Carnival Cruise Line followers are a loyal bunch. So loyal, maybe, that the road hasn’t felt the necessity to provide up extraordinarily profitable loyalty program perks to maintain them coming again.
Not like rival Royal Caribbean, Carnival would not provide its members a free cruise after they attain the highest tier. There are not any 20% reductions on some sailings, as Windstar Cruises gives to its loyalty program members.
However Carnival’s VIFP Membership, as the road calls its loyalty program, does convey some priceless perks at its greater tiers, together with precedence entry to many onboard venues and providers.
The Carnival VIFP Membership loyalty program is also one the place it’s comparatively straightforward to succeed in a excessive tier.
In case you are questioning, VIFP stands for “crucial enjoyable individual” — a playful nod to Carnival’s nickname because the “enjoyable ship” line.
Methods to earn factors
The Carnival VIFP Membership point-earning system is easy. You earn one level for day-after-day you cruise on a Carnival ship.
When you take a three-night cruise, you will get three factors. When you take a seven-night cruise, you will get seven factors. You do not have to fret about completely different incomes ranges for various cabin classes or several types of bookings, as is the case with some traces.
Be aware that sure constitution sailings and nonrevenue fares don’t get you any factors.
Insider tip: After crusing on one in all Carnival’s ships in Australia, you will not routinely get factors for the journey deposited in your account. You may have to log into your account on-line, click on on “Lacking a Cruise?” and request the VIFP factors be awarded for the times you earned on that voyage.
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Program tiers and advantages
There are 5 tiers to the VIFP Membership program:
- Blue (your first crusing)
- Purple (second crusing to 24 factors)
- Gold (25 to 74 factors)
- Platinum (75 to 199 factors)
- Diamond (200 or extra factors)
One of many good little surprises of Carnival’s loyalty program is that you simply hit the primary tier, Blue, the second you stroll on board your first cruise with the model. Not like with many traces, you do not have to finish a cruise to get to the primary degree. In reality, you may get to the Blue tier even earlier than taking a cruise. All it’s important to do is join prematurely.
That mentioned, the Blue tier of this system brings nearly no perks. There are solely two: You’re eligible for members-only cruise gives, and you will obtain a members-only digital publication.
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The following two tiers in this system are nearly as stingy in the case of perks. The second tier, Purple, gives the identical two perks because the Blue tier with only one extra one: a complimentary, 1.5-liter bottle of water redeemable at any bar or restaurant or in your cabin. (Do not go ingesting it all of sudden.)
The Gold tier provides a single free drink when crusing on cruises of 5 nights or longer. Gold-level members additionally get a Gold VIFP pin on each crusing.
It is not till the fourth tier of this system, Platinum, that issues begin to get attention-grabbing (extra on that in a second).
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It’s going to take you only one cruise to succeed in the Purple tier. When you at all times e book seven-night sailings, you will attain the Gold tier after three cruises. That is proper, whereas the Gold tier requires 25 factors, you may attain it after crusing three seven-night cruises.
This is because of one of many quirks of the VIFP Membership program that we actually like: If you are going to hit a tier cutoff throughout a voyage, you’ll obtain the advantages of that tier from the start of that cruise. So you’d be Gold from the beginning of your fourth seven-night crusing, regardless that you solely had 21 factors.
The elite degree that makes a distinction
The Platinum degree of the VIFP Membership is the place your loyalty to Carnival lastly begins paying off.
Lots of the perks that kick in at this degree embrace precedence entry of some type, together with:
- Precedence check-in and boarding
- Precedence spa reservations
- Precedence water shuttle boarding (ship-to-shore solely)
- Precedence line at onboard Visitor Companies desk and precedence help by cellphone
- Precedence debarkation
- Precedence reservations on the Fundamental Eating Room and specialty eating places
In brief, when you’re on the Platinum degree, you will immediately end up bumped to the entrance of the road from the second you arrive at a ship till the second you allow. That is no small factor. Precedence boarding signifies that you will get on board the ship extra shortly than different passengers, providing you with extra time in your first day to take pleasure in its choices. Precedence entry to restaurant reservations means you will get the most effective desk occasions.
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Different perks that include the Platinum degree embrace:
- An invite to an unique Platinum and Diamond VIFP Get together with free drinks and appetizers on sailings of 5 days or longer
- One other free drink that you would be able to order at any venue
- A “Chocolate Delight” plate delivered to your cabin on a five-day or longer cruise
- $5 price of complimentary arcade credit (this one is just for passengers below 18)
- A Carnival brand present on each crusing
- Complimentary wash-and-fold laundry service (two luggage on three- to six-day cruises; three luggage on seven- to 13-day cruises; 5 luggage on a cruise 14 days or longer)
Attending to the Platinum tier takes 10 cruises, assuming you at all times sail seven-night voyages. When you do shorter journeys, it’s going to take longer.
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Greatest elite perk
Even on the highest Diamond degree of its VIFP Membership program, Carnival nonetheless is slightly stingy with the perks. Not like Royal Caribbean and another traces, as an illustration, it would not give members a free cruise upon reaching this pinnacle of loyalty standing. That mentioned, Diamond standing does convey a number of good privileges.
We undoubtedly admire the free cabin improve (or third-and-fourth-passengers-sail-free provide) that comes with first reaching Diamond standing, though we’re disenchanted this can be a one-time-only profit. One other good however one-time-only perk of Diamond standing is a complimentary meal for 2 at a specialty restaurant of your selection.
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However the most effective elite perk of the VIFP Membership program in our eyes is the limitless wash-and-fold laundry service that comes with Diamond standing. Not like the above two perks, you will get this each time you sail when you attain Diamond degree.
Different Diamond-level advantages embrace:
- Assured seating time requested in Fundamental Eating Room, for dinner solely
- Precedence reservations at specialty eating places
- Particular occasion invitation from the captain on every crusing
- VIFP Membership baggage tag set
- Devoted toll-free quantity for gross sales and repair
Be aware that, as is often the case with cruise line loyalty applications, Carnival prospects wouldn’t have to requalify for standing annually. VIFP Membership members hold their factors on the finish of every yr and proceed to accrue factors indefinitely. That signifies that somebody who hits Diamond standing will stay at that prime tier endlessly (or till Carnival makes a change to this system).
Such “endlessly standing” is without doubt one of the nice allures of cruise line frequent cruiser applications. Most airline frequent flyer applications, in contrast, require loyalty members to requalify for standing annually.
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Backside line
Relating to perks, Carnival’s loyalty program is not as sturdy because the applications at some rival traces. At its highest tier, it would not convey something near the free cruise that another traces provide to top-tier prospects, or onboard perks like free drinks every day in a personal lounge. It will not get you across-the-board reductions on cruises, shore excursions and beverage packages, as some traces provide higher-tier members. But it surely does convey some worthwhile perks at greater ranges, and it is comparatively straightforward to rise by means of the tiers of this system.
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