FTTF pass

[Luvcruisin76]

How far out are these usually available? I'm 157 days out and keep checking but no luck yet...

[Butterbean1000]

You just have to keep checking several times a day.  I have gotten it as far out as 200 days and as close as 10 days out.  I suggest you join a social network group for your cruise or a roll call.  They tend to keep members informed. 

[RWolver672]

Check on final payment due date.  Some that have bought it may cancel their cruise and those become available.

 

[TonyinMD]

I booked 2 rooms for my family on the Horizon in October and when I booked,  there were no FTTF passes available,  but I was able to get them by continually checking.

 

First became available about 3 weeks after I booked.  After checking about 4-5 times a day,  I happened to catch one around my lunchtime at work and grabbed it for one of the rooms...and that was it,  they only had one pass available then.

 

About a week ago,  I caught a second one when I was up early at 4am prepping for work...and again,  after I grabbed the one for my second room,  it went back to sold out.

 

Keep checking,  multiple times a day if you can on your phone,  they drop one here and there leading up to the cruise date.  And like someone else said,  I'd imagine some might become available on final payment due date.  

[ishap]

1 hour ago, TonyinMD said:

I booked 2 rooms for my family on the Horizon in October and when I booked,  there were no FTTF passes available,  but I was able to get them by continually checking.

 

First became available about 3 weeks after I booked.  After checking about 4-5 times a day,  I happened to catch one around my lunchtime at work and grabbed it for one of the rooms...and that was it,  they only had one pass available then.

 

About a week ago,  I caught a second one when I was up early at 4am prepping for work...and again,  after I grabbed the one for my second room,  it went back to sold out.

 

Keep checking,  multiple times a day if you can on your phone,  they drop one here and there leading up to the cruise date.  And like someone else said,  I'd imagine some might become available on final payment due date.  

 

You've got it right.  Just got to keep checking yourself.  If you rely on social media to let you know when they are available, they will most likely be sold out by the time you get to the site.  I've had the same experience where I bought mine and it showed sold out right after.

[Organized Chaos]

3 hours ago, TonyinMD said:

I booked 2 rooms for my family on the Horizon in October and when I booked,  there were no FTTF passes available,  but I was able to get them by continually checking.

 

First became available about 3 weeks after I booked.  After checking about 4-5 times a day,  I happened to catch one around my lunchtime at work and grabbed it for one of the rooms...and that was it,  they only had one pass available then.

 

About a week ago,  I caught a second one when I was up early at 4am prepping for work...and again,  after I grabbed the one for my second room,  it went back to sold out.

 

Keep checking,  multiple times a day if you can on your phone,  they drop one here and there leading up to the cruise date.  And like someone else said,  I'd imagine some might become available on final payment due date.  

 

Yep, these are FTTF coming from people who just happened to either cancel their FTTF or cancelled their cruise altogether. So it gets thrown back into the pool. But the thing is, with the way their system works, when someone cancels, FTTF doesn't immediately appear back in the availability pool. It could take several hours for the system to list it again. So there's some luck involved to catch one. I check at all hours of the day and night. If I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, I check. I got one for our 2020 cruise around 5am one morning. Still on the hunt for one more.

 

2 hours ago, ishap said:

 

You've got it right.  Just got to keep checking yourself.  If you rely on social media to let you know when they are available, they will most likely be sold out by the time you get to the site.  I've had the same experience where I bought mine and it showed sold out right after.

 

I agree. Like I said above, when we see one or two FTTF appear here & there, it's because someone cancelled. So if one of those people on social media caught one, then told everyone on the social media group that they're available, chances are very good that the one they just bought was the only one, or maybe two, so they're just going to be sold out again.

 

The number of FTTF they sell for a cruise is capacity controlled based on the number of Platinum/Diamonds who've booked. If they reach a certain point prior to the cruise and determine that there are a lower number of P/D's (who knows what that number is), they might release another group of FTTF.

