FTTF sold out, worth stalking and hoping or just forget about it?

[Maggiebobo]

Please help me decide. This is our second cruise, (myself, husband 15 yr old and 19 year old). Our first cruise was on the Elation out of Jacksonville, FTTF wasn't offered, I assume because it is a smaller ship and smaller port. This time we will be on the Dream out of New Orleans, stopping at Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We don't have any excursion booked yet, still trying to decide what excursions we want to do.

 

I'm not sure which ports tender vs port.

 

Our cruise check in time is 12:30.

 

We have two cabins booked, so if I'm lucky and get FTTF I'm sure I'll need it for both cabins, correct?

 

I know everyone has to decide if the money is well spent on FTTF for themselves, but I could use some advice here. I was ready to just accept that we didn't get it and make the best of it. My husband thinks we should keep checking and try to get it. Everything we know about FTTF we have learned on this board.

 

Can you tell me why you love it or why you can live without it. Thank so much!

[Nic6318]

Hi Maggie

 

Since you don't have, I wouldn't worry about it. It sounds like you didn't have it for your first cruise either, unless it wasn't a Carnival cruise.

 

So you understand the benefits...

 

you would be allowed to check in early and have preferred boarding. This is only a benefit if you are waiting in the terminal before boarding has started.

 

You are allowed to have access to your cabin as soon as you board. Well, if you arrive around 12:30 -1 p.m. by the time you check in and get processed, your cabins will likely be ready anyways. They are usually open around 1:30 p.m.

 

You get preferred tender access. This perk is only a benefit if you want to be on the first tender. It doesn't mean you don't have to wait, in fact it means you do have to wait. You have to be ready and waiting before people are able to board the tenders. Once they are able to start debarking, you will be on one of the first few tenders. The best way to avoid this rush to be first off, is to wait about 1/2hr.-1hr. after they announce passengers are allowed of the ship. By then there is no wait just get on the tender and it will head ashore a soon as it is full. You do have one tender port...at Grand Cayman.

 

You have a special line at guest services. If you have a problem and you have to deal with them there very often is a long line. If you have an issue that can't wait then you really have no choice but to wait, but for anything not of immediate import, lets say 20 hours of the day the wait is short, so just come back. (or call them)

 

you can get an early debarkation ticket, but if you have an early flight, you just have to tell guest services and they will give you a number #2 debarkation tags for your suitcases. Of course if you do self debarkation, it doesn't matter.

 

Those are main benefits of the FTTF. You will have to purchase it for both cabins if you choose to buy it. Sometimes they will have some available at a later date, but you will have to watch for them. We don't need those benefits because we are platinum and they didn't have the program before we became platinum. So we never had the opportunity to purchase it. I can't imagine paying for something that isn't needed, but a lot of people think it's worth the price

 

hope this helps

have a great cruise

[GalFitness19]

I've really enjoyed FTTF and have stalked it until something opened up, which could be as close as a few days from your cruise date. For us it's worth being able to get off the ship first at debarkation. Saves a TON of time at Customs, which can take hours in Galveston, where we cruise from typically.

 

 

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[Daphne'sMom]

You didn't mention how far out your cruise will be. My next one is in April. I took my tablet to work with me so that I could check while on breaks & lunch and was lucky to snag it. I checked again out of curiosity when I got home and it was listed as sold out again.

 

We have used it in the past and it made the boarding process so much easier but it sounds like the new staggered boarding process may have improved this from those who have reported on it. It is also a really nice if you have to visit the guest services desk. My brother had an issue with his account and was able to avoid a really long line at the guest services desk. It wouldn't ruin my vacation if I wasn't able to get it but it is worth the money to me.

Edited February 5, 2017 by Daphne'sMom
typo

[teknoge3k]

Some people think it's a waste of money. Personally, we won't ever cruise without it. The fact that we can skip the huge lines in the terminal and go directly to our room once we board makes a world of a difference for us since we always have a carry on each as well as 4 12-packs of soda with us. That's a lot to lug around.

 

Plus having a dedicated line at guest services is great because the lines can be long. Especially the first and last days.

 

The priority tendering is a plus as well if you're going to a tendered port.

[watermelonqueen99]

When FTTF was $49.95, and there wasn't such a thing as staggered check-in, we felt it was worth it. Now, not so much. Sure, priority tendering and a dedicated guest services line is nice, but that money could go toward an excursion or even Cheers. Don't fret if you don't get it, it won't affect your cruise. Everyone will get on the ship eventually. Lol

[Shaded Lady]

When FTTF was $49.95, and there wasn't such a thing as staggered check-in, we felt it was worth it. Now, not so much. Sure, priority tendering and a dedicated guest services line is nice, but that money could go toward an excursion or even Cheers. Don't fret if you don't get it, it won't affect your cruise. Everyone will get on the ship eventually. Lol

 

This is almost word for word what I was going to post!

