Sarah Bretz, ContributorCarnival Cruise Line appears to be doubling down on its new Carnival Rewards program, despite a barrage of negative feedback concerning the upcoming change.
In a post on his Facebook page, Carnival’s brand ambassador John Heald shared an official statement from the line’s executives, saying “Here then is a message from the Beards which I hope you will all take the time to read, share and take to heart.”
The statement began, “Since announcing the new Carnival Rewards program, we have heard from many of you. We made the decision to share our plans well in advance of the launch to give everyone plenty of time to understand the benefits of the new program which will provide more flexibility and ways for you to earn greater rewards and recognition when you sail with us.
“Please know we are reading your comments and taking in your feedback. To be clear, no changes will be implemented until June 1, 2026, nearly 12 months from now. We will be answering all your questions well in advance of the program launch. We are committed to making sure each and every guest – no matter their status – feels welcome and has a fun and memorable vacation. Our terrific onboard team has kept you coming back again and again, and that won’t change.”
It then addressed some confusion and concerns that many Carnival fans have brought up since the initial announcement last week. For example, many people have expressed confusion about whether or not the new Carnival Rewards Mastercard credit card is required to achieve status. Thankfully, that’s not true. “The new co-branded Carnival Rewards Mastercard is not required to achieve status,” the statement noted. “It is simply an option for those guests who want additional opportunities to earn status and points that can be used to purchase a cruise and offset onboard spend. Remember, with the new co-branded card you can earn points and status through everyday spending.”
The statement also addresses how guests can redeem their loyalty benefits. “The new Carnival Rewards program is designed to give people more flexibility for redeeming loyalty benefits, allowing guests to choose the specific benefits they want to redeem at the time that works for them. Benefits can be redeemed pre-cruise, onboard, or both. Today’s program structure does not allow this.”
Carnival Cruise Line’s executives also reiterated that the current program is very top-heavy, making it difficult to properly recognize and reward those in the highest tiers. However, many loyal Carnival guests don’t think that this new structure will properly recognize loyalty either; instead only rewarding guests based on spend and not their repeated cruising with Carnival over other cruise lines. Many are suggesting adding a new highest tier, just adjusting what’s included in each tier, or a combination of both.
The change is also prompting lots of Carnival loyalists to consider other cruise lines, especially those like MSC and Virgin that do status matching. On our news post on Facebook about the new program last week, reader Tammy said “17 cruises with Carnival, now looking at other cruise lines. My loyalty to Carnival is gone.”
“I had already started exploring other cruise lines,” a reader named Shawn said. “While I’m a Platinum member and still plan to sail with Carnival, losing that status will make it easier to consider other options.”
Across the board, loyal Carnival cruisers are not happy with the upcoming Carnival Rewards program. What are your thoughts? Do you think that some version of the new program could work well, or do you think Carnival should just adjust its current VIFP program? Let us know!
