Carvinal's New Rewards Program

Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy (Photo Credit: Carnival Cruise Lines)

As Carnival Cruise Line prepares to launch its new loyalty program, many guests are eager to learn what changes are coming and how their loyalty will be rewarded moving forward.

During a recent discussion, Carnival President Christine Duffy and Brand Ambassador John Heald shared additional details about the upcoming Carnival Rewards program, helping cruisers better understand what to expect when the new system officially replaces the long-running VIFP (Very Important Fun Person)

program on September 1, 2026.

A New Era for Carnival Loyalty

Beginning September 1, Carnival Rewards will become the cruise line's official loyalty and rewards program. At that point, the VIFP program will be retired and no longer used to determine guest status or benefits.

One of the biggest changes is how milestone achievements will be calculated. Instead of tracking the number of cruises taken, Carnival will now recognize guests based on their total days sailed.

According to Duffy, this new approach allows guests to reach milestones more fairly, especially those who prefer longer voyages.

For example, a guest who sailed twenty-five 3-day cruises would accumulate 75 total cruise days. Under the old VIFP system, that guest would reach a milestone after 25 sailings. However, a cruiser who primarily takes 7-day voyages would need far fewer cruises to reach the same number of sailing days under the new program.

Carnival Rewards introduces two separate tracking systems:

Stars determine a guest's loyalty status level.

Reward Points serve as the program's currency and can be redeemed for cruise-related purchases and experiences.

Guests can earn points through:

Cruise bookings

Onboard spending

Everyday purchases using the Carnival Mastercard

This structure allows guests to continue earning rewards both at sea and on land.

Don't Forget to Opt In

One of the most important reminders for Carnival cruisers is that enrollment in the new program is not automatic.

Because Carnival Rewards is an entirely new loyalty program with its own terms and privacy requirements, guests must actively enroll before they can begin earning benefits.

Current Carnival Mastercard holders are automatically enrolled under their card agreement. All other guests will need to manually opt in to participate.

As Carnival transitions into this new loyalty experience, guests are encouraged to review the program details and enroll early to ensure they don't miss out on future rewards and recognition.