 

The only thing I'm concerned about missing on my next cruise (we've decided not to get FTTF this time just to see if there's a big difference in the convenience level) is the ability to drop our carry on bags in the room as soon as we board. Other than that, I figure it's no big deal.

[Jamericannn]

It is worth it for me especially when I am traveling with my grandma who is in her mid 80s and my daughter who is 2. Benefits of getting on and off the ship without them having to wait too long.

 

When is your cruise? If final payment date hasn't arrived as yet you should check the day after. Many people will drop their cruise just before final payment if they figure they can't finish paying for it.

[riclop]

Please help me decide. This is our second cruise, (myself, husband 15 yr old and 19 year old). Our first cruise was on the Elation out of Jacksonville, FTTF wasn't offered, I assume because it is a smaller ship and smaller port. This time we will be on the Dream out of New Orleans, stopping at Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We don't have any excursion booked yet, still trying to decide what excursions we want to do.

 

I'm not sure which ports tender vs port.

 

Our cruise check in time is 12:30.

 

We have two cabins booked, so if I'm lucky and get FTTF I'm sure I'll need it for both cabins, correct?

 

I know everyone has to decide if the money is well spent on FTTF for themselves, but I could use some advice here. I was ready to just accept that we didn't get it and make the best of it. My husband thinks we should keep checking and try to get it. Everything we know about FTTF we have learned on this board.

 

Can you tell me why you love it or why you can live without it. Thank so much!

 

Just keep checking, you may get lucky.

[easyboy]

FTTF makes cruising more convenient and relaxed. It's worth the effort to keep on checking.

[momof4girls]

When FTTF was $49.95, and there wasn't such a thing as staggered check-in, we felt it was worth it. Now, not so much. Sure, priority tendering and a dedicated guest services line is nice, but that money could go toward an excursion or even Cheers. Don't fret if you don't get it, it won't affect your cruise. Everyone will get on the ship eventually. Lol

 

I would agree with this. I had it for our first family cruise back on the Magic. Loved it because the lines at embarkation were incredibly long. It made a huge difference. I didn't buy it when we cruised on the Triumph last year and even though NOLA had staggered check in, it was awful. I think it's because it was in the early stages. Because of the long lines, I bought it again when we cruised the Dream this past September. NOLA was much more organized by that time so it definitely didn't seem worth the cost. It was cheaper for that cruise than it is now, so I won't be buying it for our cruise on the Dream next May.

 

With all that being said, if I had iittle kids, I'd either buy it so I could drop off my carry on or choose a later embarkation time.

[cruizinisthebest]

Some people think it's a waste of money. Personally, we won't ever cruise without it. The fact that we can skip the huge lines in the terminal and go directly to our room once we board makes a world of a difference for us since we always have a carry on each as well as 4 12-packs of soda with us. That's a lot to lug around.

 

Plus having a dedicated line at guest services is great because the lines can be long. Especially the first and last days.

 

The priority tendering is a plus as well if you're going to a tendered port.

So if you can't get it but won't cruise without it, what do you do with your booked cruise? Because you can't find out if it's available until after you book. I see people saying this all of the time. Do you actually cancel your cruise, because you can't buy your way to the front of a couple lines?

 

 

Fttf was a half way decent option when it was one flat price of $49.95. I'm all for Carnival making money, but overt money grabs I can't get with. Raising the price then shortly thereafter creating staggered check-in, which I think is a great idea, makes Ffft hardly worth stalking to get. I have gotten it and may do so again, but I won't pay more than the original price or the first increase to $59.95, which was more than enough of a price hike.

 

No OP I wouldn't worry myself stalking for it. My last cruise I got onboard 20 minutes before cabins in my party did that had it. And the other benefits were of minimal use. JMO.

 

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[teknoge3k]

So if you can't get it but won't cruise without it, what do you do with your booked cruise? Because you can't find out if it's available until after you book. I see people saying this all of the time. Do you actually cancel your cruise, because you can't buy your way to the front of a couple lines?

 

 

Fttf was a half way decent option when it was one flat price of $49.95. I'm all for Carnival making money, but overt money grabs I can't get with. Raising the price then shortly thereafter creating staggered check-in, which I think is a great idea, makes Ffft hardly worth stalking to get. I have gotten it and may do so again, but I won't pay more than the original price or the first increase to $59.95, which was more than enough of a price hike.

 

No OP I wouldn't worry myself stalking for it. My last cruise I got onboard 20 minutes before cabins in my party did that had it. And the other benefits were of minimal use. JMO.

 

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It was more tongue in cheek. When I book cruises, it's the first thing I buy and if it's not available, I stalk it multiple times a day until it becomes available then purchase it. It's only $59/$69/whatever. If that little amount of money is going to break the bank for me to add the convenience factor, then I don't need to be cruising.

