Carnival Cruise Line will retire its VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) Club in June 2026 as it rolls out a new spend-based loyalty program, Carnival Rewards.
Under the new dual-earning model, guests will accumulate both Carnival Reward points — redeemable for everything from spa treatments and specialty dining to shore excursions and future cruises — and status-qualifying stars that determine tier placement in Red, Gold, Platinum or Diamond levels.
Stars will be earned through cruise fare, onboard activities and purchases made with the new Carnival Rewards Mastercard (to be co-branded with Barclays), linking everyday spending to loyalty status. Status will be earned over a two-year period and retained for the following two - a move that has garnered backlash from some frequent, longtime cruisers. Having spent years reaching Platinum or Diamond status, to have it replaced by a rolling two-year requalification systems, feels like "a slap in the face," said one Reddit user.
The move is a significant departure from the VIFP program, launched in 2012 and based solely on cruise nights.
Carnival President Christine Duffy says that amid the program’s “extraordinary growth,” the cruise line has struggled to reward top-tier guests meaningfully. She expressed this sentiment in a note to current loyalty members, as well:
"Our our Excel class ships, on average, more than 1,200 guests are Platinum or Diamond, making it nearly impossibly to provide meaningful priority benefits, and we face the same situation on virtually all other ship classes and itineraries.
"By introducing a points-based system, we're enabling greater flexibility so guests can personalize their rewards in ways that matter most to them," added Duffy in a release. "This transition honors our past while building a future where loyalty is recognized through both cruising frequency and overall engagement with the Carnival experience, bringing Carnival Rewards into the top tier of travel loyalty programs."
To try and help ease the transition, current VIFP members will carry over their status — Red, Gold, or Platinum — through 31MAY, 2028. Diamond members will retain elite benefits until 31MAY, 2032.
All existing Fun Points tied to the Carnival Mastercard will convert to Carnival Rewards points at launch on 01JUN, 2026. The company said it will share more details about the credit card partnership closer to launch.
Carnival’s move mirrors a broader travel industry trend toward spend-based loyalty programs. "We all know the marketing that airlines and hotels do for their programs, and that marketing also comes from the credit card companies that are associated with those programs and those brands," Duffy told Cruise Week, explaining its both a marketing and customer acquisition and retention play. "With the loyalty programs, it's time to evolve and align the program with what consumers expect today in terms of rewards and flexbility."