[jessencaitly]

I think it depends on the trip too..the ones for our Christmas cruise hasn't sold out at all yet, it opened in February, while it seems like some cruises people say it sells out immediately.

 

Keep watching, you'll also see a lot of people say they find theirs randomly in the middle of the night, or super early in the morning.

[Narcussist]

For my May 3, 2020 sailings, ours was available at 405 days until sailing. It could depend on ship, and itinerary for when it will post. It still is available for our cruise, and hasn't sold out yet.

[CarnivalCruiser32]

Like everyone above said - just keep checking a few times a day. We booked the Horizon for December in April and it was already sold out when we booked. I checked every day for maybe the last two monthsor so (I kept forgetting to do it before oops lol). I was refreshing A LOT on Monday and around 5pm I refreshed the excursions page and the "Sold Out" wording was gone and I thought I was losing my mind because I was not expecting it to become available.

 

I never checked in the middle of the night or early in the morning. I checked during work hours only essentially.  I would forget to wake myself up and do it at odd times like folks suggested so maybe I could've gotten it sooner if I had. But basically - just keep checking and you'll probably be able to snag one

[sunonfire]

I purchased FTTF for both of my booked cruises. The dates are January 12, 2020 and November 29, 2020.

[teknoge3k]

If I had to bet, I'd say it went on sale a long time ago and already sold out for your voyage. As others have mentioned, there MIGHT be a handful of slots open up. 

[Butterbean1000]

On 6/26/2019 at 8:01 AM, ishap said:

 

You've got it right.  Just got to keep checking yourself.  If you rely on social media to let you know when they are available, they will most likely be sold out by the time you get to the site.  I've had the same experience where I bought mine and it showed sold out right after.

 

[Butterbean1000]

My cruise FB group is who alerted me when it was available.  I was able to snag one.

[Organized Chaos]

On 6/26/2019 at 10:37 AM, jessencaitly said:

I think it depends on the trip too..the ones for our Christmas cruise hasn't sold out at all yet, it opened in February, while it seems like some cruises people say it sells out immediately.

 

It was available for a few months for our cruise last year. Nothing special, just a June cruise. But for our Horizon 2020 cruise, it sold out in a week or two.

 

1 hour ago, teknoge3k said:

If I had to bet, I'd say it went on sale a long time ago and already sold out for your voyage. As others have mentioned, there MIGHT be a handful of slots open up. 

 

If the OP isn't seeing it listed at all, then it hasn't been released yet. If they sell out, they're still listed in the excursions and marked as sold out. Seeing ours become available 1 year out from the cruise the last two years was unexpected. But to see someone say theirs was available 405 days out, dang!

[Luvcruisin76]

Thank you everyone! I just keep checking several times a day hoping 1 will pop up. Thanks!

[maryred]

Here are the exclusions Carnival posts to the FttF program:

*Faster to the Fun is not offered on Carnival Journeys and Europe cruises.

 

Faster to the Fun is not offered in the following home ports: Honolulu, Norfolk, Vancouver. 

Faster to the Fun will be offered on the Carnival Panorama, starting with departures in February 2020, Carnival Radiance, starting with departures in January 2021 and Mardi Gras, starting in 2021 (date to be determined).

 

What they don't publish is on certain dates like a Premier Casino cruise since they are extending Priority embarkation/debarkation FttF will not be offered until that casino special closes out it's promo, which can be as little as a few weeks before sailing. Another alternative is if there is a large closed group booking that arranged special boarding privileges as there group perk, in which case FttF might not be offered for that cruise date.

[ctav01]

On 6/25/2019 at 9:50 PM, Luvcruisin76 said:

How far out are these usually available? I'm 157 days out and keep checking but no luck yet...

I got an FTTF 362 days out. Like most have been saying, you've got to keep looking 

[jdemps]

On 6/27/2019 at 3:07 PM, teknoge3k said:

If I had to bet, I'd say it went on sale a long time ago and already sold out for your voyage. As others have mentioned, there MIGHT be a handful of slots open up. 