[Drazil65]

100% worth it, we have had it for the last 5 cruises and just booked it again for our Christmas cruise this year.

 

We lover to board as early as possible and have our cabin ready to make the most of our first day on board. We love getting our luggage early (typically right after lunch and we can settle in and unpack well before muster). We love the VIP line at GS, as many times as we did not think we would use that benefit it was wonderful to have on those few occasions that we did need to go to GS (excellent to walk right up and get waited on so quickly instead of having to stand in another line and waste time).

 

I would stalk until I got it, no regrets (my most successful timeframe seems like VERY early in morning, like 6:00 AM)!

[cruizinisthebest]

It was more tongue in cheek. When I book cruises, it's the first thing I buy and if it's not available, I stalk it multiple times a day until it becomes available then purchase it. It's only $59/$69/whatever. If that little amount of money is going to break the bank for me to add the convenience factor, then I don't need to be cruising.

It's not about breaking the bank for me either. There's just other things to do with that money. I wouldn't worry myself to get it in response to the OP.

 

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[Maggiebobo]

Thanks everyone. Our cruise is 7/16/17, looks like the balance due date is May 2. I think I'll keep stalking and keep hoping for it. It sounds like the perks would be nice to have, however, if I'm not so lucky, we will enjoy our cruise and have a great time anyway!

 

I really appreciate everyone and all the info. Like I said in my original post, this is our second cruise and I have learned everything I know from here. Disney has been our favorite vacation for years and I've got that one down but I'm just a newbie in the cruising world. I'm a planner and like to do my research to help avoid preventable hiccups along the way, so thanks again for all the help.

 

Next step is to decide on some excursions :)

[torcruise]

I have had it before and my conclusion is it's not worth it for me. I'll compare my 2 experiences with and without.

Embarking:

With Fttf. Get to terminal early and wait in line to check in. Then wait in waiting area for about an hour before being called to board.

Without fttf. Arrive to the terminal at 11:30. Wait in line to check in. Immediately board after checking in.

I preferred the embarking experience I had without Fttf.

 

Once on Board:

With Fttf. I went directly to my room and dropped off my carry-on. Then went to the buffet to eat. Went back to room to check if my luggage was there yet. It was not. Went to the pool deck and let my daughter play in the pool for a little while. Went back to room and started to unpack. Muster drill followed shortly after.

Without fttf. Went directly to the buffet, with my carry-on. After, we went to the pool and I let my daughter play in the water. She always wearing her suit under her dress. After swiming a while we head to the room and dry off and change. Muster drill, once back from muster, our luggage is there and I unpack and order a snack from roomservices.

I only carry 1 small rolling carry-on so, it was not a big deal to me to have to wheel it around for a bit.

 

Guest services line.

I only had to go to guest services once during my whole cruise. I never wait until the last day to go.

 

Tender line.

With Fttf. Wait in a long line to get off frist.

Without Fttf. Wait in your room or pool deck, then just get off whenever, without a line.

 

I'm never in a hurry to leave the ship after the cruise because all I have to do to get home is hop in a taxi and it's a 5min drive to my house.

 

So for me FTTF is not worth it.

[AussieOmni]

The only real benefit now is the room being ready. For me the price isn't worth it

 

 

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[amydresh]

We went on our first cruise last month, it was dh, me, dd 16, ds 13, ds 11. We got FTTF after I stalked it like crazy for a couple months. I am SOOO glad that we had it. It made everything about the cruise just "flow" so much better for us. Dh who doesn't like to spend money unnecessarily even agreed that he enjoyed the perks we got from it. It was especially nice having it since having the 3 kids with us. We had an early meet time in Grand Cayman and without priority tendering we would not have made it to our meeting spot on time. We also had a long drive to Nashville after disembarkation in NOLA so the early disembarkation was really nice and we were on the road by 9:00. As far as guest services, I didn't think we would need to use that at all and we ended up using it several times on the cruise.

 

We are also going on our second cruise next Feb and there isn't even FTTF available yet, but I will definitely be stalking it to see if we can get it again, if not it won't be a big deal but it would be nice to have. Dh even asked me if I had gotten it for us again.

[luckyinpa]

This is almost word for word what I was going to post!

 

The only thing I'm concerned about missing on my next cruise (we've decided not to get FTTF this time just to see if there's a big difference in the convenience level) is the ability to drop our carry on bags in the room as soon as we board. Other than that, I figure it's no big deal.

