Faster to The Fun price increase.

[Bookbug53]

13 hours ago, repo-cruiser said:

Now they need to raise Platinum to 150-350 VIFP Points and Diamond to 400 VIFP Points. 🙂

Why? 

[HillBilly Bob]

17 hours ago, Gamecock_Cruiser said:

I gladly paid the $49, but I haven't got it since the initial increase.

I paid the $49 and didn't think it was worth it back then!   I found out I didn't need to be the first in line.  Such a shame that cruising has turned into a pedestrian "bus tour".  

[Purvis1231]

18 hours ago, Fla Senior said:

As a stockholder I think it's great.  The price keeps going up and it continues to sell out.  They'll continue to increase the price until they find the tipping point.  I'll bet they can get $200 and it will still sell out.

Sounds like start marketing.

[jimbo5544]

43 minutes ago, Bookbug53 said:

Why? 

While I will not opine on the actual numbers (really have no insight as to what the “right” number should be), to answer your question, because it is needed.  There are WAY to many Plats and Diamonds, and I mean WAY to many.  When you are on a sailing and they have to offer (as example) 3 sessions of a recognition event - last day party - get together etc - then it dilutes the event and the recognition.  It will happen, it is a matter of when.

[PhillyFan33579]

22 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

While I will not opine on the actual numbers (really have no insight as to what the “right” number should be), to answer your question, because it is needed.  There are WAY to many Plats and Diamonds, and I mean WAY to many.  When you are on a sailing and they have to offer (as example) 3 sessions of a recognition event - last day party - get together etc - then it dilutes the event and the recognition.  It will happen, it is a matter of when.

 

I agree with you that there needs to be a change to the VIFP program. I just mentioned in another thread as Platinums we once got zone 3 luggage tags due to the number of Diamonds on the ship. I have heard from several sources that Carnival is planning to announce a change to their VIFP program later this year. But I know better than to believe anything I hear when it comes to VIFP program changes. 

[jimbo5544]

5 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

I agree with you that there needs to be a change to the VIFP program. I just mentioned in another thread as Platinums we once got zone 3 luggage tags due to the number of Diamonds on the ship. I have heard from several sources that Carnival is planning to announce a change to their VIFP program later this year. But I know better than to believe anything I hear when it comes to VIFP program changes. 

I have heard vague things....but this is area where I have heard this for 10 years.....  That said, as I previously mentioned, they have to change.  When it happens, I will prob not post for a while on as it will be raked over the coals and be ugly.....

[TNcruising02]

I have FTTF for my cruise this month and am trying to get it for my cruise in September.  After that, I only need to get it for one more cruise and then I will be Platinum.  I won't be sailing on the Horizon, so I won't have to worry about paying that much.  It's always been worth it to me.  I think it's great because it's optional, so all of the people who think it's a waste of money can pass on it.  I think it's financially smart for Carnival to raise the price on something that almost always sells out.

[xDisconnections]

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

I have heard vague things....but this is area where I have heard this for 10 years.....  That said, as I previously mentioned, they have to change.  When it happens, I will prob not post for a while on as it will be raked over the coals and be ugly.....

I thought it was enjoyable last time. It also opened my options to other lines such as Princess and later a new opinion for Royal Caribbean.

 

With that said, I wasn’t a fan of Faster to the Fun at the original price point and I still am not. It dilutes any elite benefits and devalues the elite membership as a whole.

[NCTribeFan]

As a CCL shareholder, I hope they keep raising the price for FTTF and hope that people continue to shell out money for (what I believe are) pretty worthless perks. 😁

 

I'll be Diamond on my sailing in October.  If they change the VIFP before then, whatever.  I don't sail for the perks.  And I'm rather burned out on Carnival anyway, so might as well keep sailing other lines.  I've discovered that not having priority boarding wasn't the end of the world after all!  MSC had a nice little area where you could check your carry-on so you could go have lunch without dragging that around.  Imagine that! 

