Is Faster to the Fun worth it?

[Gingee]

Is Faster to the Fun worth it? Do you really save much time on any of the things listed?

 

How about the dining room reservations? I don't get that part.

 

Debating..........

[paulypride]

ABSOLUTELY!

 

I at first wasnt sure it was a deal -

 

I quickly learned it was great - I was at the port and on the ship by 11:15am

 

My room was ready, my pre ordered liquor in the room and my bags all dropped off by 12noon

 

I was on the lido enjoying a cocktail and finished with lunch by 1230pm and then was able to leisurely unpack and be all settled in before the muster.

 

The 3 or 4 times I needed to go to guest services, I walked right up, never had to wait more then 1 or 2 minutes and was taken care of and assisted on the special line for FTTF guests.

 

I loved being able to request the zone debarkation tag I wanted. I chose 1 and we were off the ship and half way home by the time the last zone was called.

[MichelleChell]

Yep

[buddylover]

We utilized FTTF 2 times before becoming Platinum.....it was very worth it especially if going to ports where tenders are used. No waiting in those groups with numbers to be called.....you simply go to Guest Services desk and they take you right on down.....you bypass all the lines and hop right onto the next or waiting tender. That in itself was worth the $$. Getting right onto the ship and dropping off carry on in your cabin immediately was another huge plus. If we weren't Platinum, where those are the perks, I would certainly do it FTTF again.

[cccer]

I think it's worth it. Usually we get there early so we are on board by 11 but the nice thing is putting the carryons and water/soda in the room right away. Last summer we had explored the Breeze and eaten by 1:00.

As far as the dining, we always book about a year in advance and have never been waitlisted for when we want to eat so I am not sure how much of an advantage that is, at least for us.

Edited January 30, 2014 by cccer

[vols_159]

Great money maker for carnival

[riclop]

Not to us we can put $50 to better use.

[cccer]

Great money maker for carnival

 

True, doesn't answer the OP's question though

[Inkah]

I have only used it once but i loved it and will purchase it again this upcoming cruise.

[walty]

No.

[Briitini]

Not when I can be on board eating by 11:15am and even in zone 13 boarding

[Tapi]

I think it depends on the ship and departure city. I can see how it might be useful in places like Miami, specially if you like to arrive very early, but in other ports like Jacksonville where you can literally go from car to cabin in 15 minutes, it's probably a waste of money.

 

 

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[Ehpride]

I haven't used it yet but I will in November. I think the best part for me is going to be able to go right to my cabin instead of having to take my carry on to lido, take turns getting lunch, etc...

[happycrafter207]

I think it depends on the ship and departure city. I can see how it might be useful in places like Miami, specially if you like to arrive very early, but in other ports like Jacksonville where you can literally go from car to cabin in 15 minutes, it's probably a waste of money.

 

 

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opinions on Tampa? We are sailing on Paradise on feb 22 -we will be going to Grand Cayman and Cozumel

[Warm Breezes]

Only you can answer that question based on your desires. Many cruisers feel it is worth it to them. IMHO it is not worth it to us. Most of the time we have very little wait to board. The few times that we did were not a big deal to us. We never had to wait long for tenders either so that was never an issue. We take one rolling carryon with us that has never been a hassle either. We rarely eat in the specialty restaurants so don't need help with reservations. Finally we try to be one of the last ones off the ship most of time so it wouldn't help us there either. Since this is how we cruise FTTF would not be worth $50 to us....but you could be totally different from us and find value in what it offers. We don't.

[FiveAce]

opinions on Tampa? We are sailing on Paradise on feb 22 -we will be going to Grand Cayman and Cozumel

 

I sailed Paradise last year using Faster to the Fun. After passing through security I was ushered to the FTTF line and was briefed by the friendly attendant of the perks. She affixed the sticker to my Sail and Sign card and gave me a pass that would allow me to board immediatly after Platinum cruisers.

I was the first to board after the Platinums which I believe was shortly after 11AM. By the time my party joined me (we arrived separately due to last minute work obligations) I had already finished lunch on the Lido deck. In fact, I was the only person on the Lido deck besides staff as everyone was still in line to board the ship.

After I met up with my family I went to my cabin and saw my luggage had already arrived - a process that usually takes a few hours without FTTF. This isn't a big deal to me but it's nice knowing early on that all of your luggage made it safely to your cabin.

