Rare villagenut Posted May 12, 2017 #1 Share Posted May 12, 2017 I have read that as time gets closer to full payment and to cruise date, they open up more slots. I am curious if anyone has experienced the best "time of day" to snag a new slot? Meaning, do they open up new slots at a specific time such as midnight or noon. Or do they open the slots at random times with no predictable timing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camijo Posted May 12, 2017 #2 Share Posted May 12, 2017 It is so random when they open up slots. You have to keep checking daily and a few different times a day if you really want FTTF. For my upcoming cruise, which is still a year out. They recently opened up FTTF and I noticed it was opened early afternoon; I had checked that morning and it wasn't there and then boom it was there later in the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bury me at sea Posted May 12, 2017 #3 Share Posted May 12, 2017 In general I've had good luck early in the morning. For summer of 2018, the original offering of a block of slots was added early-to mid afternoon. Many of us had been checking it daily for 2018 cruises and a kind soul posted here that it was available. Just keep checking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gramgoingcruising Posted May 12, 2017 #4 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Our cruise is June 11, 2017 I got the first FTTF on Dec 31,2016 at 11:00am. It didn't open up again until after final payment around 45 days from cruise. We picked up 5 for the rest of our rooms that day and there were still more the next day. You just never know when they will put them on. Just keep checking daily and several times a day. Good luck. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItsAllAboutTheSass Posted May 12, 2017 #5 Share Posted May 12, 2017 I have read that as time gets closer to full payment and to cruise date, they open up more slots. I am curious if anyone has experienced the best "time of day" to snag a new slot? Meaning, do they open up new slots at a specific time such as midnight or noon. Or do they open the slots at random times with no predictable timing? Nothing predictable. It's all capacity controlled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare villagenut Posted May 12, 2017 Author #6 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Thanks everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyboy Posted May 12, 2017 #7 Share Posted May 12, 2017 We'll never know until it's there. So we just keep on checking when time allows. Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swodog94 Posted May 12, 2017 #8 Share Posted May 12, 2017 FTTF was Sold Out when I booked on Carnival Pride a little over 100 days out from sailing. I checked several times every day, hoping FTTF would be offered again. Today, 73 days out, at around 8:00 am, I logged on and saw that there was Limited Availability. I immediately bought FTTF, and posted it to our Roll Call that it was available. I just checked again at Noon and it is showing as Sold Out again. As was stated by just about everyone posting a reply to this thread, you have to be patient and check every day, 2 or 3 times a day, because you never know when the window will open up. I'm still checking every day in hopes that an HMC cabana will become available, but no luck yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassyredhat Posted May 12, 2017 #9 Share Posted May 12, 2017 I haven't sailed CCL in awhile. Does your final payment have to be made for the FTTF's to show up? Do you find them in shore excursions? Thanks. :) Patti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesKru Posted May 12, 2017 #10 Share Posted May 12, 2017 I haven't sailed CCL in awhile.Does your final payment have to be made for the FTTF's to show up? Do you find them in shore excursions? Thanks. :) Patti Welcome back to CCL. No you do not have to be fully paid to buy FTTF. It shows up with a limited amount way out, then when they get closer to the sailing they will open more if there are not alot of platinum/Diamond guests on the ship. You will find it in the shore excursions area, if it is available. It often is there also as sold out. just check that one over and over. My understanding is that there are so many cabins per cruise... call it 100 ( could be more or less ) that they are willing to have the early boarding, and other benefits you get with FTTF. Since FTTF gets these benefits from purchasing it, but Diamond and Platinum guests get it as a loyalty perk, they decide to allocate say 50 of the 100 up front as FTTF. Then as the bookings go one they track how many Diamond and Platinum folks book and later on they will post the diff from the original 50 FTTF, pulse diamond and platinum to the system to make up the rest of the 100 they want to get these perks. Sometimes there are more Plat and Diamond, so they dont open up any more. sometimes less so they open more. Please note, I have no idea what the actual number is.. just that it is a number of cabins in inventory that they will let have these benefits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adatex Posted May 12, 2017 #11 Share Posted May 12, 2017 I've been checking daily for the past two months for FTTF for November 12th on the Breeze... No luck yet but I'm not giving up..!! Last year I was able to get it a month before the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icesk8rReedy Posted May 12, 2017 #12 Share Posted May 12, 2017 I booked my April 2018 cruise on 4/18 and the FTTF was there already. It's still there. But it's not prime time cruise slot either since not really spring break or summer break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riclop Posted May 13, 2017 #13 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Sometimes never. