Millions of passengers sail with Carnival every year. So it’s no surprise that their loyalty program, VIFP Club, is one of the most popular in the industry.
Whether it’s your first cruise or 100th voyage, Carnival’s VIFP Club offers perks and benefits to all club members. And, it’s free to join! So there’s no reason not to take advantage of the program.
You may have questions about the VIFP program, how it works, the benefits, and whether points expire. Below is our Carnival VIFP Club guide to help you understand everything the program offers.
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VIFP Club Basics
The VIFP Club is Carnival Cruise Line’s loyalty program. The club offers exclusive perks for Carnival passengers, including coveted Diamond level benefits like priority water shuttle boarding and a complimentary dinner at a specialty restaurant.
Joining the club is easy. You don’t even need to take a cruise to become a blue-tier member. Once you join, you’ll earn points for every night you spend on a Carnival cruise.
For those wondering, VIFP is an acronym for “Very Important Fun Person.” A fitting name considering Carnival’s reputation as the “fun cruise line.”
Ways to Earn Points
Carnival makes it simple to earn points. You earn one point for every day you cruise on a Carnival cruise ship.
For example, if you take a four-night cruise, you’ll earn four points. If you sail on a seven-night cruise, that’s seven points.
With VIFP Club, you don’t need to worry about different earning levels, cabin categories, or different types of booking. You simply earn one point for every night you cruise with Carnival.
Carnival also offers opportunities for members to earn extra VIFP points without taking a cruise. According to the VIFP Club’s terms and conditions, Carnival may “offer opportunities to earn extra VIFP Points through participation in different promotions, contests or sweepstakes.”
Unlike some airline rewards programs, VIFP Club points don’t expire. So if you earn 24 points with the program, you’ll always have those points. Even when you take a few years between cruises, you’ll keep the same points balance and status level.
Note: Some charter sailings and non-revenue fares don’t earn points.
VIFP Program Tiers
There are five different status levels within the club.
Your status level depends on the number of points you accumulate. The more points you have, the higher your tier.
Each tier has a color represented as the background of your Sail & Sign card.
Carnival’s VIFP Club program has five tiers:
- Blue: Your first sailing
- Red: Your second sailing to 24 points
- Gold: 25 to 74 points
- Platinum: 75 to 199 points
- Diamond: 200 points or more
Carnival is one of the only cruise lines that award passengers with membership status before they take their first cruise. All you have to do is sign up, and you’ll begin receiving perks as a Blue-tier member.
That said, the Blue tier doesn’t have many perks worth getting excited about. But, it is a nice feeling to be a part of the club.
Insider Tip: You might see guests around the ship showing off their status cards by wearing a lanyard.
What Are the VIFP Club Benefits?
As you would expect, the benefits of the VIFP Club depend on your membership level. The higher your club level, the more benefits you receive.
Some highlights of the VIFP Club include priority check-in/boarding, Carnival souvenir gifts, collectible pins, a one-time cabin upgrade, priority debarkation, and priority reservations.
Blue: First Sailing
- Receive members-only offers, promotions, and discounts
- Receive member e-letter
Red: 2nd Sailing – 24 Points
- Receives all Blue VIFP perks
- A complimentary 1.5-liter bottle of water
Gold: 25 – 74 Points
- Receives all Red VIFP perks
- A complimentary appreciation drink on sailings of five nights or longer. Available at any bar after 5 p.m. on the last evening of each cruise.
- Gold VIFP pin on every sailing. Redeemable at the ship’s Photo Gallery no later than two days before the end of the cruise.
Platinum: 75 – 199 Points
- Receives all Red VIFP perks
- Priority check-in and boarding
- Platinum and Diamond VIFP party on five-night cruises or longer, with complimentary drinks
- Complimentary beverage at sea day brunch (on ships where brunch is not available, complimentary beverage at breakfast or lunch in the main dining room)
- A “Chocolate Delight” dessert plate on five-night cruises or longer
- Unique, collectible pin received on each sailing (Redeemable at the Photo Gallery no later than two days before the end of the cruise)
- Priority spa reservations
- Priority tender boarding (from ship to shore only)
- Buy one get one free entry at a casino tournament (Blackjack or slots only; for passengers 21 years or older)
- $5 worth of complimentary arcade credits (guests 18 and under)
- Carnival logo gift on every sailing (Redeemable at the Photo Gallery no later than two days before the end of the cruise)
- Priority onboard Guest Services phone number
- Priority line at the Guest Services desk
- Priority debarkation
- Priority selection at main dining room seating and specialty restaurant reservations
- Complimentary wash-and-fold laundry services (Some restrictions may apply)
Diamond: 200+ Points
- Receives all Platinum VIFP perks
- Guaranteed seating time requested in Main Dining Room for dinner only
- Priority reservations at specialty restaurants
- Unlimited complimentary wash-and-fold laundry services
- Invitation from the Captain to a special event on each sailing
- One-time free cabin upgrade, or free third and fourth passengers sail free
- One-time donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, given once upon reaching Diamond level
- One-time complimentary meal for two at a specialty restaurant of choice
- Complimentary VIFP Club luggage tag set, given once upon reaching Diamond level
- A dedicated toll-free number for sales and services
Carnival’s VIFP Club FAQs
How Do I Sign Up for the VIFP Club?
You can sign up for the VIFP program for free on Carnival’s website. First-time club members begin at the Blue tier. Although the perks of becoming a blue-tier member are minimal, you are on your way to earning points and climbing the levels.
How Do I Earn Points for the VIFP Club?
Earning points is easy. You earn one point for every night you sail on a Carnival cruise. So, when you take a three-night cruise, you earn three points. If you sail on a seven-night cruise, that’s seven points.
Do VIFP Club Points Expire, or Does the Status Level Drop?
So if you earn 36 points with the program and achieve gold tier status, you’ll still have 36 points when you take your next cruise, even if it’s several years later. Unlike some loyalty programs, your VIFP Club Points never expire.
What if I Reach a New Status Level During a Cruise?
Let’s say you have 23 points before you embark on a 7-night cruise, which puts you at Red level status. By the end of your 7-night cruise, you will have 30 points, bumping you up to gold status.
So, can you take advantage of gold level perks during this cruise?
According to Carnival, if you will reach a higher tier by the end of the cruise, you can take advantage of the perks offered for higher-level members.
Going back to our example, even though you board the cruise as a Red member, you will be given Gold status during the cruise. This means you can take advantage of the Gold level perks one cruise earlier!
According to their website: “Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event Member books a Cruise in which such Member will attain the necessary VIFP Points to reach a new level during or by the end of such Cruise (a “Crossover Cruise”), CCL may, in its sole discretion, offer such Member the Benefits offered to Members of the higher Level during the Crossover Cruise.”
Is Carnival’s VIFP Club Worth Joining?
In our opinion, it is definitely worth joining Carnival’s VIFP club. Through the loyalty program, you’ll receive all kinds of perks and benefits for sailing with Carnival. It’s free to join, and enrollment is automatic.
Even at the lowest tiers, there are awesome perks to get excited about. And Carnival is one of the few cruise lines that welcome members to the program before their first cruise with the Blue-tier.
Where Can I Find My VIFP Points?
To see the number of VIFP points you currently have on your VIFP profile, simply log into your profile at https://www.carnival.com/BookedGuest.
How Does The One-Time Donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Work?
Each year, Carnival will make a $100 USD donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital for every Diamond level member.
