Only Fun People Allowed
Are you a fun person? Actually, let me rephrase that: are you a very important fun person? While I might not be the best judge, Carnival has decided to take the reins and answer that for us all.
The VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) is Carnival Cruise Line’s loyalty program, divided into five different tiers, each offering different benefits based on points earned per night sailed. Easy, right? It doesn’t matter if you are staying in an indoor stateroom, in a suite, in the basement or hidden in the kitchen, you get one point per night sailed. Sailing a cruise for three nights? That’s three points. Sailing to Alaska for seven nights? That’s seven points. Easy.
The VIFP club points never expire, so you keep your tier status even if you stop traveling with Carnival. You can return years later - say, fifty years from now - when, with the global climate crisis being real, cruising to Alaska might feel like visiting the Mediterranean.
So, we have learned that the VIFP is free and never expires, which is always good news, but are the perks good? Let’s find out.
First, these are all the five tiers offered by Carnival, and some of their main perks offered:
- Blue (first cruise): a free newsletter
- Red (second cruise): a complimentary 1.5 liter bottle of water
- Gold (25 points): free appreciation drink on cruises that are 5+ nights
- Platinum (75 points): priority embarkation/disembarkation, access to an exclusive VIFP party, priority reservation for restaurants and the spa
- Diamond (200 points): free laundry, one time free cabin upgrade, one time complimentary meal for two at a specialty restaurant of choice
The best way to see every single perk in detail is by checking this link. Do you have that window open now? Good. Let’s judge how fun this program is together now.
The Good
The best thing about Carnival’s program is that it never expires and is easy to understand. You earn one point per night sailed, climb through the tiers, and enjoy perks as you advance.
You can reach the Red tier on your second cruise and Gold in just a few weeks. Even the Platinum tier doesn’t take long to achieve, especially compared to other cruise lines. To reach the highest tier, Diamond, you only need 200 nights sailing with them, which is relatively modest compared to Royal Caribbean's Pinnacle Club, which requires 700 nights.
The first three tiers aren’t that great, but the perks definitely start getting better at Platinum. With only 75 points required, it’s not that much, especially since you can easily reach this in a single year and points never expire. Priority embarkation and disembarkation are always welcome and make for great perks. The Platinum tier also offers complimentary bags of laundry and access to a special party exclusively for Platinum and Diamond members, which happens once on 5+ night cruises.
Diamond offers everything from the Platinum tier, plus a few additional perks. The best (and most underrated) perk is free laundry service. People often forget how many outfits we use while cruising, and having access to free laundry is a fantastic benefit.
Once you reach Diamond, you also get access to two great perks that can only be used once each: a free cabin upgrade (or a free stay for a third, fourth, or fifth guest) and a complimentary meal for two at a specialty restaurant of your choice. Sure, it’s definitely not fun that you can only use these perks once, but they are still great rewards to celebrate you reaching the top tier.
Diamond doesn’t offer perks like a one-time free cruise, and asking for free Wi-Fi might be too much. However, I’d rate the Diamond perks as “good” on the fun-o-meter. They might not be the best I’ve seen, but they’re definitely not bad. I’d certainly choose free laundry over many other perks offered by other companies.
The Bad
Let’s just say that it takes some time to be considered fun, at least by Carnival. The worst thing about the VIFP Club is that the first three tiers are pretty bad. It’s like Carnival has used that “No Fun Allowed” meme on the Blue, Red and Gold tiers and only allowed you to really smile from the Platinum tier onwards.
You can reach the Blue tier as soon as you book your first cruise, but that basically doesn't give you anything. Sure, you can get exclusive promotions from time to time and a newsletter, but I am not sure if those can actually be considered rewards.
The Red tier is also very lackluster. C’mon, Carnival, a free 1.5 liter bottle of water? Why does the Red tier need to exist at all, by the way? I can literally grab my own bottle of water, fill it at a drinking station and then I can also say I am a Red tier club member. In fact, I can do better than that if I have a 2 liter bottle.
Even the Gold tier isn’t very enticing, and we are talking about the third tier already. You get a complimentary drink that’s only available on 5 nights cruises and a Gold Pin. Not fun.
Closing thoughts
I’ll admit that we can’t expect mind-blowing rewards from a loyalty program. These programs are always free and never expire with Carnival, so they can't offer the very best to everyone. Still, I expected more from the early tiers. They feel almost unnecessary since there isn’t much to them. A free bottle of water and a gold pin after about 75 nights sailed seem like too little.
Things improve significantly at the Platinum tier. In fact, that's where the loyalty program starts to shine. Platinum offers priority embarkation and disembarkation, and the Diamond tier takes it a step further with free laundry and a few other interesting perks.
The bottom line? The VIFP Club isn’t that fun for the first three tiers, but you start opening a big and honest smile once you reach Platinum.
VIFP Club Loyalty Program FAQ
What’s the best perk offered by the VIFP Club?
The best perk is free laundry, available once you reach the top tier, called the Diamond tier.
Does the VIFP Club offer a status match?
No, the VIFP Club does not offer a status match.
Do my VIFP Club points expire?
No, your VIFP Club points never expire.
How do I earn points with the VIFP Club?
You earn one point per sailing night with the VIFP Club.
