FTTF - anyone else have issues?

[Cinders411]

I've done FTTF at Galveston in July and we did it at New Orleans last week and neither time was our room ready. In New Orleans they had nobody directing us to the FTTF line so we were in the regular line till I got ahold of someone to ask about it.

 

At the end, they had us meet in a lounge and escorted us out but none of the luggage was ready. We stood and waited 20 minutes while watching hundreds of self assist folks slide out of the terminal to their cars.

 

FTTF wasn't a lot of help.

 

We tried FTTF for the first time on the Dream in Nov. Definitely not worth it to us. When we arrived we were directed to one waiting area and then a Carnival employee told us we were in the wrong area. After we moved way down from where we had been, another employee came to get us. This one said we were now in the wrong area! Even with FTTF we were not able to board until noon. Cabin was not ready and no luggage to be seen. There were not any tender ports so maybe we would have thought it better had there been.

[Vitamin_Sea]

Drop FTTF.

 

I agree, FTTF should be dropped but CCL is getting $50 per cabin.

 

So, its not likely to end :eek:

[Hotelfixer]

I don't have any issues with anyone buying the FTTF program. My issue is with carnival who devalued a perk that I am just now earning by taking ten cruises. All of them seven days. Ten years of loyalty sold for 50.00. Doesn't exactly give me the warm fuzzy I was looking forward to.

[dkc1973]

I'm glad to see a lot of people have had great experiences with FTTF. I'm not sure I'd pay for it again but when the time comes I might give it another shot.

 

One thing I did do is to go back and read the FTTF description. I thought maybe there was a time listed as far as when rooms would be ready but it only says they will be ready when you board. Perhaps there needs to be better communication with the terminal folks. If you have rooms that are promised to be ready and they are not maybe they should not start loading passengers....?

 

Also wanted to add that both times the stewards were very apologetic and got us ready to go as soon as they could. We've always had wonderful stewards!

[Keith Esposito]

I really don't have any sympathy for the stewards or the terminal folks. I know it may sound harsh at first but I didn't make the rules or set the price. If I pay for a service, that's what I expect to receive. if you can't deliver that to me then I would expect a refund. If a restaurant offers an entree, soup, salad, desert, and a drink for one price, and one of those items is overlooked then I shouldn't be charged full price. Since the FTTF has some perks that are time sensitive like having the room ready and luggage waiting I would really push for a refund or price adjustment if those were missed. Can't get those things back.

[larkz]

I really don't have any sympathy for the stewards or the terminal folks. I know it may sound harsh at first but I didn't make the rules or set the price. If I pay for a service, that's what I expect to receive. if you can't deliver that to me then I would expect a refund. If a restaurant offers an entree, soup, salad, desert, and a drink for one price, and one of those items is overlooked then I shouldn't be charged full price. Since the FTTF has some perks that are time sensitive like having the room ready and luggage waiting I would really push for a refund or price adjustment if those were missed. Can't get those things back.

 

True. An offer is an offer. If you paid the full price of FTTF, then the full benefits should be provided.

 

On another note, from a profitability angle, it seems like a really, really lame money-maker for Carnival. Using an example of several batches sold (let's say for a total of 50 cabins), their total FTTF revenues for a ship would be about $2500. They could raise their prices by half a buck per passenger and make that much! Why screw around with a program that causes more work for the cut-back staff, sorting out a bunch of luggage and racing it to the cabins, hurrying to clean cabins before FTTF passengers start boarding, guiding passengers down to their tenders, and so on?

 

Not complaining, of course, since I purchased it for my upcoming cruise. In a couple of weeks I'll report back on how it worked for me.

[Keith Esposito]

I'll be using it also in 5 weeks on the Pride and I expect to get what is listed. Don't think its a huge moneymaking scheme though. It's a little extra thing to buy kinda like a welcome aboard package.

[gatorgirlpam]

Just off the Breeze and had purchased FTTF, our only issue was no one in POM seemed to know anything and we ended up standing in a long line to check luggage; after we get to the front the guy pointed next to him where no one is standing and said that is our line...no sign and no help from anyone when asked if there was a different line for FTTF. Next to security we got in line then they called priority and FTTF and we got in faster, check-in was even MORE confusing, after we finally get upstairs we tell them we are FTTF and ask which line we are to go to, she looks at us then directs us to this long line and hand us boarding #29, again I say we are FTTF and she says you are in the correct line. I waited until another employee came around (about 5 minutes) and tell her we are FTTF and she looks at our paper work then walks us over to the FTTF check in line.... On ship we had no issues, our cabin was ready and our luggage was delivered before 3pm.... Would I do it again, yes!