded like cattle down the stairs in a hurry. Not much of a perk and quite frankly an accident waiting to happen.

 

I will not cruise out of Miami again any time soon.

[winddawn]

Chefs Table???

I think this is a sarcastic reference to Diamonds. :rolleyes:

[Tutankhamen]

I have what I consider a polite response to your sarcasm. As a Carnival cruiser with now 25 cruises, I expect Carnival to follow procedures as advertised and thus expected. In addition I have earned the right to board first after spending thousands of dollars over those 25 cruises, not a one time $50 fee so I can feel like I am a Platinum cruiser like I suspect you do. This site needs less sarcasm and more just general discussion and the sharing of information. You obviously do not understand that.

 

If you feel as though this site would be better without sarcasm, perhaps its time to move along, perhaps even start your own boards.

 

Stating that "this site needs less sarcasm and more just general discussion and the sharing of information" is an opinion. So how am I suppose to "obviously understand" something that is just an opinion? Is this stated in the guidelines? Is this posted anywhere by the powers that be?

 

I do not spend fifty bucks to feel like a platinum cruiser. I pay for a service. Nothing more, nothing less. Being that you are accusing me of purchasing FTTF for a "feeling", is a true indication that you feel superior by having platinum status. That is a shame. Life is to short to go around feeling superior.

 

Unbelievable that people get their panties in a wad over something so silly as who gets on first.

 

Thanks for the morning laugh!

[RhondaC]

On our recent Valor cruise, after checking in and getting our cards, they put us (FTTF) in a small room with Platinum and Diamond guests. There were sandwiches and cookies, and lemonade. When the ship was ready, they took us all together to board.

[jimbo5544]

On the Glory (9/21) we were in a balcony (our last gold)and had FTTF. We were given zone 1 tags for disembarkation and were told to be in one of the dining rooms at 9 am. Everyone was together: Platinum, Diamond, Suites and FTTF. The conversation was good. Lots of experienced cruisers with good attitudes. We could have used a few hot or cold drinks. Took some time to get clearance. The CD came in-person to apologize for the delay.

 

We have been on 4 ships where FTTF has been offered. As is usually the case, Carnival sometimes clouds the detail in procedures. Actually I think it happens when employees are trying to hard to do their job. No worries, it always works out. We were on the Legend in February and our return was delayed 4 hours due to the port of Tampa being closed to fog. There was a big rush to get off the ship, diamond, platinum, FTTF and the rest of the ship. It all worked out.

[CapeCodCruiser]

I think this is a sarcastic reference to Diamonds. :rolleyes:

 

HUH???:confused::confused:

 

I fail to see the correlation between the two. I am not Diamond but I do love Chef's Table!

[UpstateCruizer]

As a platinum guest I enjoy priority boarding or VIP boarding as they used to call it. I've read on this thread that people have been in the lounge where cookies, beverages and sandwiches have been offered. I'm curious about that one as I've only seen cookies and beverages (lemonade/water) offered once. Is this something new or just limited to certain ports? We arrive early and enjoy meeting new people while waiting to board. For us the wait is part of the experience :)

[Georgiagolfer]

[QUOTE=UpstateCruizer;40204649]As a platinum guest I enjoy priority boarding or VIP boarding as they used to call it. I've read on this thread that people have been in the lounge where cookies, beverages and sandwiches have been offered. I'm curious about that one as I've only seen cookies and beverages (lemonade/water) offered once. Is this something new or just limited to certain ports? We arrive early and enjoy meeting new people while waiting to board. For us the wait is part of the experience :)

 

I was wondering the same thing. DW and I have been Platinum for quite a few years, and never seen cookies/sandwiches inn the VIP lounge. Best we have seen is water and/or water and lemonade. BTW, probably wouldn't eat anyway as we don't eat sweets often, and would prefer to eat that 1st lunch on board to start our cruise experience.:D

[Georgiagolfer]

Sorry but if the FTTF people get on the ship before I do as a platinum cruiser, who always books a suite, it is definitely time to start cruising a better cruise line!!!

 

I can think of many reasons a person may want to change cruise lines, but this i definitely not 1 of those. Please define "better cruise line."

[LHP]

Debarkation is what annoyed us with FTTF people. They put all of Platinum, Diamond, & FTTF in one dining room and we all debarked at the same time. And to top it off, there was a delay going through customs as a couple of the agents had not yet arrived. This was at the beginning of sequestration.

 

We did make it to our flight (11:30) in plenty of time, but we were concerned. We also had wanted to grab a porter, but the porters were forced to use the same lines as we were in. No special line for porters. This was on Feb. 2, 2013 from Port Everglades.

 

We have done many debarkations since FTTF was introduced and debarkation has just been a mass exodus every time....

[LHP]

As a platinum guest I enjoy priority boarding or VIP boarding as they used to call it. I've read on this thread that people have been in the lounge where cookies, beverages and sandwiches have been offered. I'm curious about that one as I've only seen cookies and beverages (lemonade/water) offered once. Is this something new or just limited to certain ports? We arrive early and enjoy meeting new people while waiting to board. For us the wait is part of the experience :)

 

It is nothing that is consistent ..... (Not a big surprise for carnival...obviously love then but consistency is not their strong suit)..

 

New Orleans port has had cookies, water and lemonade several times...I have never seen sandwiches...

[prattmom]

HUH???:confused::confused:

 

I fail to see the correlation between the two. I am not Diamond but I do love Chef's Table!

I'm thinking they meant Captains Table...

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[RedneckRedhead]

I have what I consider a polite response to your sarcasm. As a Carnival cruiser with now 25 cruises, I expect Carnival to follow procedures as advertised and thus expected. In addition I have earned the right to board first after spending thousands of dollars over those 25 cruises, not a one time $50 fee so I can feel like I am a Platinum cruiser like I suspect you do. This site needs less sarcasm and more just general discussion and the sharing of information. You obviously do not understand that.

 

While I agree that we are all adults and should remain respectable, I agree that the tone of your post is somewhat laced with superiority and pretentiousness.

 

To me, each person spends money to go on vacation. You've spent thousands of dollars to reach Diamond so how does that make anyone better than someone who buys each time?

 

Carnival only releases 15-20 FTTF tickets per cruise ship depending upon the itinerary and ship. THEN closer to the sail date they review the number of vacant staterooms and the number of already booked D/P club members and may release more FTTF at that time.

 

Bottom line - it matters not how the person gets the priority. FTTF is simply buying a vacant spot that a D/P club member didn't book. Its not extra people or an effort to devalue your loyalty.

[CapeCodCruiser]

I'm thinking they meant Captains Table...

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Still never heard of that as a boarding category... I guess we'll never know!

[jimbo5544]

As a platinum guest I enjoy priority boarding or VIP boarding as they used to call it. I've read on this thread that people have been in the lounge where cookies, beverages and sandwiches have been offered. I'm curious about that one as I've only seen cookies and beverages (lemonade/water) offered once. Is this something new or just limited to certain ports? We arrive early and enjoy meeting new people while waiting to board. For us the wait is part of the experience :)

 

We have seen it in Galveston, Miami, Port Canaveral, San Juan, New York and Tampa.