 

on NCL you are perfectly fine to just drop off bags in your cabin no matter what. they will still be cleaning the room possibly though

 

unsure how carnival handles early attempts to do this

[newNCLcruiser2010]

We were on Magic this past July. Had 3 families. We were the only one that purchased FTTF. We walked in, checked in and walked right onto the ship when we arrived at the terminal. Our room was ready and our luggage arrived about an hour after we got on. The other 2 families traveling with us, got on the ship about 1.5 hours later than we did, and their luggage didn't arrive until almost our 6:00 dinner time. They were all wishing that they had spent the extra $60. For debarkation we put our luggage out the night before, walked right out with no line and our luggage was easy to find in the FTTF labeled area. Still had to wait in line at customs, but FTTF can't help that.

I personally would stalk it. Especially because Grand Cayman is a tendered port. Lots to do there and I wouldn't want to waist time getting off 2 hours later.

But if you don't get it, it's all good because you will be on a cruise! And there is nothing better!

Hope this helps.

[hotsauce126]

Its totally worth it for tender ports like Grand Cayman, or if you get a late check-in time. Other than that though I don't think its worth it. Who spends that much time at guest services?

[Anthomaniac]

We've had it all three cruises we've been on, and have it again for November.

 

Keep in mind with fttf, you can arrive at the earliest check in time, not the time you end up with.

 

Our experience:

 

Embarkation - our experience, pre staggered check in, was excellent. Will see how it works with staggered check in this November.

 

Priority tendering - totally worth it. We waited in a lounge for about 20 minutes then were escorted to the first tender. Passed hundreds of people standing in.lines in the hallways and stairwells.

 

Priority luggage delivery - last time, had our luggage within 30 minutes of boarding. Time before, luggage was in our room when we got there. Unpacked and ready to go before regular rooms were open.

 

Customer service line - thank goodness for FTTF! Last two trips we had several issues and each time there were more than 20 people in the regular line. Two times last trip the line was LOOOOONG! Zero to one person in the priority line each time. Saved us HOURS.

 

Debarkation - we always hang around till the last call, since our flights aren't till early/mid afternoon

 

 

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[Keys2Heaven]

You asked a subjective question, so I'll give you my subjective answer. It depends.

 

Yes, we purchased this for our Conquest cruise last year. There were two reasons. 1) We had an early flight and wanted to ensure we got off early enough. And with the Luggage Express no longer being offered, this was important. 2) We wanted to see for ourselves if it was worth it after reading all the comments on this forum. We figured we really couldn't give an opinion unless we tried it.

 

 

The good

We did make use of the dedicated phone number and line for guest services. Lost our camera (i.e. was stolen) onboard and allowed me to bypass a long line several time to check with GS to see if it was turned in.

 

We did enjoy the quick check-in process. Didn't save a tremendous amount of time, but we were able to walk right up to the check-in counter.

 

Luggage was available very quickly. Nice to get unpacked and unwind. Not extremely important, but I have had to walk passageways before at 9 p.m. to find a misplaced suitcase in front of someone else's cabin.

 

The bad

The FTTF waiting area was crowded and still fill with rude, complaining people. However, these same people seemed unhappy during most of their cruise, so we just chalked it up to that's how they are all the time. But, it got annoying listening to the same couple of people drone on and on how they were FTTF (i.e. more important that the rest of the cruisers) and that they paid extra and how they weren't on the ship already.

 

The cost. Really didn't feel the $59 we paid last year was worth it, and it's $79 per cabin this year for our upcoming Vista cruise. Don't know if the price has gone up across the board or if it varies per ship or length of cruise. I think it's a nice gimmick and another way for Carnival to part the cruiser with their hard-earned money.

 

Bottom line, aside from the GS perk, there wasn't anything in this add-on that was a "must." We're on vacation for crying out loud, so going with the flow is SOP. The last think we want is to experience our vacation through the same lens used for our daily, non-cruising lives.

 

 

Please help me decide. This is our second cruise, (myself, husband 15 yr old and 19 year old). Our first cruise was on the Elation out of Jacksonville, FTTF wasn't offered, I assume because it is a smaller ship and smaller port. This time we will be on the Dream out of New Orleans, stopping at Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We don't have any excursion booked yet, still trying to decide what excursions we want to do.

 

I'm not sure which ports tender vs port.

 

Our cruise check in time is 12:30.

 

We have two cabins booked, so if I'm lucky and get FTTF I'm sure I'll need it for both cabins, correct?

 

I know everyone has to decide if the money is well spent on FTTF for themselves, but I could use some advice here. I was ready to just accept that we didn't get it and make the best of it. My husband thinks we should keep checking and try to get it. Everything we know about FTTF we have learned on this board.

 

Can you tell me why you love it or why you can live without it. Thank so much!

[LucyB.]

Our cruise isn't until Oct., from Jax. My second, my hubs & kids first. I haven't paid off the cruise, but I did purchase this for us. I think it will add some magic on embarkation day for my kids. Going straight to the room alone will be worth it, imo. My somewhat rookie advice, even though I've never used it, keep checking & go for it if you can.

I hope it adds to the surprise cruise for my kids. :)