Carnival cruisers risk losing their loyalty status – how to enrol for the new program now

• Carnival is beginning to move cruisers onto its new loyalty program.
• However, cruisers have to opt in, or they will lose their status. Carnival says this is due to privacy laws.
• Here’s how to enrol and what to know about the new program.

Carnival Cruise Line’s divisive new loyalty program now has a new layer of controversy. It’s been confirmed by Carnival that members of the current VIFP Club will have to actively opt into the new Carnival Rewards program to keep their status, rather than being automatically ushered into the new program.

Carnival explains that this is due to privacy laws, however, it could lead to some people slipping through the cracks and not registering in time, therefore losing their hard-earned loyalty status.

Carnival says in a letter: “Due to privacy laws, your client’s current status progress and benefits from the VIFP Club program will carry over only by opting in and enrolling in Carnival Rewards prior to when the new program launches.”

If you sail with Carnival you should receive an email with directions on how to sign up to the new program. If you are a regular Carnival customer and don’t receive this email or can’t find it, make sure to get in contact with Carnival to assure that you don’t lose loyalty status.

It should be noted that this is only really important if you already have a high loyalty standing with Carnival. Here’s what you need to know based off of your current tier.

• If you are currently gold status, you will lose this eventually and start from zero, but you should still sign up to the new program as you will keep gold for two years, and can ensure you continue to earn points under the new system.
• If you are currently platinum, then you should make sure to renew as you’ll get a boost under the new program and start as gold status.
• If you are currently diamond status, you will get lifetime status, so it’s very important that you remember to sign up to the new program!
• For a full guide on the new system, go here!

The controversry

The new program proved controversial due to the fact that many will be removed from their status, and that the new program will be a rolling two-year window, based mostly on onboard spend. This means that the new program will favour ‘high rollers’ that spend a lot of money in a short period of time, rather than loyal cruisers who consistently have sailed with Carnival over time.

Carnival has explained that the changes were due to the simple fact that they were unable to continue offering the current perks, as too many people were reaching the higher tiers of loyalty status. Carnival will hope that the new system encourages people to spend more onboard and take more cruises in a shorter period of time.

Don’t wait to opt it

If you go online you’ll read some comments suggesting that if you opt-in, you immediately surrender your current status, even if you could progress through more tiers before September 1, when the program officially starts.

However, this is not correct. You will continue accumulating points under the current system under the start of September, so don’t worry about losing your status, the best thing you can do is sign up as soon as possible for the new program to make sure you don’t forget.