Carnival Cruise Line’s Club VIFP Loyalty Program: The Complete Guide

news7g07/06/2023

2 6 minutes read

Festival cruise line Fans are a loyal group. So loyal, perhaps, that the line doesn’t feel the need to offer the perks of its hugely lucrative loyalty program to keep them coming back.

unlike the opponent Royal CaribbeanCarnival’s VIFP Club loyalty program no offers its members a free cruise after reaching the top floor. Do not have 20% off some rideslike Windstar Cruises offers its members its loyalty program.

For more cruise guides, news and tips, subscribe to TPG’s itinerary bulletin

But Carnival’s VIFP Club, as it calls its loyalty program, actually offers some valuable perks at higher levels, including priority access to multiple locations and on-board service.

The Carnival VIFP Club Loyalty Program is also a relatively easy program to gain high ranks.

In case you’re wondering, VIFP stands for “very important fun person” — a cheery nod to Carnival’s nickname of the “fun ship” line.

Ways to earn points

Carnival VIFP Club’s point system is very simple. You earn one point for every day you ride on a Carnival ship.

If you take a three-night cruise, you’ll get three points. If you take a seven-night cruise, you’ll get seven points. You don’t have to worry about different earnings rates for different cabin types or different booking types, as is the case with some carriers.

Note that some subscription rides and non-revenue fares don’t get you any points.

Excel Presidential Room during Carnival Celebration. CARNIVAL FLAVOR

Insider tips: After traveling on one of Carnival’s ships in Australia, you will not automatically receive trip points deposited into your account. You will need to log in to your account online, click “Missing a Cruise?” and claim VIFP points awarded for the days you earned on that trip.

Program tiers and benefits

There are five levels in the VIFP Club program:

Blue (your first sailing).
Red (take the second boat with 24 points).
Yellow (25 to 74 points).
platinum (75 to 199 points).
Diamond (200 points or more).

One of the nice little surprises of Carnival’s loyalty program is that you hit the first tier, Blue, as soon as you board your first cruise with the brand. Unlike many routes, you don’t need to complete the journey to get to the first level. In fact, you can level up Blue even before going on a cruise. All you have to do is pre-register.

That said, the Blue tier of the program offers almost no perks. Only two: You’re eligible for a members-only cruise offer, and you’ll receive a members-only e-newsletter.

The next two tiers on the show are almost stingy when it comes to perks. The second tier, Red, offers the same two perks as the Green tier with just one extra perk: a free 1.5 liter bottle of water redeemable at any bar, restaurant or in your cabin . (Don’t go drinking all at once.)

Gold tier adds a unique complimentary beverage that can only be ordered on the last night of an excursion (and only on excursions of five nights or more). In our eyes, the restriction on free drinks on the last night of a cruise, seems like an excessive attempt by Carnival to discourage customers from taking advantage of what is already a rather small privilege. Gold members also receive a VIFP Gold pin on every ride.

It wasn’t until the fourth tier of the program, Platinum, that things started to get interesting (more on that in a moment).

It will only take you one journey to reach the Red tier. If you always book seven-night trips, you will reach Gold level after three trips. That’s right, while the Gold level requires 25 points, you can get it after sailing three seven-night excursions.

This is because of one of the special features of the VIFP Club program that we really like: If you’re about to hit the tier limit on a trip, you’ll get the benefits of that level right away. from the beginning of that trip. So you’ll be Gold right from the start of your Wednesday seven-night sailing, even though you only have 21 points.

Elite level makes the difference

The VIFP Club Platinum level is where your loyalty to Carnival finally begins to pay off.

Many perks start at this level including several types of priority access, including:

Priority check-in and boarding.
Priority spa reservation.
Priority transfer on board (boat to shore only).
Priority line at the on-board Customer Service desk and priority phone support.
Release priority.
Priority reservations at the Main Dining Room and specialty restaurants.

In short, when you’re at Platinum level, you’ll suddenly find yourself pushed to the front from the moment you arrive at a ship until you leave. This is no small matter. Priority boarding means you’ll be on board faster than other passengers, giving you more time on your first day to enjoy the train’s services. Priority access to restaurant reservations means you’ll get the best table times.

Other perks that come with the Platinum level include:

Invitation to an exclusive Platinum and Diamond VIFP Party with complimentary drinks and appetizers on trips of five days or more.
One free drink at Seaday Brunch.
The strawberry plate “Chocolate Delight” is delivered to your cabin on a five-day or so-so cruise.
Join a buy one, get one free tournament in the casino (blackjack or slot machines only).
$5 worth of free video game credits (this credit is for passengers under 18 only).
One Carnival emblem gift per ride.
Complimentary laundry and folding service (two bags for journeys of three to six days; three bags for journeys of seven to 13 days; five bags for journeys of 14 days or more).

Reaching Platinum takes 10 excursions, assuming you always take seven-night trips. If you take shorter trips, it will take longer.

The most elite privilege

Even at the highest Diamond tier in the VIFP Club program, Carnival is a bit stingy with perks. For example, unlike Royal Caribbean and some other lines, it does not offers members a free cruise reaching the pinnacle of this loyalty. That said, the Diamond status brings some nice perks.

We certainly appreciate the free cabin upgrade (or free sailing offer for third and fourth passengers) that comes with achieving Diamond status for the first time, although we’re disappointed because This is a one-time benefit. Another nice but one-time Diamond status perk is a free meal for two at a specialty restaurant of your choice.

WaterWorks water park on Carnival Vista. ANDY NEWMAN/CARNIVAL TRAVEL LINE

But the most elite perk of the VIFP Club program in our eyes is the unlimited laundry and folding service that comes with Diamond status. Unlike the above two perks, you will get this perk every time you paddle after reaching the Diamond level.

Other Diamond tier benefits include:

Ask to secure a seat in the Main Dining Room, for dinner only.
Priority reservations at specialty restaurants.
Special event invitations from the captain on every cruise.
One-time donation to St. Children’s Research Hospital. Jude.
VIFP Club luggage tag set.
Toll-free numbers for sales and service.

Note that, as often happens with cruise line loyalty programs, Carnival customers do not have to qualify for the status every year. VIFP Club members keep their points at the end of each year and continue to accumulate points indefinitely. That means someone with Diamond status will remain at that top level forever (or until Carnival makes a change to the program).

Such “forever status” is one of the great attractions of the cruiser programs that are frequent on cruise ships. In contrast, most airline frequent flyer programs require loyalty members to qualify for status each year.