Shortly before Carnival Cruise Line made a problematic announcement that its current loyalty program will be replaced with a new spending-based Carnival Rewards program, the cruise line faced another issue with one of its perks for loyal passengers.
With the cruise line’s current VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) Club loyalty program, passengers can earn onboard rewards just for spending time cruising on Carnival ships.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line promises loyalty will be better rewarded
While the new Carnival Rewards loyalty program will allow passengers to earn points and status through spending when it launches in June 2026, the current VIFP Club rewards passengers based on the number of nights they spend at sea.
And with the current reward system still in place for nearly another year, passengers are still eligible to receive all their existing VIFP Club benefits when they sail with the cruise line now until June 1, 2026 when the new Carnival Rewards program takes effect.
That means that along with taking in passenger feedback about the new Carnival Rewards program, the cruise line also needed to address an issue that recently arose with an onboard reward that most returning Carnival cruisers are currently entitled to redeem during their sailings.
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Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador takes on VIFP problem
As Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald responded to questions and concerns raised on his popular Facebook page recently, he uncovered an onboard problem that left some VIFPs frustrated and confused about one of their benefits.
Thanks to his attention to passenger feedback, Heald discovered that there was a lack of consistency across the fleet when it came to the process for how to redeem an onboard reward that most repeat passengers are entitled to receive — a complimentary 1.5-liter bottle of water.
Although the cruise line used to provide these complimentary bottles of water in staterooms for their VIFPs, Carnival updated its process, requiring passengers to pick up their bottle of water from an onboard bar.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line takes on a new passenger problem
However, the Carnival Cruise Line website confusingly states that the VIFP bottle of water benefit is “redeemable at any bar, restaurant or stateroom.” And as Heald investigated the situation, he found that not all ships in the fleet were handling the benefit redemption in the same way.
On his Facebook page, Heald promised passengers that he and his team would quickly sort out the process internally and communicate a resolution to passengers. On June 23, Heald delivered on his promise, providing new direction for VIFPs on how to redeem their complimentary bottle of water.
“If you are entitled to a complimentary bottle of water, you may take that from the cabin,” Heald shared in his June 23rd three-minute video update for his followers. “Again, you may take it from the cabin. You do not have to go to a bar to get that, but everything else will remain unchanged.”
Carnival passengers can still redeem VIFP benefits until June 1, 2026
In the video, Heald also took a moment to acknowledge the many questions and comments he’s received in the wake of the announcement about the new Carnival Rewards program.
Heald emphasized that beyond ironing out a better, more consistent process for redemption of the VIFP bottle of water perk, Carnival has changed nothing about the current VIFP Club program yet. The new Carnival Rewards program does not take effect until June 1, 2026 and until that date, Carnival passengers can continue to enjoy all their VIFP benefits.
“Between now and June the 1st, if you're entitled to a gift, or your pin, or the Platinum and Diamond Party, the Diamond Lunch — all of that is unchanged,” the brand ambassador stressed.
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Heald also noted that as passengers continue to write to him with feedback about the new Carnival Rewards loyalty program, he’s passing the comments on to Carnival executives through his detailed weekly reports. But although he’s gathering feedback, he doesn’t intend to make further statements about the new loyalty program.
“I can't really comment, I don't want to comment. I've said everything else that needs to be said. I'm on your side, I'm here to pass on your comments. And thank you to everybody who's taken the time to write to me in such a respectful and kind way,” he added.
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