Something tells us that Carnival Cruise Line wasn’t anticipating the reaction it received upon announcing Carnival Rewards.
News of the program, which is set to replace the current VIFP loyalty program next June, landed with a massive thud as literally thousands of the line’s customers—including many of its most devoted fans—made plans to figuratively jump ship.
‘They Went Too Far This Time’
Writing in the Carnival VIFP Club Members Facebook group, Eric Thomas likened the change — when combined with other recent belt-tightning moves — to “death by 1,000 cuts.”
He went on to say of Carnival “they went too far this time,” adding that he was “glad they’re seeing the outrage” regarding the announcement, declaring it “100 percent avoidable with better planning.”
He was far from a lone voice of protest.
In fact, the Cruise Radio Facebook page received a record number of comments in response to our news coverage. “It’s a big slap in the face,” said Lisa Manfredi Mutchler, perfectly summing up how many of her fellow cruisers felt.
Pamela Aiken of Georgia made her feelings clear in a note posted beneath Brand Ambassador John Heald’s video regarding the announcement.
“It really is a sad day for the multitude of us that had remained loyal to the Carnival Brand,” she stated, going on to reference the company’s most famous ad campaign and spokesperson. “The [executives] may soon be singing ‘If only they would sail us now’ instead of the iconic ‘If they could see me now’ sung by Kathie Lee.”
Will Carnival Tweak the Rewards Program?
Clearly, the backlash was heard by those at Carnival. In a second video released by Heald, he explained that the company released details about Carnival Rewards nearly a year in advance to gauge reaction and “possibly, maybe fine tune it and change some things around.”
When not accusing those who hit the “angry face” emoji of acting like children, Heald dubbed rumors that Carnival made the move, hoping that many Diamond-level cruisers might cruise with other lines, “nonsense.”
That, however, was a threat made by many unhappy respondents, with some pointing out that MSC Cruises offers a status-match program and would welcome those feeling disrespected by Carnival.
In response to Heald, Sherry Williams said she would be “booking MSC and Norwegian. I wanted to try [Holland America Line] but probably won’t because Carnival owns it.”
She explained, ” The loss of perks isn’t the big deal; it’s the lack of appreciation for the loyal customers [who] helped Carnival grow when they could have chosen any other cruise line.”
Although Heald said he would not discuss the issue further on Friday—planning to return to his usual answering of guest queries—he promised to post an FAQ that would provide more details on Carnival Rewards.
He also promised to share any further news as it developed.
