The largest cruise company in the world, Carnival, is centred around fun. Its fleet of over 100 extravagant ships are decked out with waterslides, swimming pools, adult-only retreats, kid-friendly activities and more. And, true to its name, Carnival’s loyalty program VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) Club is a further testament to its reputation as a cruiseliner that offers ‘the most fun ships at sea’.
If you want to get in on the fun – and earn rewards on your next cruise – read on for everything you need to know about VIFP Club.
How does VIFP Club work?
Carnival’s loyalty program has a simple structure. For every day you cruise, you’ll earn one VIFP point, in line with the published length of sailing. So a five-day South Pacific cruise will earn you five VIFP points, and on a 10-day New Zealand cruise, you’ll pocket 10 VIFP points. Effectively, the more you cruise, the more points you’ll earn.
VIFP points determine your membership tier. There are five tiers in the VIFP Club:
- Blue – Granted upon registration for the VIFP Club.
- Red – You’ll be bumped up to Red once you embark on your second cruise, and have 24 VIFP points or fewer.
- Gold – 25-74 VIFP Points.
- Platinum – 75-199 VIFP Points.
- Diamond – 200+ VIFP Points.
The higher your tier, the more member benefits you’ll unlock.
Benefits of VIFP Club membership
Depending on your tier, there are a host of benefits on offer for VIFP Club members. We won’t list them all in this guide – you can view the full and up-to-date list of inclusions here. But to summarise, here are some perks you can look forward to:
All members
- Members-only offers
- Member e-newsletter
Red and above
- Complimentary 1.5-litre bottle of water
Gold and above
- Appreciation drink on 5+ day cruises
- Gold VIFP pin on every sailing
Platinum and above
- Priority check-in and boarding
- Complimentary beverage at Seaday Brunch
- Priority spa reservations
- Priority debarkation
- Priority water shuttle boarding (ship to shore only)
Diamond members
- Priority reservation at Speciality restaurants
- Unlimited complimentary Wash & Fold service
- One-time free cabin upgrade or third and fourth guests sail free
- One-time complimentary meal for two at Specialty Restaurant of choice
How do I join Carnival’s loyalty program?
Unlike other cruise loyalty programs, you can become a member of Carnival’s VIFP Club before your first cruise. In fact, they encourage it. Here’s how.
- Create an account on the Carnival VIFP Club website using a valid email address.
- When you’ve successfully created your account, you can view your VIFP Club member number and cruise history under ‘My Profile’.
Once you’ve got your account set up, there’s only one thing left to do – book your next cruise!
Other ways to earn rewards when booking a Carnival cruise
Florida-based Carnival Cruise Line offers its own credit card for US residents, complete with points bonuses for every dollar spent on the cruiseliner.
Unfortunately, this credit card isn’t available in Australia. But for those looking to maximise rewards when booking a cruise in Australia, you can still do so by using a points-earning credit card.
If you’ve got a large purchase coming up – or, say, a cruise holiday to book – you could amass thousands of points by taking advantage of a credit card sign-up bonus, like the offer below. You’ll just need to apply for the credit card, be approved, and meet the minimum spend criteria. One sign up bonus could be enough to have you on your way to your next holiday – after your cruise, of course. Curious about how to spend all those frequent flyer points? Explore all of our Experiences around the world using points.
Carnival also runs a separate Players Club, designed for those who like to have a flutter at the casino. Just by signing up, you might get enticing offers such as this ‘Sail and Play’ offer in Australia:
- Interior Room from AU$240 per person (twin)
- $100 AUD FunPlay credit
- Up to AU$300 Onboard Credit
- Hospitality Benefits onboard for you and a guest
Featured image: Amira El Fohail, Unsplash
Community