 

And HAL has cabins ready when boarding begins.  And, no, I don't pay a lot more for HAL because they don't make me pay 200% as a solo.

[jimbo5544]

34 minutes ago, NCTribeFan said:

As a CCL shareholder, I hope they keep raising the price for FTTF and hope that people continue to shell out money for (what I believe are) pretty worthless perks. 😁

 

I'll be Diamond on my sailing in October.  If they change the VIFP before then, whatever.  I don't sail for the perks.  And I'm rather burned out on Carnival anyway, so might as well keep sailing other lines.  I've discovered that not having priority boarding wasn't the end of the world after all!  MSC had a nice little area where you could check your carry-on so you could go have lunch without dragging that around.  Imagine that! 

 

And HAL has cabins ready when boarding begins.  And, no, I don't pay a lot more for HAL because they don't make me pay 200% as a solo.

LOL, reads like you were having a discussion with yourself.  Well, you are certainly not on the fence, glad it works for you.

[lottiegreen56]

50 minutes ago, NCTribeFan said:

As a CCL shareholder, I hope they keep raising the price for FTTF and hope that people continue to shell out money for (what I believe are) pretty worthless perks. 😁

 

I'll be Diamond on my sailing in October.  If they change the VIFP before then, whatever.  I don't sail for the perks.  And I'm rather burned out on Carnival anyway, so might as well keep sailing other lines.  I've discovered that not having priority boarding wasn't the end of the world after all!  MSC had a nice little area where you could check your carry-on so you could go have lunch without dragging that around.  Imagine that! 

 

And HAL has cabins ready when boarding begins.  And, no, I don't pay a lot more for HAL because they don't make me pay 200% as a solo.

 

This is a good perspective - we're closer to diamond that I had thought but I won't be devastated if they change the system. We're outgrowing or tiring of the CCL experience, likely due to taking a few too many cruises in the past 3 years. The gifts and perks are nice but not really much value. I do enjoy being able to change/get into my room early but it was never a problem before we were platinum to drop our stuff off or tip the steward an extra $20 to get into our room early to take a nap.

 

We'll still cruise CCL but maybe not every year. There's just so much other stuff to experience and the casino perks are dropping off/evolving in ways that aren't advantageous to my family.

 

Taking away the past passenger party was a scum bag move but I think it opened most people's eyes to the fact that any "benefit" was fleeting. The past passenger party had been around for 30 years or more!

Edited June 5, 2019 by lottiegreen56

[Don Kehote]

The $59 is a worthy investment in some early private time in my stateroom with my lovely bride, whom I absolutely intend to see nekkid while everyone else wanders around with their bags looking for a place to eat.

[jimbo5544]

2 hours ago, lottiegreen56 said:

 

This is a good perspective - we're closer to diamond that I had thought but I won't be devastated if they change the system. We're outgrowing or tiring of the CCL experience, likely due to taking a few too many cruises in the past 3 years. The gifts and perks are nice but not really much value. I do enjoy being able to change/get into my room early but it was never a problem before we were platinum to drop our stuff off or tip the steward an extra $20 to get into our room early to take a nap.

 

We'll still cruise CCL but maybe not every year. There's just so much other stuff to experience and the casino perks are dropping off/evolving in ways that aren't advantageous to my family.

 

Taking away the past passenger party was a scum bag move but I think it opened most people's eyes to the fact that any "benefit" was fleeting. The past passenger party had been around for 30 years or more!

So  I am just guessing that you were not happy with the changes.....  not really sure what a scumbag move is.....

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, Don Kehote said:

The $59 is a worthy investment in some early private time in my stateroom with my lovely bride, whom I absolutely intend to see nekkid while everyone else wanders around with their bags looking for a place to eat.

Possibly a little more detail than we needed.....

