Poll:FTTF-Worth It?

[MMfan14]

Just curious from fellow cruisers if paying extra to board the ship early is worth it. Are there truly any advantages to it? Why is getting on board first so crucial to people?

[StolidCruiser]

FTTF doesn't offer getting on board first as one of its amenities.

 

Priority boarding (behind Plats/Diamond and wedding parties) is only one of several benefits of FTTF. This, and the other benefits, are up to each person to determine whether it's a value or not.

[Kittybork]

Yes

 

Before we were platinum

[kona_wahine]

This will be cruise #4 with FTTF. Answer is YES! It's nice having the room ready when we board and able to drop off carry ons, lock our valuables ($) in the safe, and get our luggage right away. Also, the VIP lane at GS is nice, as you really don't know if you will need it. We used luggage express and had several problems which resulted 3 trips to GS last sea day. If you have ever seen the GS line last sea day you will understand. :D and it's nice having priority tendering if needed. Those are my reasons the extra fee is totally worth it.

[Warm Breezes]

To us..no. YMMV

[Drazil65]

Yes!!!!

[BettyPC]

yes it was - will try and get it in Feb 2017

[golfb4cruzing]

Just being able to go straight to the cabin and get rid of luggage is worth it. Nothing worse than shlepping luggage through Lido at lunch time and then drag it until 2 or whenever cabins are ready. At least at $60 not sure about $80. But after this one, we heading back to Princess anyways. Cabins are always ready at boarding.

[soopamanluva]

yes

[1maggie1]

Yes! For us it is for priority embarkation and mostly debarkation. We drive 6 hours to the port so getting off first makes a big difference in what time we get home. It was also nice having the special line at guest services.

[MMfan14]

We haven't sailed with Carnival for awhile. Do they still offer self debarkation?

[Kittybork]

We haven't sailed with Carnival for awhile. Do they still offer self debarkation?

 

Yes

[Scott6444]

Never bought never will. Always go straight to cabin upon boarding. Room always been ready, so dropping off luggage was no problem. Priority boarding; always been there when port opens and am one of the first on. Debarkation, never too worried getting off, always made sure connecting transportation and flights were well enough ahead to not stress when i get off the ship, allows for a liesure morning.

I could see the value a bit in priority tenders, but as we like to explore the ports of call at our will and direction we would not need priority tenders. Some excursions we have found are good, but many are very rushed and the vultures are waiting everywhere. I like to see the real ports and towns, not the tourist parts, but thats just me. Also with staggered boarding now, not sure if fttf is worth it, and not at an increased cost.

 

Happy sailing

[JMAE]

We feel it is worth it if you have tender post of call.

[cruzncouple]

For us, yes! The line at GS is enough for us. But if you have a port with tender it's valuable too. I do believe that with the staggered checkin now being implemented at the ports, more people will opt for FTTF. Unless they are lucky enough to get an early check in time.

[gene g]

Yes it is worth it. :D :D

[HectorAchilleus]

For us, yes! The line at GS is enough for us. But if you have a port with tender it's valuable too. I do believe that with the staggered checkin now being implemented at the ports, more people will opt for FTTF. Unless they are lucky enough to get an early check in time.

 

I agree that it is probably worth it if there is a tender port, but I could never see the advantage to the GS line. I just go late at night, but even then it is rare. I can go three or four cruises without even using it.

 

I do agree that as staggered boarding is put into place, more people will want it; however, the increased demand may cause another price increase.

[mzloolue]

It depends on the amount of money and patience you have.

[Butterbean1000]

Yes, we believe it is worth it. We like to arrive early, board early, unpack early. It is also helpful when going to GS. No long lines. Getting priority for tenders is a plus. If all of this does not matter to you, then no, it is not worth it. This will be our last time buying FTTF. We will be Platinum next cruise. I will not begrudge anyone buying FTTF.

[TruckinMama]

Absolutely worth it. For every aspect of service it covers.

[johnlisac]

We purchased it on our last cruise on the breeze and they never announced boarding for fttf. They went from special asst to zone one. And we didn't get our luggage till 4 pm. So for US no its not worth it.

 

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[cruzelover55]

This will be cruise #4 with FTTF. Answer is YES! It's nice having the room ready when we board and able to drop off carry ons, lock our valuables ($) in the safe, and get our luggage right away. Also, the VIP lane at GS is nice, as you really don't know if you will need it. We used luggage express and had several problems which resulted 3 trips to GS last sea day. If you have ever seen the GS line last sea day you will understand. :D and it's nice having priority tendering if needed. Those are my reasons the extra fee is totally worth it.

 

Ditto! For most of the same reasons you have posted!

[Jimmy Geegitz]

complete ripoff

[beachbum53]

On our upcoming cruise, one of our stops is HMC. We have a cabana reserved for there. There is a specific one that we're hoping to get. By having FTTF, we'll be able to board sooner and get to the Excursions Desk ahead of those with general boarding. Although there is no guarantee, hopefully the odds will be in our favor to get the cabana we want, or the one next to it. This is on top of the other benefits that we get with FTTF.

 

The question "Is FTTF worth it?" is asked on here almost weekly. And the answers are always the same. For some, the answer is "yes", and for others, the answer is "no". It is an option available for an additional cost, sort of like dining at one of the specialty restaurants. I wish people would look at what all of the benefits are that are included with FTTF and then decide for themselves if those benefits are important or not. Whether or not something is "worth it" is an individual choice. I don't know if the administrators are reading this, but I'm surprised a "Sticky" regarding the benefits of FTTF wasn't put in place a long time ago.

[riclop]

No it's a waste of $$$.