Carnival Cruise Line has issued an advisory to its Diamond and Platinum level guests sailing on Carnival Splendor on August 24, 2024. The adjustments are in response to the unusually high number of VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) guests booked on the voyage.
The cruise line will not be able to offer priority embarkation or debarkation for the 16-night cruise from Singapore to Sydney, including at any ports of call, which include Jakarta and Lombok, Indonesia, and Darwin, Airlie Beach, and Moreton, Australia.
The cruise line has also indicated that Diamond guests may not have guaranteed access to main dining room seating.
Additionally, staterooms will not be available until after 1:30 p.m. on the day of embarkation. Once onboard, guests are encouraged to drop off any carry-on luggage in their staterooms before proceeding to lunch.
“The operational changes are consistent with other Carnival Journeys cruises where we have had a large number of Diamond and Platinum guests,” said Colleen Oliverio, vice president of guest services at Carnival Cruises. “We apologize for any disappointment and thank you for your understanding.”
This not the first time VIFP benefits have been altered. A transatlantic crossing on Carnival Freedom and Carnival Venezia’s Journeys’ voyage in the Caribbean, each in September 2023, had similar loyalty benefits suspended.
Exclusive Perks for high-tiered VIFPs
Carnival Cruise Line’s VIFP Club, which launched in 2012, is designed to reward loyal guests with a range of perks and privileges. Among the most prestigious tiers are the Diamond and Platinum levels, reserved for Carnival’s most frequent cruisers.
Platinum members who have sailed on 75 or more nights with Carnival typically receive perks such as priority check-in and boarding, complimentary beverage vouchers, and access to an exclusive onboard party. They also benefit for priority spa reservations and guaranteed main dining room seating.
Diamond members, the highest tier, are those who have sailed on 200 days or more with Carnival. In addition to all the benefits provided to Platinum members, Diamond members receive even more enhanced perks.
These include unlimited complimentary laundry service, a dedicated Diamond member phone line, a one-time complimentary meal at a specialty restaurant, an invitation to an exclusive cocktail reception with the captain, and guaranteed reservations for sold-out shore excursions.
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Carnival Journeys, typically 9 to 16 days in length, are a collection of longer cruises designed to provide an immersive and unique vacation experience. As longer voyages, these are particularly appealing to members of the VIFP program to maintain their status, making it difficult for the cruise line to accommodate all benefits.
Despite the adjustments, Diamond and Platinum members aboard Carnival Splendor will still retain several of their core benefits, including priority spa reservations, Chocolate Delight delivered via room service, VIFP swag, and a complimentary beverage.
The beverage, a “thank you” to VIFP members, was recently adjusted in July 2024, and the cruise line has hinted for months that an overhaul to the VIFP program is forthcoming. Some changes have already been implemented, including the removal of a $25 FunPlay ship credit in the casino and a donation to St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital.
