Disembarking question (FTTF vs. self assist)

[jnksmom12]

We'll need to disembark asap from our August cruise. My kids' first day of school is the following day and we'll have an 8 hour drive back home. I've purchased FTTF and plan on self assist disembark. Do the FTTF folks get off before the self assist without FTTF or do all self assist go at the same time? Thanks!

[isaiahsnana]

Platinum and Diamond guests are first, then FTTF then the rest of the self assist. Usually less than 1/2 hour between first and last - so if that is what you are paying $50 for then I would save the $.

[RWolver672]

For our last three cruises, we've had FTTF. Platinum/Diamond and FTTF all met in one area and were let off together first.

[riffatsea]

Agree! Platinum/Diamond and FTTF all meet in one place and are led off the ship before any of the other self assist folks are allowed off.

We've been the first off the ships several times now and we think it is quite worth while especially if you need to catch a plane or get on the road!

[seventhwardhustler]

Platinum and Diamond guests are first, then FTTF then the rest of the self assist. Usually less than 1/2 hour between first and last - so if that is what you are paying $50 for then I would save the $.

 

i agree. it really didn't make much of a difference AT ALL. in fact, we spent more time sitting around WAITING to get called.

[TerReuv]

Platinum and Diamond guests are first, then FTTF then the rest of the self assist. Usually less than 1/2 hour between first and last - so if that is what you are paying $50 for then I would save the $.

 

This is incorrect. Self assist is first. Diamond/Platinum and FTTF are all together and get off right after self assist. There are no tiers of self-assist from what I have heard and observed.

[Linda the Book Lover]

This is incorrect. Self assist is first. Diamond/Platinum and FTTF are all together and get off right after self assist. There are no tiers of self-assist from what I have heard and observed.

 

It may depend on the ship location. As riffatsea stated we were always the first ones off the ship in LA.

[Jamman54]

This is incorrect. Self assist is first. Diamond/Platinum and FTTF are all together and get off right after self assist. There are no tiers of self-assist from what I have heard and observed.

 

I have to correct you as this has been my experience. Diamond, Platinum, & FTTF that choose to do the self assist debarkation are given a time and place to meet, and are led off the ship before the other self assist passengers. The same holds true for those that choose relaxed (Zone) debarkation.

 

Edited June 7, 2016 by Jamman54

[akfan]

We had the FTTF on the May 7th sailing aboard the Glory. We were not taken to a special room. We waited on deck 5 like everyone else. They started with self assist and it was chaos. They started with deck 1 then deck 2. We had an early flight and was really getting worried. This was our main reason for buying FTTF. Finally they announced groups 1,2,3 could leave we were group 2. So must depend on the ship

[seventhwardhustler]

This is incorrect. Self assist is first. Diamond/Platinum and FTTF are all together and get off right after self assist. There are no tiers of self-assist from what I have heard and observed.

 

i was on the conquest last, as well, and it seems like you're right. although others appear to say you have to do FTTF *and* self assist to be one of the first ones off.

Edited June 7, 2016 by seventhwardhustler

[sc4125]

If you have FTTF or are Platinum, Diamond AND you are doing self-assist you will be the first ones off the ship - at least this has been my experience on all of the ships I've been on since turning Platinum several years ago.

 

You will get a letter (like the one shown in the earlier post) and, again in my experience, you should be off the ship as soon as it is cleared. I've been off the ship and through Customs before 8:00 most of the time - I was actually out in the parking lot at 7:30 when I got off the Breeze and Glory during the last 2 cruises.

[Davey Wavey]

We'll need to disembark asap from our August cruise. My kids' first day of school is the following day and we'll have an 8 hour drive back home. I've purchased FTTF and plan on self assist disembark. Do the FTTF folks get off before the self assist without FTTF or do all self assist go at the same time? Thanks!

 

Self-assist with FTTF/Platinum/Diamond (priority) are the first to be called to disembark. They then begin to call self-assist without priority by individual decks next (with 2 decks called about every 15/20 minutes) along with or closely followed by assisted groups 1 and 2. The decks seem random with once it being decks 1 and 11 first, once it was deck 3 and 9 first, once it was deck 5 first. On this last cruise from the time they called the priority self-assist until they started calling self-assist by deck was an hour. On every cruise I have been on, the time between priority self-assist and the final self-assist decks was well over 90 minutes. Don't let people tell you it will only save you a few minutes. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't...it really is hit or miss depending on circumstances and ship and port and your deck. If being off first is very important, use FTTF and make sure.

[Bookbug53]

deleted

Edited June 8, 2016 by Bookbug53

[riffatsea]

@akfan,

It is possible that your letter giving you the special meeting place for FTTF priority disembarkation was either not placed in your mailbox or else someone took it out!

Since you were supposed to get priority disembarkation as part of your FTTF I would have gone to Guest Services to ask about that the night before I left the ship.

Sorry that you had a bad experience!

 

[BallFour4]

This is incorrect. Self assist is first. Diamond/Platinum and FTTF are all together and get off right after self assist. There are no tiers of self-assist from what I have heard and observed.

 

 

Nope. The first off the ship are Diamond self-assist, followed by Platinum, followed by FTTF. Some ships even separate Diamond and Platinum. The Magic has three separate waiting areas on Deck 3 to clear each group.

The Triumph groups all three in a dining room and makes a half-hearted attempt to call the groups in order. The results there were mixed.

 

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Edited June 8, 2016 by BallFour4

[elliair]

This is incorrect. Self assist is first. Diamond/Platinum and FTTF are all together and get off right after self assist. There are no tiers of self-assist from what I have heard and observed.

 

On our recent Carnival cruise, we were off first BEFORE self-assist. FTTF were included with platinum and diamond passengers. Maybe different ships do it differently. If you have FTTF, then I'd hook up with the platinum/diamond group,as long as you self-assist which is what we do regardless.

[TerReuv]

@akfan,

It is possible that your letter giving you the special meeting place for FTTF priority disembarkation was either not placed in your mailbox or else someone took it out!

Since you were supposed to get priority disembarkation as part of your FTTF I would have gone to Guest Services to ask about that the night before I left the ship.

Sorry that you had a bad experience!

 

 

Agree! With FTTF they should deliver you Zone 1 tags the night before. I guess the three cruises I have been on have had all of self assist together, or I never noticed them calling it separately. I do know that we as FTTF were in the dining room with Platinum and Diamonds for regular debark. They pretty much let us all leave at the same time.

[Raxter54]

On our Dream cruise last February, we FTTF folk met in the Crimson dining room at 6:30. We docked at 7:00 AM, Diamond/Platinum left first, FTTF immediately after. We were thru customs and waiting for the shuttle bus by 7:30. From what another cruiser on our roll call reported, several thousand non-priority cruisers tried self-disembarking right after, and it was chaos. Thank you FTTF [emoji3]

 

 

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[sharse]

On Sunshine, we had FTTF. We were told we could do self-assist, we could have luggage tag number 2 because of the FTTF, or we could have our regular luggage tag which was maybe 23 or so. We chose to use luggage tag 2 as we weren't in a huge hurry.

 

All self-assist passengers got off first, then they called luggage tag 1... then 2... etc.

 

Our friends did not have FTTF but needed to self-assist and get off quickly. They just went down when everyone else did and got off with all the other self-assist passengers. It was a bit chaotic they said, but there was no differentiation between Platinum, FTTF, or anyone else who chose to self assist. They all went at the same time.

 

Perhaps it varies by ship.