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OpinionCarnival's Faster to the Fun

Carnival’s Faster to the Fun

Carnival Cruise Line offers a popular program called “Faster to the Fun (FTTF) that gives your entire cabin perks for the length of your cruise for anywhere between $49.95 to $79.95.

Only one member of the cabin needs to purchase FTTF and everyone in the stateroom receives the following:

  • Priority security, check-in, and express boarding
  • Staterooms are ready as soon as you board
  • Priority delivery of your luggage
  • Dedicated phone and line at guest services
  • Priority dining reservations
  • Priority tender tickets
  • Disembarkation choices

However, is it worth the fee to get access to these perks?  I have cruised on Carnival with FTTF and without it.  For me personally, I wouldn’t purchase it again since they raised the prices and here are the reasons why.  I will say that if the above perks are valuable to you, then by all means, go ahead and purchase FTTF for your cruise.

Related:  Is it worth the cost to buy Carnival’s Faster to the Fun?

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The $60-$80 to board the ship a few minutes ahead of everyone else just isn’t worth it to me.  Especially now that Carnival has rolled out staggered embarkation, I can show up at my scheduled check-in time and board the ship without much hassle.

With FTTP, your staterooms are ready as soon as you board and your luggage has priority delivery.  On embarkation day, the last place you’ll find me is in my cabin.  I’m out exploring the ship seeing all the features the ship has to offer.

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I rarely visit guest services on a cruise so I have zero reason to pay extra to have a dedicated line. I take between 8-10 cruises a year and I can’t remember the last time I visited guest services.  Personally, I think cruise lines should stop letting people take off their gratuities and then there would never be a line at guest services.  But that’s another topic for another day.

While you get priority dining reservations with FTTF, a quick visit to the maître d’ on embarkation day is usually all that is needed to get your desired dining time.

FTTF also comes with priority tender tickets, a great perk if your cruise itinerary includes a port stop that requires tendering.  However, Carnival only visits a few ports that require tendering (Half Moon Cay, Grand Cayman, Belize etc) and there are a lot of itineraries that do not have tender ports.

Lastly, you can get priority disembarkation choices with FTTF.  Since I always do walk-off disembarkation on my own, this perk becomes irrelevant to me.

Whether or not you purchase FTTF really all depends on your personal needs. However, if you want to purchase FTTF, you’ll need to do it well in advance of your cruise.  It is an extremely popular program and always sells out months in advance.

For me personally, I’d rather put the $80 towards an excursion on my cruise.

To clear up any confusion, I am not platinum, or anywhere near it with Carnival.  While I cruise often, I cruise on so many different cruise lines that I am no where near earning a top loyalty status with any one cruise line.  (9 cruises last year on 8 different cruise lines)

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OpinionCarnival's Faster to the Fun

11 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you for this! I’m really only interested in FTTF for the early cabin access, tender priority, and the customer service line. My 1st cruise was just me and my husband so the long waits were tolerble. This next cruise is was my kids. The 15 year old will be fine but that 8 year old, yikes, lol. I think the $70 price point will be worth to move around a bit more fluidly. Thanks!

  2. I don’t think it’s worth it. I also think cruise lines should give passengers the option to have their room cleaned. That would also shorten the guest service line.

  3. We have used it a few times in our last cruises in cabo worked out awesome we just got back from ours to cayman, jamaica and cozumel we did get on boat maybe 15 min before everyone else boat was late. Our stuff not ready in our room and we never except 1 port could we use fttf. So def not worth it on this cruise. Should of read reviews for this cruise didnt see it until after words that it wasnt worth it.

  4. Was totally worth it for our family. Getting on was less hassle, getting off of the ship early and quickly was less hassle and necessary as we had a long drive home. There were a few times I needed to visit customer service and using the FTTF line got me back to have fun instead of waiting behind the 5 people in the other line. That could have been a 10 min wait or longer and I’m not patient about losing precious vacation time. We will do it again in a heartbeat.

  5. Before we became Platinum we did buy the FTTF..I liked the extra perks…I personally felt it was worth the extra money…just being able to drop my “stuff” off in the cabin……

  6. Your opinion is biased. If you cruise 8 to 10 times a year, then your frequent cruise level that you have achieved gives you those perks. So of course you would think FTTF isn’t worth it.

    • I cruise on multiple cruise lines (8 different ones last year), so moving up to the higher status levels takes forever on one cruise line.

  7. These perks are free for platinum guests. If you cruise 8 – 10 times per year, you should have platinum status, even if only a few of your cruises are on Carnival each year.

    • I am no where near platinum on Carnival since I cruised on 8 different cruise lines last year. I apologize for not being more clear in the article, I have added a note at the bottom of it.

  8. 1. Saving a frw minutes boarding becomes more like saving an hour (or longer) of standing in lines being herded like cattle
    2. Your stateroom is ready as soon as you board. so youare not walking around the Lido deck dragging your carry ons, they are stowed nicely in your cabin while you stroll among all the “happy “families with 4 tired screaming kids and 2 carry ons apiece waiting on theirs to be ready.
    3. Dedicated customer service line. I too rearely use he costumer service desk as a matter of fact I use it only when I have to, but with faster to the fun the few times Ihave needed it there are only 1 or 2 people if any in line. Without FTTF is usually avery long wait (last cruise an excursion opened up at the last minute with only 20 spaces available and a long line, 20, 25 people had formed for them. but I got in the Dedicated CS line and got the 3rd and 4th seat for me and my sweetheart.)
    4. On the priority Dinner reservations I tend to agree with you if the Matre de can move you he will I dont think the little sticker helps. but they make you feel good by saying it is an added perk.
    5 Priority Tendering is nice they usually have a comfortable waiting area and often continintal breakfast items and you once again avoid the herd feeling.
    6. Priority disembarking is great whether you carry off or Pick up in customs. either way you get to go in the first groups of either and ahead of thje pack is quicker to the shuttle, cab, or the car and on your way home.
    So in my humble opinion FTTF is well worth the money. I would rather spend hours actually doing things besides standing in line waiting around and hanging on to the $80 in fixing to lose to the casino anyway. At least till I hit Platinum next cruise.

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