Carnival Opens Priority Package for 2024 Cruises, Price Increased

Carnival Cruise Line has opened up bookings on its immensely popular Faster to the Fun add-on priority package for 2024 sailings, but prices have been raised for the new year.

The benefits of the package are highly sought after, however, and can be a great value for cruise travelers depending on their vacation needs and budget.

2024 Faster to the Fun (FTTF) Now Available

Carnival Cruise Line’s popular priority add-on package, “Faster to the Fun” (FTTF), has been opened for 2024 bookings, but with one notable difference from 2023 reservations – the price has gone up.

The amount of the price increase varies from $10-20 (USD) per stateroom, depending on the cruise length and class of ship. The 2024 prices are as follows:

• 2-3 night cruises – $69.95 (+$10 from 2023 rates)
• 4-5 night cruises – $99.95 (+$10)
• 6-8 night cruises – $139.95 (+$10)
• 9+ night cruises – $189.95 (+$20)

It must be noted that any 6-8 night sailings on Excel-class ships – Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, or the upcoming Carnival Jubilee – are priced at $159.95 for FTTF, which is also a $10 price increase from 2023 rates and remains higher than the same cruise length on other, smaller vessels.

Prices are per stateroom, and all guests booked in the same stateroom receive all the FTTF benefits for one price. Here’s a full table of the prices on the voyage length below:

Guests booked on 2024 cruises are reporting FTTF is selling out quickly on popular sailings. Furthermore, the package is not available on every cruise the line offers – FTTF is not applicable to any sailings in Europe or cruises departing from Norfolk, Virginia or San Francisco, California.

As a general rule, the package is not available on Carnival Journeys cruises due to the extreme popularity of those longer sailings with high-level Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) loyalty guests, who have similar benefits as part of Carnival’s loyalty program.

Carnival Cruise Line does reserve the right to limit the sale of FTTF on any sailing, such as inaugural cruises, special sailings, holiday departures, or other unique offerings, though depending on the circumstances and booking numbers, FTTF may still be offered.

FTTF 2024 Benefits

The benefits of the priority package remain unchanged for 2024, with guests receiving priority check-in at the cruise terminal on embarkation day, as well as immediate stateroom access to drop their bags off until their room is officially ready. Any checked bags are also expedited to FTTF staterooms to be delivered sooner.

A dedicated phone number to Guest Services as well as a special line at the Guest Services desk onboard can help travelers save time if they have questions or need any issues resolved during their sailing.

During the cruise, guests with the priority package receive priority reservations at the main dining room and any specialty dining restaurants, though this excludes the immensely popular Your Time Dining.

When visiting ports of call, FTTF guests have priority water shuttle access at any tender port, after guests with shore excursion tickets.

Finally, when the cruise ends, FTTF also gives guests their choice of early or late debarkation times, as well as priority with self-assist debarkation immediately after the high-level Diamond and Platinum VIFP guests and any guests staying in suites if they choose that option.

Will FTTF Be a Good Value in 2024?

The priority access package can be a great value for travelers, especially if they have not yet achieved the high benefits of the Platinum or Diamond tiers of the VIFP program.

If guests have already reached those loyalty levels, however, they receive many of the same benefits (and more) for free. When deciding if FTTF is a good value for their travel plans, guests should consider several factors.

With facial recognition technology now being used in more US homeports, check-in time at the cruise terminal is getting shorter. Therefore, the priority check-in may not save as much time as it would have several years ago, though it can be a definite advantage if sailing on a larger ship or at a more popular time when cruises are fully booked, such as summer vacation or holidays.

The immediate stateroom access is another popular benefit, but if guests have an arrival appointment of 1 p.m. or later, their staterooms may already be open or will open very soon after boarding, and the extra cost to drop bags off just a few minutes early may not be worthwhile. Travelers boarding at noon, however, will find that benefit very useful indeed.

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Line Hints at Loyalty Program Overhaul

Ultimately, every cruise guest has to decide if the package is a good deal for their travel plans and timing, and be sure to book early before the limited reservations fill up for each sailing.