Lone Liberty Pre-Cruise Pt. 3

Well.

81 DAYS

That is 12 more weeks and 63 more work days for me. Its the little things isn't it?

I thought I might mention that I happen to be on the Liberty, which is one of two ships that gets to try out the new Carnival Faster to the Fun program. If you hadn't heard about it yet, check it out on Carnival.com

Faster to the Fun

So, now that you have read up on it or refreshed your memory what do you think? 

A big "to do" is going on over at Cruise Critic. Rightly so, the Platinum and Diamond Loyalty members (I'm Gold) are upset that people can now pay for some of the perks they get. I'm not trying to down play their emotions or the fact that I think they have the right to be upset, but I like this program.

Now, am I bit bias b/c I'm only Gold and I'm not in the P/D places where I feel my loyalty is being devalued, probably. So, take what I say with a grain of salt.

I like this program and I'm willing to pay for it. In fact, I have paid for it. In fact, I paid the full price for just myself $50 (b/c that is for the whole cabin and I'm a single in my cabin). I think, if it works, the program has great benefits, but you def. need to pay attention to your needs/wants/trip to figure out if it will work for you.

(From Carnival.com)

Priority Check-in with Express Boarding
Okay, I'm one of those people who want to get on the ship ASAP. To me, it means I get to enjoy my vacation a little earlier and frankly they count Sat. as a portion of your cruise, so why not get on and enjoy as much as your hard earned/spent money as possible. Now, I usually get to port around 10:30-11am and have found that the lines are usually.........minimal and so is the wait. Most of the time, at the latest, we are onboard by 12. So, some might say........what good is this? I don't know yet. I know that I get to use the VIP security line (I would certainly let a P/D member in front of me) and then I should be escorted to the front of the reg. line (we don't get the VIP lounge area and rightly so) to get my S&S card. I should then board after the Wedding Parties and VIP (P/D members). This is all assumption and based off what I have gotten from John Heald's facebook.

Guaranteed Stateroom
Your stateroom will be ready as soon as you board, so you can relax or freshen up for the fun you're about to have.
Now, this seems really nice and one of the main reasons for purchasing. If you have read my travel blog before then you know that I DON'T travel lightly. I'm a big girl and unlike my fellow skinny girls, when it comes to luggage getting lost........I don't have many or really ANY choices. So, for that purpose I tend to pack at least enough to carry me through a few days in my carry on luggage, plus I have a shoulder bag for electronics and other things you don't leave in checked luggage. So, I roll a 19 inch on with me and a 12x12 duffle bag. I check my 28 inch suitcase (I hope to use the 24 inch this year). Needless to say that it isn't much fun to carry all that around with you for about 1.5 hours while you wait for the rooms to open (typically around 1:30pm). I must note that this would seem really great for families with small children or those with mobility issues.

Express Luggage
Your luggage will be expedited to your stateroom so you can unpack and get settled in for a great vacation!
Well, you know I'm obsessed with over packing, so is it a surprise that I would want my luggage sooner? Last cruise it took forever for my luggage to get to the room. I know those guys have a hard job, so I'm not complaining, but let's face it, its nerve wracking. I finally figured out that I was on the 11th floor in a Spa Room. I'd never been up that high before and I'm sure you can logically say that they probably deliver from bottom to top. Hints the longer wait. I will still pack too much carry on though, you can't take the chance when you are single and need to look fabulous.
Guest Services
You'll have a dedicated phone number and line at Guest Services so you can quickly have your questions answered.
I suppose I would be ticked if I was P/D about this one. I don't foresee needing it all that much, but you just never know.

Dining Reservations
Priority Main Dining Room and Specialty Restaurant reservations.
I booked far enough ahead that I have a confirmed dining room for Anytime dining, so this doesn't really apply to me.
 
Tender Priority
You will have the option to choose a priority tender from the ship to shore (multiple departure times may be possible), so you can explore ashore as quickly as you would like.

Now this is useful, especially since we have two tender ports. Now this is one of things you will def. have to consider according to what cruise you book. It would be wasted on a cruise with no tenders. But then again maybe all the other things are important enough to pay for. My friends and I have a non-ship excursion booked in Belize, so I'm hoping it will come in handy. Unfortunately, I think we will still need to get tender tickets b/c they don't have the F2F program and I don't know if they will be allowed to board with me. Although, I did pay for an entire cabin, by myself...........but I will follow the rules.......but I'm going to ask if they can board with me b/c it can't hurt to ask.

Debarkation
We're always sad to see you go. But when your cruise is over, you may choose an early or late disembarkation time upon arrival to your homeport.

We have a late flight (8:30pm) and this will probably come in handy so that we can delay our down time a little more. We need to discuss what we will do for almost 5 hours.

Anyway, it seems like a great program for those of us who might not be able to afford to take 2-3 cruises a year, but could spare a one time $50 fee. The good thing is that there is about 12 weeks of this program before I go on my cruise. I hope this allows for time to fix problems and time for reviews and reports to come back.