Guests eager to set sail for some of the most sought-after cruise destinations in the world – the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, the Panama Canal, Barbados, and Hawaii – will not have the benefits they may have anticipated on four upcoming Carnival cruises.
The impacted cruises are Carnival Dream‘s January 11, 2025 departure, a 14-night Eastern Caribbean sailing from Galveston, as well as the January 12, 2025 departures for Carnival Pride, Carnival Radiance, and Carnival Venezia.
Carnival Pride is sailing a 14-night Panama Canal itinerary roundtrip from Baltimore, while Carnival Radiance is sailing from Long Beach for a 14-night Hawaiian cruise. Carnival Venezia, now homeported from Port Canaveral, will be enjoying a 14-night Southern Caribbean itinerary.
These Carnival Journeys cruises are longer, more immersive sailings popular with Diamond and Platinum guests in Carnival Cruise Line’s Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) program. Because of their overwhelming popularity, however, it isn’t possible to offer all the benefits that these most loyal travelers have earned with the company.
Carnival Cruise Line reached out to booked guests for the upcoming sailings to notify them of the adjustments.
“As you prepare for your cruise, we have an important operational update,” the email read. “Due to the high number of Diamond and Platinum guests joining us on this voyage, we will not be able to provide priority embarkation for debarkation (including at any of the ports of call).”
The email did note that guests are still free to go to their staterooms immediately to drop off carry-on luggage. This is one of the most popular perks of the upper level loyalty statuses, but guests are not permitted to remain in their staterooms – only to drop off bags before leaving so cabin attendants can complete their work.
The notification also had further news for Diamond guests, a status reserved for travelers who have sailed with Carnival for a minimum of 200 cruise nights.
“Related to Diamond guests, due to capacity limitations, we cannot guarantee main dining room seating requests for dinner,” the email explained.
Platinum level guests do not have the perk of guaranteed seating requests, but only priority consideration.
It is common on very popular Carnival Journeys sailings that several of the upper level benefits for Diamond and Platinum guests cannot be accommodated. This is due to an overwhelming number of these guests enjoying the longer sailings.
Other benefits, however, remain intact and available. This includes complimentary beverages, priority spa reservations, the VIFP logo gifts (currently a canvas baseball cap), complimentary laundry service, and the collectible pins – the new 2025 design that was just revealed earlier this week.
When Is the Program Being Updated?
Carnival Cruise Line has been hinting at a significant overhaul to the VIFP program, which has been confirmed by the line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald.
What has not been confirmed, however, is when those changes will be announced and implemented. Heald fields inquiries about that timeline every day through his popular Facebook page.
“I don’t have any details that I’m able to share at the moment but I promise that as soon as I have all the information we will share it” and “I don’t have any details to share about the new program and although it is 100% definitely coming, I don’t know the timeline as to when” are two of his recent responses.
Cruise lines typically overhaul their loyalty programs when the benefits they offer need significant adjustments, perhaps because they are no longer viable. Another reason for program updates are when the different loyalty levels need better balance in order to accommodate all past passengers.
Read Also: Loyalty Programs – Should You Stay Loyal to One Cruise Line?
Options might be to change how loyalty status is accrued, adjusting where different loyalty levels begin, or adding new tiers to the program so as to further separate guests in different ways.
It had been strongly hinted (though never confirmed) that Carnival’s new VIFP program was to have been unveiled before the end of 2024, but that did not happen. Now, eager travelers can hope that the updates will be announced sometime in the new year.
Stay tuned to Cruise Hive for the announcements, updates, and new loyalty news when it is confirmed!
