Key Aspects:
- Some unusual loyalty perks have been removed from Carnival Miracle‘s current 7-night cruise.
- Usually, perks are only removed on Carnival Journeys sailings or more unique itineraries.
- Some benefits, such as the free gifts and Platinum and Diamond Party, are still available.
With more guests reaching the upper tiers of Carnival Cruise Line’s soon-to-be-discontinued Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) loyalty program, it’s become rather standard practice for some benefits to be unavailable on longer sailings.
This is typically due to high numbers of Platinum and Diamond guests, so many that the cruise line is unable to adequately provide certain benefits for the cruise.
Guests onboard Carnival Miracle have received notice that such benefits are not available for their current cruise, though the change is significantly different than previous perk suspensions.
Carnival Miracle departed for the 7-night Western Caribbean itinerary on Sunday, November 30.
“Due to the high number of Diamond and Platinum guests on this voyage, we will not be able to provide priority luggage delivery as well as a priority line at the Guest Services desk,” the letter delivered to guests’ staterooms noted.
“In addition, we will not be able to provide priority debarkation (including at any of the ports of call). For our Diamond guests, due to capacity limitations, we cannot guarantee main dining room seating requests for dinner.”
The loss of the priority debarkation is a common perk removed when high numbers of Diamond and Platinum guests are onboard, as is the guarantee of the dining room seating requests.
What is new, however, is that the priority line at the Guest Services desk will not be available. This is a very easy perk to implement and is most often left intact, even with many high-level loyal guests on a sailing.
Read Also: Carnival Fixes New Loyalty Program After Fierce Criticism
And these aren’t the only benefits limited. Complimentary wash-and-fold laundry service is also offered to Platinum and Diamond guests on every cruise. On this Carnival Miracle sailing, however, guests must submit their requests no later than 4 p.m. on Friday, December 5, two days before the end of the cruise.
This is to ensure the laundry teams can complete all the requests and return guests’ laundry before debarkation. Nevertheless, this is another limitation on the coveted benefits of that loyalty status.
The laundry limitation has been implemented occasionally, but is another unusual one to remove.
Not the Typical Limitations
What’s even more interesting about these limitations is that Carnival Miracle is sailing a typical 7-night cruise, not a special itinerary featuring unique destinations or any other eye-catching voyage.
Typically, the cruises that lose high-level VIFP benefits are the longer Carnival Journeys sailings or unique sailings, such as the rare Greenland cruises, transatlantic cruises, or inaugural sailings.
This week, Carnival Miracle is sailing from Tampa, Florida to Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios, and Cozumel – a fine itinerary indeed with some top destinations, but nothing very rare or unheard of.
This isn’t even the very first sailing for the Spirit-class ship from her new homeport, as Carnival Miracle arrived in Tampa on November 22 and has already offered an 8-night sailing from the Sunshine State.
The 85,900-gross-ton Carnival Miracle can welcome 2,124 guests at double occupancy, but the cruise line has not detailed how many travelers on the current sailing are Platinum or Diamond guests.
What Benefits Are Left?
The benefits now removed from Carnival Miracle’s guests are some of the most popular perks for Platinum and Diamond travelers, but there are still good benefits they can take advantage of onboard.
Guests can pick up their collectible pins and logo gifts (currently a collapsible water bottle) from the Photo Gallery on Deck 3, on the port side of the Metropolis Atrium.
Priority spa reservations should also be honored, as well as priority reservations for Nick and Nora’s Steakhouse.
Because this is a 7-night cruise, guests can call room service to request their welcome treat if they wish, and there will be a VIFP party with complimentary drinks later in the sailing.
All returning guests will also receive a free 1.5-liter bottle of water, but be sure to use the one with the red neck tag to avoid being accidentally charged!
