Carnival Cruise Line has unveiled a new collectible pin design for Diamond and Platinum level guests. The pins, which are ship-specific for each year, are designed by Romero Britto and are available on all Carnival Cruise Line ships.
New Collectible Pin Revealed
In a live “Good Morning Coffee” Facebook video on January 4, as well as in a Facebook post, Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald discussed the cruise line’s loyalty program and announced the new collectible pin design available to Diamond and Platinum level Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) guests.
The 2022 loyalty pin is designed by Brazilian-born, Miami artist Romero Britto. The pin’s design includes more color than previous VIFP pins, with hearts, stars, dots, and stripes adding whimsy and energy to the design.
Britto, the founder of the Happy Art Movement that showcases optimism, hope, and love, includes elements of pop culture, graffiti, and cubism in his designs. Britto’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in over 100 countries, including the Louvre in Paris and Museo Soumaya in Mexico City, as well as public art installations in New York City, Berlin, and London.
In addition to the VIFP pins, Romero has collaborated on projects with Audi, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Walt Disney, Universal Pictures, Evian, Invicta, Hasbro, and Mattel, among others, and he donates time, art, and resources to more than 250 charities around the world.
Romero also holds a seat on the board of St. Judeโs Childrenโs Research Hospital. Carnival Cruise Line is the Official Celebration Partner for St. Jude, and has raised more than $18 million for St. Jude to fight childhood cancer through the “Groove for St. Jude” dance parties held onboard its ships.
About VIFP Pins
The Carnival VIFP pins, which are available on every Carnival ship, are highly sought-after by many guests to commemorate their voyages. The design changes each year but always includes the iconic Carnival “whale tail” funnel, the ship’s name, and the year. Past designs have often included stylized nautical elements, such as ropes, ship’s wheels, portholes, compasses, or wave-like curves.
Past passengers who have reached the Gold level of Carnival’s VIFP loyalty program also receive a collectible pin, but it is not ship-specific. The designs are also different for Platinum passengers and Diamond passengers.
No pins were available during 2021 cruises. In his video, Heald explained “the reason we couldn’t give ship-specific pins last year [was] because we didn’t really know which ships were coming back.”
During the cruise industry shutdown, Carnival Cruise Line scrapped four ships: Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Fascination, Carnival Imagination, and Carnival Inspiration.
While pins are typically placed in passengers’ cabins, the 2022 pins must be picked up from the Pixels Gallery for the time being. This is in line with Carnival’s current health and safety protocols to limit the number of people entering different staterooms. Passengers have reported that supplies may be limited, so guests are advised to pick up their pins right away as their cruises begin.
Enhancements Coming for VIFP Guests
Heald hinted in his video that enhancements are planned for the VIFP program later in 2022. For now, adjustments have been made to the program to meet health and safety protocols, such as guests must pick up their free gifts rather than having the gifts placed in staterooms.
In addition to the collectible pins, other free loyalty gifts in the past have included Yeti cups, night lights, bluetooth speakers, headphones, blankets, hats, chess games, journals, and more. The gifts change periodically, and the current loyalty gift is luggage tags, with drink koozies planned for later in the year.
Because of strict boarding procedures meant to limit crowds and speed the embarkation and debarkation processes, the priority boarding many Diamond and Platinum guests love is not yet available, but Heald stressed it will be reintroduced as soon as possible.
What other enhancements may be forthcoming are yet to be announced, but for the time being, guests can proudly wear their new 2022 VIFP pins as they set sail on more Carnival cruises.