The most popular shore excursion package from Carnival Cruise Line, though typically not a real excursion is Carnival’s Faster to the Fun (FTTF) program. To save a few lucky people from queuing for anything during their cruise.
Carnival came up with this package, which offers you a VIP kind of treatment for a little extra cost. The package lets you have priority check-in, priority off-boarding, priority dining and priority at guest services.
Thus eliminating the need to wait in line for anything during your cruise. So, long gone are the days of waiting behind thousands of people to check in on embarkation day. Long gone also are the days of queuing behind herds of people at guest services or tendering ports.
Just as the name suggests, this package sold as an excursion by the cruise line lets you get to all the fun before or almost before everyone else. Now that might not seem like a big deal, considering you are not in a competition or anything.
But here are some scenarios where you will need to get to the fun faster than everyone else and for a good reason too.
- To get good seating in the dining area, and get served early without waiting for food a long time on embarkation day.
- To get the best lounge chairs and hammocks which are in the shaded areas on the beach, on your port day.
- In case you have booked a private shore excursion with a local tour company in a tendering port. You will need to leave the ship earlier on the port day so that you don’t miss your excursion.
- When you have an urgent issue you need sorted by Guest Services and don’t have time to wait around. For example, a shore excursion you want to participate in has just added some last minute limited slots, and there are already too many people competing for the slots at guest services.
That is not all, this package as you will see in the following 10 reasons to buy Carnival’s FTTF package, comes with other benefits that are hard to pass up. Such reasons as:
1. Priority Check-in
There are over 2,000 cruise passengers on a Carnival ship at any one time and on the larger Carnival ships even more. If you can’t stand queuing behind 20 people in a security checkup line at the airport. What makes you think you can stand behind thousands of people during embarkation day at the port?
By getting the faster to the fun package, you ensure that you, and anyone else you are sharing your cabin with, won’t have to queue. But instead will bypass the long lines at the embarkation port and have a priority security check via an exclusive VIP security screening lane.
Tips on Embarking a cruise ship can be found here.
Something else to consider is, in your worry to get to the port on time, so that you don’t miss the ship. You might have skipped lunch, getting to ship before everyone else, gives you a chance to get lunch at the Lido without the crowds.
Note, however, you only board second after the diamond and platinum VIFP members. These are loyal Carnival cruisers who have earned loyalty points over the years of cruising with the cruise line.
2. Access Your Stateroom Immediately You Board
Traveling while fun always puts the body to task. After traveling long distances through the air and roads to get to the embarkation port. You are probably dirty, sweaty and most importantly tired.
The truth about embarkation day is that you usually don’t get access to your stateroom the moment you board, instead, you tend to wait all day long, sometimes into the evening to access the stateroom.
Find some great Carnival cabin booking tips right here.
Remember, you will wait all this time while dragging your carry on bags along with you. I don’t know about you, but that sounds too tiring. That’s why getting Carnival’s FTTF package is important. It guarantees you direct access to your stateroom the moment you board the cruise ship. You are able to get to your stateroom freshen up, even nap for a minute or two, to rejuvenate and get the energy you need to start having fun on your vacation.
3. Find Your Luggage Waiting for You in The Cabin
The FTTF package also allows your luggage checking and delivery to be expedited. So that it can be there when you get to the room. There are thousands of luggage that have to be checked and delivered on embarkation day. This is not an easy process and luggage don’t usually get to your cabin until sometime later, probably even in the evening or in rare instances the next day.
This package lets you receive your luggage faster so that you are able to get organized early. FTTF gives you the chance to unpack and settle in, before anything else. This makes it easy to find everything you need, to start enjoying your cruise.
4. Always Get to the Shore First
Have you ever been to the Caribbean or Bahamas? If not, one thing you should expect is very hot temperatures and a scorching sun. Now, most of the cruise stops you make are located in those regions and due to the nature of the coastlines, ships aren’t always able to dock right on the beach or at the port entrance.
Here are the tender ports visited by Carnival Cruise Line: Half Moon Cay, Cabo San Lucas, Grand Cayman, Kona, Princess Cays and Catalina Island.
On such ports, you will have to take a tender boat from the ship to the port. Unless you want to queue under the sun when returning to the ship. Or to queue and watch while all the good lounge chairs and hammocks in the shaded spots are taken up.
Leaving you to purchase beach umbrellas which on some ports are almost the same cost as this package. Then get the FTTF package. You together with your cabin mates will have priority access on the tendering boats. Letting you get off the ship faster, to access the fun on shore, or even get back to the ship earlier, without having to queue on long lines.