FTTF doesn't show at all in excursions for the FEB 2020 cruise that was supposed to go to Cuba.  I have been checking every day but it's still no there at about 240 days til sailing.  Am I correct that it will show sold out but it will show up at least if it has been released for that sailing?  Thanks.  

[midcarolina]

56 minutes ago, jdemps said:

FTTF doesn't show at all in excursions for the FEB 2020 cruise that was supposed to go to Cuba.  I have been checking every day but it's still no there at about 240 days til sailing.  Am I correct that it will show sold out but it will show up at least if it has been released for that sailing?  Thanks.  

yes....That's correct

[HuliHuli]

For what it is worth, I just sailed on the Carnival Elation out of its new home-port at Port Canaveral and did not get FTTF.  But, by reserving an early check-in time as soon as it was possible to do so, it was totally unnecessary.  From the time we arrived in the luggage drop-off area (11:06 AM) until we were headed up the gangway (11:26 AM) we did not stand in any lines, and no, we are not even Gold.  One should consider the ship size, port efficiency, itinerary and especially their selected check-in time to see if FTTF will be a good value for them.  We were among the first off the ship at Amber Cove and Grand Turk and the very first passengers to embark after Platinum.  For us FTTF would have been a complete waste of money.  Just my opinion based on experience.

[TNcruising02]

FTTF was sold out for my cruise on the Magic (which I am currently on), but became available for a few hours around 38 days out.  It became available a few more times, but sold out quickly.  I would keep checking each day.  

I was able to get it for my current cruise out of Fort Lauderdale.  I arrived at the port around 10:30 am and walked directly through the priority line and checked in with no wait.  They told me that my cabin will be ready as soon as I board. I was then told to sit in the FTTF waiting area.  Carnival started boarding suite passengers around 10:38 and FTTF people around 10:50.  I had carry-ons only, so I went straight to my cabin, was unpacked by 11:10 and headed up to Guy's for a burger.

For the tender port, we received a letter in our cabin that stated we should meet in a certain dining room at 8:00 am.  We were there at 8:00 am and on the tender boat as soon as they were ready for boarding.

We leave tomorrow and got a letter stating we should meet in the theater at 6:30 am if we want to exit the ship early with our luggage.  If not, we can use the provided zone 2 luggage tags and meet in the theater at 7:45.  I have two more cruises before I will be Platinum and will definitely try to get FTTF for them.  I've been able to get it two times when it was originally sold out and not able to get it two other times when it was sold out.  It's just a matter of checking at the right time.

Edited June 29, 2019 by TNcruising02

[cruisegus]

6 hours ago, HuliHuli said:

For us FTTF would have been a complete waste of money.  Just my opinion based on experience.

it is always different for each person.

For us we carry our luggage on and off the ship so until we are Platinum, the ability to be the first on and drop luggage in room immediately is worth $80 on a 7 night cruise.  Each persons circumstance is different so they have to decide for themselves if it is worth it.

[jdemps]

I like FTTF so I can just carry on my bag, not use a porter and unpack when I want to and not have to wait on luggage.  Luggage has arrived as late as 8pm before and I just don't like to wait that long to get settled.  Cruising is just so cheap that it's really not a big deal to spend the xtra amount.  I will continue to look every day til FTTF is relesased for FEB 2020 on sunrise out of FLL, nothing yet.  

[Shaded Lady]

I just booked our next cruise and FTTF was available, 520 days out. Our last cruise we were 600+ day out when we booked but it was around 500 days out that it was made available for that one. Then suddenly about 90 days out, it was available for 24 hours. After that, it only showed up occasionally.

 

So like someone said earlier, I suspect they've already offered it initially for your cruise, and they may offer it in bulk another time, but it's likely to be hit or miss and you need to grab it when you see it!