With the September 1 launch of its new reward program looming large on the horizon, Carnival Cruise Line’s President, Christine Duffy, sat down with Brand Ambassador John Heald to address guest questions.
Points Based On Days, Not Trips
“I know there’s been a lot of questions,” admitted Duffy, making an understatement as large as the biggest ship in the fleet she oversees. In the widely-circulated YouTube video (which you can watch below), she and Heald then had a carefully scripted (but staged to appear casual) conversation about various Rewards-related topics, starting with Milestone Rewards.
Acknowledging the importance of loyalty, Duffy said that with the new program, Carnival would be “changing the way that we count milestones. So instead of it being the number of cruises you’ve taken, it will be based on the number of days that you sail.”
While this may sound like a matter of semantics, it’s actually an incredibly important bit of information. “For people who tend to take longer cruises, it used to take them just as long as someone who was taking shorter cruises to get to those milestones.”
And yes, once a guest opts in to the new Carnival Rewards program, their past cruises are converted to days. In other words, if you had sailed three 7-night sailings under the old program, that would translate into 21 points.
Points, Stars and Those Brand New Sail & Sign Cards
Perhaps recognizing that there’s been more than a little confusion among cruisers where some of the changes are concerned, Duffy and Heald set out to clarify the difference between “points” and “stars”, both of which accumulate over time.
As points accumulate, they can be used in a variety of ways, including to pay cruise deposits or to make onboard purchases or receive statement credits. There are additional points granted at various milestones. For example, once one has sailed 50 days, this milestone will automatically trigger 5,000 Carnival Rewards pointes being added to their account.
In addition, every dollar you spend on Carnival earns points.
The pair also revealed that Carnival’s Sail & Sign cards have been redesigned to include how many days one has sailed. “More than any other cruise line in the world,” said Heald, “our guests love to show their loyalty.”
Those with unused benefits accumulated under the former VIFP program will have until the end of 2030 after opting into Carnival Rewards.
How to Earn Status
Under the new program, stars are collected to improve status… and those stars are based on the amount of money you spend with Carnival. Three stars are earned for every dollar spent on cruise fares as well as any onboard spending you do. (Think shore excursions, specialty dining, shore excursions, etc)
Gamblers can also earn stars, whether playing table games or slot machines.
Finally, those who opt to use a Carnival World Mastercard will also earn stars based on purchases made.
Essentially, while Carnival’s former program was truly based on loyalty, the new program is designed to provide bigger, faster payoffs to those who are spending more money. This means one can essentially purchase status as opposed to earning it.
The Important Step You Absolutely Must Take
Anyone wanting their VIFP rewards to transfer must make sure to opt into the new program prior to its launching. Why? Because this is in essence an entirely new program, cruisers must accept the terms and conditions under which Carnival Rewards will operate.
“Privacy rules prevent us from automatically enrolling guests,” explained Duffy, “even our longtime cruisers.” The one exception? Carnival MasterCard holders, who accepted the new terms and conditions upon accepting the card.
Neither Duffy nor Heald addressed the numerous complaints from Carnival loyalists who dislike various aspects about the program. Chief among those issues is the loss of lifetime status in favor of a system which must be re-earned every two years. (Only those who have achieved Diamond status before August 31, 2026 will be granted lifetime status.)
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