Key Aspects:
- Carnival Spirit will not be able to offer certain elite loyalty member perks on its next sailing.
- The voyage in question is an 8-night cruise to the Bahamas that embarks on December 6, 2025.
- Removed benefits include priority embarkation and debarkation as well as early luggage drop-off privileges.
Elite guests planning to embark on Carnival Spirit on December 6, 2025, won’t be getting to enjoy all of the VIP perks they may have been looking forward to due to a high number of Diamond and Platinum guests that will be onboard.
The cruise in question is an 8-night sailing out of Mobile, Alabama, to the Bahamas that visits Celebration Key, Princess Cays, and Nassau.
And if you’re feeling a sense of deja vu, it’s because this has happened before.
Just days ago, top-tier members of Carnival’s Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) Loyalty Program were told that they would also lose some of their benefits during Carnival Miracle’s November 30th sailing.
“Due to the high number of Diamond and Platinum guests joining us on this voyage, we will not be able to provide the following benefits,” Carnival wrote to impacted guests.
Read Also: Which Cruise Lines Match Loyalty Programs?
Similar adjustments have been made on several other Carnival cruises over the past year or so, but most of these were longer Carnival Journeys sailings.
Carnival Journeys are cruises that last for nine days or longer and typically attract a larger number of elite VIFP passengers.
What Benefits are Going Away?
Due to the high number of elite guests onboard, it is simply impossible to provide priority services at the level they would expect.
“These operational changes are consistent with other voyages where we have a very large number of Diamond and Platinum Guests,” Carnival explained.
“We apologize for any disappointment and thank you for your understanding,” the cruise line continued.
In the case of this Bahamas sailing, Diamond and Platinum members will be saying goodbye to priority embarkation and debarkation, including at ports of call.
This perk will be especially missed while visiting Princess Cays, which is a tender port.
Additionally, early stateroom access to drop off bags and priority luggage delivery will not be possible.
Even the top-tier guests will need to wait until 1:30 p.m. to visit their staterooms like the rest of the passengers.
It’s also worth noting that the priority line and phone assistance for the onboard guest services team may not be available, and that main dining room dinner seating requests made by Diamond guests cannot be guaranteed.
But on the bright side, special elite perks like complimentary beverages, priority spa reservations, welcome treats (provided upon request), and VIFP logo gifts will still be offered.
New Rewards Program Overhauls Overwhelmed VIFP Program
Though Carnival’s new Carnival Rewards program is highly controversial, particularly in how it does away with lifetime loyalty status, it is necessary because the current VIFP program has become unsustainable.
There are simply too many elite Diamond and Platinum guests cruising, which means Carnival has had to take away the benefits they have earned on more and more sailings.
The new plan will work on a system where status is awarded by earning points and stars.
Loyalty status will then reset every two years to avoid accumulating too many top-tier members, which allows Carnival to better reward its most active and loyal passengers.
But following ongoing criticism of the new program, the launch date was recently pushed back from June 1, 2026, to September 1, 2026.