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cajunfla Posted May 13, 2017 #14 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Quantity of FTTFs allowed is generally determined by quantity of Diamond and Platnum cruisers booked. Carnival can only handle so many priority people at one time, can only handle so many cabins to get priority cleaning and prepping. Not everyone can be first. Someone has to be last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Mom Posted May 13, 2017 #15 Share Posted May 13, 2017 I check it so often for our August cruise that it's become the joke of my office. We are now 98 days out and I am still optimistic - they were already sold out when I booked in January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassyredhat Posted May 13, 2017 #16 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Welcome back to CCL. No you do not have to be fully paid to buy FTTF. It shows up with a limited amount way out, then when they get closer to the sailing they will open more if there are not alot of platinum/Diamond guests on the ship. You will find it in the shore excursions area, if it is available. It often is there also as sold out. just check that one over and over. My understanding is that there are so many cabins per cruise... call it 100 ( could be more or less ) that they are willing to have the early boarding, and other benefits you get with FTTF. Since FTTF gets these benefits from purchasing it, but Diamond and Platinum guests get it as a loyalty perk, they decide to allocate say 50 of the 100 up front as FTTF. Then as the bookings go one they track how many Diamond and Platinum folks book and later on they will post the diff from the original 50 FTTF, pulse diamond and platinum to the system to make up the rest of the 100 they want to get these perks. Sometimes there are more Plat and Diamond, so they dont open up any more. sometimes less so they open more. Please note, I have no idea what the actual number is.. just that it is a number of cabins in inventory that they will let have these benefits. Thank you. Explains everything. :) Patti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slacktide Posted May 14, 2017 #17 Share Posted May 14, 2017 I bookmarked FTTF for my sailing and checked it several times daily. Keep your eyes open here and the FB page for your sailing. I had checked my bookmark one morning, no luck. An hour later I seen on CC that it was available. Went to my bookmark and there it was. Thanks Cruises Critic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronkeykong Posted May 14, 2017 #18 Share Posted May 14, 2017 I recently picked up a FTTF for our cruise on the Dream in July of 2017. Last year, I picked up on 53 days out for a summer cruise. Being 80+ days out, I thought I would be checking for quite a while. I was checking several times a day. One day I checked during lunch and still nothing. I happened to check around 3:30 CST and it was available. I quickly bought mine and then checked how many were left. It said 1. By 4:15 CST, it was gone. I haven't noticed it since. My TA said it opened up probably due to some cancellations. So, you never know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spleenstomper Posted May 14, 2017 #19 Share Posted May 14, 2017 They never opened more for my most recent cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fkfad Posted May 15, 2017 #20 Share Posted May 15, 2017 I'm checking numerous times per day for our September cruise on the Dream...keeping my fingers crossed that they add more availability!!! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dleeohs Posted May 17, 2017 #21 Share Posted May 17, 2017 My magic cruise in July just opened more fttf slots at 53 days out. I read another comment where they opened at 55 days. Maybe the 50s will be your magic number, too. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunmist Posted May 17, 2017 #22 Share Posted May 17, 2017 My cruise on the glory for July 8th just opened more slots today too! Only 53 days to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusingdiva62 Posted May 17, 2017 #23 Share Posted May 17, 2017 59 days out and still sold out for my ship! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TowsonTiger Posted May 19, 2017 #24 Share Posted May 19, 2017 My last cruise I used an app with Google Chrome that notified me of changes on the webpage. It rang and I was FINALLY able to add FTTF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drrandall Posted May 19, 2017 #25 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Personally I could care less about faster to the fun. But they just opened ours up the other day for our July 9th cruise on the Breeze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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