VIFP Carnival Cruise Line Club Loyalty Program: The Complete Guide

5 hours agoLast Updated: October 28, 2024

0 31

Festival cruise line The fans are a loyal group. Perhaps so loyal that the company doesn’t feel the need to offer extremely enticing perks in its loyalty program to keep them coming back.

Different from competitors Royal CaribbeanFestival no offers its members a free cruise after they reach the top level. Not available 20% discount on some tripslike Windstar Cruises offers members its loyalty program.

But Carnival’s VIFP Club, as it calls its loyalty program, offers some valuable perks at higher levels, including priority access to many onboard venues and services.

The Carnival VIFP Club loyalty program is also one that makes it relatively easy to reach high levels.

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

Ways to earn points

The VIFP Carnival Club’s points earning system is simple. You earn one point for each day you travel on the Carnival ship.

If you travel for three nights, you will receive three points. If you travel seven nights, you’ll get seven points. You don’t have to worry about different income levels for different cabin types or different booking types, as is the case with some lines.

Note that some rental trips and non-revenue fares won’t earn you any points.

Excel Presidential Suite during the Festival Celebration. FESTIVAL TOUR LINE

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

Daily newsletter

Gift your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers to get breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive offers from TPG experts

Program levels and benefits

The VIFP Club program has five levels:

Blue (your first trip)
Red (take the second boat to 24 points)
Yellow (25 to 74 points)
Platinum (75 to 199 points)
Diamond (200 points or more)

One of the little surprises about Carnival’s loyalty program is that you reach the first level, 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 Green even before starting your journey. All you have to do is register in advance.

That said, the program’s Green tier offers virtually no perks. Just two: You’re eligible for members-only travel deals and you’ll receive members-only e-newsletters.

The next two levels in the program are almost stingy about perks. The second tier, the Red tier, offers the same two perks as the Blue tier, with only one additional perk: a free 1.5-liter water bottle redeemable at any bar, restaurant or in your cabin. (Don’t drink it all at once.)

Gold Class adds a free drink when traveling on cruises of 5 nights or more. Gold level members also receive a gold VIFP pin on every trip.

It’s not until the program’s fourth level, Platinum, that things start to get interesting (more on that later).

It will only take you one trip to reach Red Level. If you always book seven-night trips, you’ll reach Gold status after three trips. That’s right, although Gold status requires 25 points, you can earn that after taking three seven-night cruises.

This is because of one of the quirks of the VIFP Club program that we really like: If you’re going to be level-restricted on your journey, you’ll get that level’s benefits right from the start. the beginning of that journey. So you’ll be Gold at the start of your fourth seven-night trip, even though you only have 21 points.

Elite class makes the difference

The Platinum Level of the VIFP Club is where your loyalty to the Festival finally starts to pay off.

Many of the perks available at this level include some type of priority access, including:

Priority check-in and boarding
Prioritize spa reservations
Priority boarding on ships (only applies to ships coming to shore)
Priority line at the onboard Customer Service desk and priority phone support
Priority removal
Priority is given to reservations at the Main Dining Room and specialty restaurants

In short, once you’re at the Platinum level, you’ll suddenly find yourself pushed to the front of the line from the moment you board until the moment you leave. This is no small matter. Priority boarding means you will board the train faster than other passengers, giving you more time on your first day to enjoy the train’s offerings. Priority booking at the restaurant means you get the best table time.

Cruise Line’s Carnival. FESTIVAL TOUR LINE

Other perks that come with the Platinum level include:

Invitation to the exclusive Platinum and Diamond VIFP Party with complimentary drinks and appetizers on sailings of five days or more
Another free drink you can order at any location
A plate of “Chocolate Delight” delivered to your cabin on a trip lasting 5 days or longer
$5 free video game credit (this is for passengers under 18 years old only)
Carnival logo gifts on every trip
Complimentary laundry and folding service (two bags for cruises 3 to 6 days; three bags for cruises 7 to 13 days; 5 bags for cruises 14 days or longer)

Achieving Platinum status requires 10 cruises, assuming you always take seven-night cruises. If you take shorter trips it will take longer.

The best elite perks

Even at the highest Diamond level of the VIFP Club program, Carnival is a bit stingy with perks. For example, unlike Royal Caribbean and some others, it doesn’t offer members a free cruise upon reaching the highest loyalty status. That said, Diamond status does offer some nice perks.

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

WaterWorks water park on Carnival Vista. ANDY NEWMAN/CARNIVAL CRUISE

But the ultimate perk of the VIFP Club program in our eyes is the unlimited wash and fold service that comes with Diamond status. Unlike the above two perks, you will receive this every time you sail once you reach Diamond level.

Other Diamond level benefits include:

Requested seating is guaranteed in the Main Dining Room, for dinner only
Priority is given to reservations at specialty restaurants
Special event invitations from the captain on each cruise
VIFP Club luggage tag set
Toll-free number dedicated to sales and service

Note that, as is usual with cruise line loyalty programs, Festival customers do not need to revalidate their status each year. VIFP Club members retain points at the end of each year and continue to accumulate points indefinitely. That means someone who reaches Diamond status will remain at that top level forever (or until Carnival makes changes to the program).

Such “permanent status” is one of the great appeals of regular cruise ship programs. By contrast, most airline frequent flyer programs require loyalty members to recertify their status each year.

Bottom line

When it comes to perks, Carnival’s loyalty program isn’t as robust as those at some rival lines. At the top end, it doesn’t offer anything close to the free cruises some other lines offer top tier customers or onboard perks like free daily drinks in private lounges. It won’t get you comprehensive discounts on cruises, shore excursions and beverage packages, as some carriers offer for higher-level members. However, it does offer some worthwhile perks at higher levels, and progressing through the program’s levels is relatively easy.

Planning a trip? Start with these stories:

5 hours agoLast Updated: October 28, 2024

0 31