[BigEasyCC]

4 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

As a CCL shareholder, I hope they keep raising the price for FTTF and hope that people continue to shell out money for (what I believe are) pretty worthless perks. 😁

 

I'll be Diamond on my sailing in October.  If they change the VIFP before then, whatever.  I don't sail for the perks.  And I'm rather burned out on Carnival anyway, so might as well keep sailing other lines.  I've discovered that not having priority boarding wasn't the end of the world after all!  MSC had a nice little area where you could check your carry-on so you could go have lunch without dragging that around.  Imagine that! 

 

And HAL has cabins ready when boarding begins.  And, no, I don't pay a lot more for HAL because they don't make me pay 200% as a solo.

 

 

My first NCL cruise a few years ago had a lounge where they would check your carry on luggage and you could come back to get it when your cabin was ready. It was so nice not to have to drag my carry on around.

[hotsauce126]

On my last cruise a few weeks ago my boarding time was 12:30. Got to the port at 12:30, walked straight through everything to get on the ship. We checked our suitcases and each had a backpack. We ate lunch, got a drink, and explored the ship for the 45 minutes until the room was ready. When we got to the room at 1:30 our suitcases were already there. We had no tender ports, got the dining time we wanted already, and I never visited guest services. I'm so glad that I didn't waste $90 to spend an extra hour on the ship

[NightOne]

Bottom line is that it doesn't look like Carnival raised FTTF anytime recently. 

 

Thread title is misleading and inaccurate unless someone can prove otherwise. I'm not seeing where anything was raised recently.

[Organized Chaos]

20 hours ago, Stick93 said:

Extras are a big sell especially FTTF because it cost them noting to sell it.

 

While there are much less costs involved to offer FTTF when compared to other services, to say it costs them "nothing" isn't true. One of the first things that comes to mind is the reorganization of manpower in order to provide more of the priority perks that come with FTTF (in addition to P & D). Providing a service costs a company money. Granted, the revenue generated from FTTF far outweighs the expenditures required to offer it.

 

6 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

With that said, I wasn’t a fan of Faster to the Fun at the original price point and I still am not. It dilutes any elite benefits and devalues the elite membership as a whole.

 

If it angers people who think they're better than everyone else just because they've been on more cruises, then that's just an added bonus of FTTF. P/D's still get the benefits promised to them, none are diluted. While the loyalty program will never go away, there are Carnival execs who have been on record as saying the company would rather get away from building loyalty with people who are only loyal because of the freebies.

 

46 minutes ago, NightOne said:

Bottom line is that it doesn't look like Carnival raised FTTF anytime recently. 

 

Thread title is misleading and inaccurate unless someone can prove otherwise. I'm not seeing where anything was raised recently.

 

Agreed. The OP caused unnecessary "panic" over something that happened well over a year ago. The current prices were set back at the end of 2017 or beginning of 2018. They had already been in place for months by the time we took our June 2018 cruise. We bought FTTF for that cruise in the summer of 2017 for the old, lower price. The price hike came not long after.

 

As so often happens, this is now becoming just another FTTF thread that is devolving into a place for those who don't agree with the FTTF offering and don't buy it to attack and insult the people who do.

Edited June 5, 2019 by Organized Chaos

[Bookbug53]

8 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

While I will not opine on the actual numbers (really have no insight as to what the “right” number should be), to answer your question, because it is needed.  There are WAY to many Plats and Diamonds, and I mean WAY to many.  When you are on a sailing and they have to offer (as example) 3 sessions of a recognition event - last day party - get together etc - then it dilutes the event and the recognition.  It will happen, it is a matter of when.

Ok, let's separate the Diamond and Platinum when it comes to party time. No problem. But there needs to be something between Plat and D for sure.

One cruise and go up to Red and then total of 25 days to go up to Gold. Wait another 50 days until Plat but then reward your most loyal base with having to cruise another 125 days for the next level? I don't get that. They have dug themselves a self made hole of expectations. I do not disagree that the entire thing needs an overhaul. But it will not decrease the number they already have because pushing people 'back' will not be tolerated. 

 

But the issue I had was "let's increase number of days for plat and D because the FTTF price went up"? Connection?