It’s always advised to get to the port early enough on port-day so that you get the best of everything it has to offer. Including beach spots, lunch seating and even take the best photos and videos, when the port is still uncrowded. Do this using the Faster to the Fun package.
5. Never Wait on a Waitlist at Dinner Ever Again
Carnival Cruise Line is famous for its fun activities. And as such you are bound to work up an appetite at varied times. Even though the cruise has dining options which can be reserved on your first day on board.
Get details on Free Carnival cruise dining by clicking here.
The FTTF package ensures that you never queue to be seated whenever you want to dine. The only dining option that this deal doesn’t cover is the “your own time dining”. This then means, that if your dinner time was supposed to be at eight and you decide to have it at 6 instead, you will get seated pretty first without a problem.
6. No More Queuing at Guest Services
If you don’t envy the look of the herds of people who are always queued up at guest services desk. Especially towards the end of the cruise then book the FTTF package.
Another good motivation to book this package is to avoid waking up very early in the morning, or remaining on board on a port day, just so you can visit guest services, as many cruisers often advise.
The Faster to the Fun will give you a dedicated line to guest services, where all your needs, requests or queries will be sorted immediately. Save up your time to do other fun important things, after all, you only get to go on a vacation once or twice a year, don’t waste any of this time queuing.
7. Debark Early or Late, it’s Your Choice
The day of debarkation can be a stressful one. Let exiting the ship, not be part of that stress. At the end of the cruise vacation, one’s usually sad that their time of fun is over. The headache of getting back to the busyness of our daily lives brings a very somber mood.
Packing also brings in a new kind of stress, when the things you went with for the trip, no longer fit in your bags as they did at the beginning of the trip. While the FTTF won’t cure this stress, it will at least guarantee you an exit without the hassle of queuing at whatever time of the day you want to debark.
8. They Sell Out Fast
Another great motivation to buy the Faster to the Fun package is that since the slots are limited, (so that you can actually enjoy its effectiveness it wouldn’t work if everyone had it). It sells out pretty quick.
The best time to get this package is when you are booking your cruise. Don’t wait. The FTTF can only be bought pre-cruise and is not offered for purchase during the voyage. The longer you wait to get it the harder the odds of getting it becomes.
9. One Works for the Whole Team
This package is especially good for people who are traveling in large groups like families who have young ones. Firstly, it saves money, as the price is per cabin and covers everyone in your cabin. Secondly, the more people you are, the more carryon and other luggage you have to move around with on embarkation. If traveling with kids, it’s better to have especially if they are not patient.
Also Read: Must-Know Things About The Carnival Hub App
10. Faster to the Fun Prices
Due to the popularity of this package, the prices tend to spike up once in a while. The reason you should buy this package earlier is to enjoy the prices when they are still relatively low.
This package opens from 18 to 6 months prior to your cruise date. Most of the time the available slots are determined by diamond and platinum VIFP members. If a cruise is booked by many of these members, then there are fewer slots available. This is usually so to ensure cruisers feel the effect of the deal.
Also Read: 10 Items Just for Those Who Love Carnival Cruise Line
The prices for this package vary depending on the cruise ship you are on. The price starts at $49.95 USD for short cruises of 3-4 days up to $99.95 USD for 8-day cruises. Longer cruises of 10-14 days called carnival journeys don’t have this package.
UPDATE: Carnival Cruise Line has now increased the package for Carnival Horizon starting $109.95 per stateroom for 6-day cruises and $119.95 for 8-day cruises. Check all prices below:
There has been a lot of debate on whether or not this package is worth these prices. But everyone seems to agree that it all depends on a person’s need. For someone with kids, this is a great deal, while for some flexible experienced cruisers, it might not be all that necessary.
Final Thoughts on Carnival’s Faster to the Fun Package
The Faster to the Fun (FTTF) package though not necessary, is a great addition to your cruise vacation. That goes a long way in making your cruising experience even the more worthwhile. Who wouldn’t want to be treated like they are royalty by always being served first and separately as a VIP?
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Get the Faster to the Fun deal for your next cruise and enjoy getting on the ship early. Having a quiet lunch alone without crowds. Getting to shore faster and always having your questions answered at guest services without queuing. Remember that you are on vacation to relax and if this package can help make that happen faster, then why not use it?
In any case, whether you choose to use faster to the fun package, or not, we here at Cruise Hive, wish you the very best on your next cruise. Happy cruising!!