Grand Cayman is a tender port, and the only tender port on the Cayman/Cozumel itinerary. Because not everyone in my party had FTTF I waited in line for the tender along with everyone else. FTTF affords you the opportunity to skip the lines, but the wait to disembark was under 10 minutes so this wasn't a big deal. We disembarked as soon as the tender was open that morning so the wait might have gotten longer as time progressed and everyone had finished breakfast.

I never needed to go to customer service but if I did it would have been a breeze. I never saw more than one person in the FTTF line for customer service, meanwhile I never saw fewer than 8-10 people in the regular line. This is a big perk of FTTF if you require customer service.

Was it worth it? To me it was. Everyone's experience will be different but I'll take advantage of this every time I cruise Carnival just to be able to board early and get immediate access to customer service if needed.

[carrieluvsgreg]

We sailed with friends on the Paradise in December (we are platinum, they were blues and reds). We boarded first but they were all onboard within 15-20 minutes behind us. We basically had time to go to our cabin, drop our luggage and go up to lido and fill our plates and they were there. So, on that voyage, I'd say no... It wouldn't be worth it. Now, we were on the 4 day, so we didn't have a tender port.

[pecandelight]

It is worth it for the guest services line alone!!! I had to visit them 3 or 4 times for quarters for the laundry, a question about Wifi, a question about WHEN the waterslide would be open, etc. and the regular line was huge, whereas you walk right up to the FTTF, Platinum member line.

 

People in the regular line were not moving fast - they only have 2-3 staff helping at a time - and I'm sure some of the problems were complicated, maybe billing or something. I had quick questions but I would have never waited in a line for 30 minutes to get quarters!

 

That alone is worth $50. And yes, when you see others getting luggage delivered at 5 p.m. and yours was delivered right after boarding - it's a good thing.

 

Would ALWAYS do it if it was available.

[Rena921]

We feel it's worth it. Especially when you have a tender port.

[dwayneb236]

Absolutely worth every penny.. to us... but we don't carry around a case of sour grapes with us..

 

We will for sure use it again when we can.

[walty]

It is worth it for the guest services line alone!!! I had to visit them 3 or 4 times for quarters for the laundry, a question about Wifi, a question about WHEN the waterslide would be open, etc. and the regular line was huge, whereas you walk right up to the FTTF, Platinum member line.

 

People in the regular line were not moving fast - they only have 2-3 staff helping at a time - and I'm sure some of the problems were complicated, maybe billing or something. I had quick questions but I would have never waited in a line for 30 minutes to get quarters!

 

That alone is worth $50. And yes, when you see others getting luggage delivered at 5 p.m. and yours was delivered right after boarding - it's a good thing.

 

Would ALWAYS do it if it was available.

 

So you're willing to pay $12.50 each time you visit Guest Services just so you can be at the head of the line?

 

You can get quarters in the casino with no line. You can get your WiFi question answered in the Internet Cafe and any pool attendant can answer your question about the water slide. Are you sure you weren't just inventing inane questions just so you could use the Platinum/Diamond line at the Guest Services Desk?

 

I always carry on my luggage so I never worry about when it is delivered. Just out of curiosity, what do you always leave in your luggage that you need so quickly? Perhaps you should just carry that item on with you?

Edited January 30, 2014 by walty

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Nope

 

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[tomsuelaw]

I think it depends on a few things:

 

1st, your traveling party. If you have a large group, or are traveling with small kids, or people with special needs, then yes, yes, yes it is worth it! However, if it is just you and smaller group that all operate at the same speed and schedule then no. You can just get to port early for check in so you board zone 2. In which case you get on board right after FTTF and VIPs anyway. With our small kids it is nice to get to go straight to the room and drop off our bags.

 

2nd, Tender Ports. Tendering sucks, it is a pain! But. FTTF helps take that stress away. So if you have itinerary with one or more tenders then it will help!

 

3rd, tight schedules. Do you have a tight schedule where you have to be the 1st off the ship on debarkation day? If so, FTTF can help with this too.

 

I find when it is just me and DH, we don't need FTTF, cause the fun just happens faster for us. But with our 2 little kids in tow, FTTF helps and is worth it. :cool:

[dwayneb236]

Why does it bothers so much with what we do with our own money?

Oh never mind. There will always be an uproar here because we did not "earn" this privilege, we paid for it. Kinda like paying for past cruises and reaching a certain level.

[walty]

opinions on Tampa? We are sailing on Paradise on feb 22 -we will be going to Grand Cayman and Cozumel

 

Cozumel is not a tender port. What time do you arrive in Grand Cayman?