Edited June 5, 2019 by Bookbug53

[Joebucks]

I've always wondered why it needs to be so much more money for a longer cruise. Everyone gets priority embarkation/debarkation, and room being ready early. What are you paying extra for on a longer cruise? Guest services?

 

I still say, charge $250 for it. Make it include priority in/out at ports, priority lido seating, priority punchliner seating. I'll buy that.

[jbethel11]

17 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

Everyone gets priority embarkation/debarkation, and room being ready early.

What do you mean, exactly?

 

17 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

I still say, charge $250 for it.

Still a bit too high!

 

18 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

Make it include priority in/out at ports

I love that idea!

 

18 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

priority lido seating

How will that work?

 

18 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

priority punchliner seating

Maybe like a section dedicated to FTTF purchasers, great idea!

[Organized Chaos]

1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

I've always wondered why it needs to be so much more money for a longer cruise. Everyone gets priority embarkation/debarkation, and room being ready early. What are you paying extra for on a longer cruise? Guest services?

 

I still say, charge $250 for it. Make it include priority in/out at ports, priority lido seating, priority punchliner seating. I'll buy that.

 

I think it's a crock that they charge an extra $20 for FTTF on the Horizon. Just because it's currently the newest ship sailing, what does that have to do with the FTTF perks? I didn't pay attention back when the Vista first set sail, so I don't know if they did the same thing back then.

 

They'll do the same thing for the Panorama. When it sets sail, both it and the Horizon FTTF will be $20 more. Probably because they're operating on different coasts.

 

54 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

What do you mean, exactly?

 

Still a bit too high!

 

I love that idea!

 

How will that work?

 

Maybe like a section dedicated to FTTF purchasers, great idea!

 

He means everyone who buys FTTF already gets priority embarkation/debarkation and room being ready early, so why should the length of their cruise cause the price to go up? I agree, why should it? The length of the cruise doesn't affect those perks, so they shouldn't charge more when it's a longer cruise.

Edited June 5, 2019 by Organized Chaos

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, Bookbug53 said:

Ok, let's separate the Diamond and Platinum when it comes to party time. No problem. But there needs to be something between Plat and D for sure.

One cruise and go up to Red and then total of 25 days to go up to Gold. Wait another 50 days until Plat but then reward your most loyal base with having to cruise another 125 days for the next level? I don't get that. They have dug themselves a self made hole of expectations. I do not disagree that the entire thing needs an overhaul. But it will not decrease the number they already have because pushing people 'back' will not be tolerated. 

 

But the issue I had was "let's increase number of days for plat and D because the FTTF price went up"? Connection?

The only tie between the two things is some of the features (early cabin access) was really for FTTF and added for plat/diamonds.  It is entirely feasible that at some point they will remove this the loyalty program and make it only for FTTF.  While I understand your point on the differences between the levels (points wise) the issue in their eyes is the same.  Too many diamonds and way to many plats (assuming a time between level and amenities tied to them).  Again, it has to change, whether you tolerate or not. 

[xDisconnections]

7 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

If it angers people who think they're better than everyone else just because they've been on more cruises, then that's just an added bonus of FTTF. P/D's still get the benefits promised to them, none are diluted. While the loyalty program will never go away, there are Carnival execs who have been on record as saying the company would rather get away from building loyalty with people who are only loyal because of the freebies.

My post wasn’t meant to insinuate anyone is better than another passenger or that any anger or disdain is shown towards Faster to the Fun. I’m glad those who purchase it can enjoy it but I simply am not a fan of the program.

 

When everyone has Priority, nobody has Priority and this is displayed especially on long cruises and those on other cruise lines who try to capture and recognize guest loyalty. When Carnival cannot provide those benefits to elites but can to those who purchased FTTF, that is a devaluation.

[tinkr2]

On 6/4/2019 at 2:03 PM, NightOne said:

 

I've looked at mine and do not see an increase. I also don't see an increase on the Carnival website where they list the prices for FTTF. 🙂

I just paid 119 for my 6 day on Horizon. I thought it was going to be 50 bucks lol