Carnival Cruise Lines has made a change to their VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) loyalty club John Heald announced this morning.
Starting with May 15 departures, Gold Card holders will no longer be invited to the past guest party. However, Gold Card holders will now receive a drink coupon worth up to $9 that can be used on the last sea day of voyages five days and longer. This is in addition to the complimentary bottle of water that each stateroom receives.
Why will only Diamond and Platinum card holders be invited to the party? According to Heald, the growing number of Gold Card holders has lead to some sailings having to have two parties to accommodate everyone. Some sailings have upwards of 1,500 passengers who are Gold and above.
The large number of guests at the party have made it hard for the staff to deliver the high standards of service that the cruise line strives to be known for. The VIFP party is being revamped so Diamond and Platinum holders can look forward to more intimate parties held in smaller lounges. Diamond passengers will continue to receive their special event with the captain.
I’ve been gold for my last 3 cruises. We didn’t go to the last party because…well it’s the same party over and over. The drinks are the same and so is the food. I really don’t mind not being invited any more but the drink coupon is a joke. I’d rather have a better cabin rate for being a loyal Carnival cruiser. The rates are going up and perks are going down. Maybe it’s time to find other vacation ideas.
I am a Gold cruiser. I missed platinum on change from number of cruises to number of days by one cruise. I laugh at this switch to one drink on last day of cruise only after 5pm. A bit of an insult. At this point I am wondering when they will start downgrading Platinum. Each time we cruise we see changes that seem to be cost containment changes. We love cruising but I need to start looking around at other options.
seems a 9 buck drink is a really cheap slap in the face for those gold card members.Carnival can do their loyalty members better than that…i mean come on. and by the way I am not a gold card member so I have no dog in the fight here.
I am platinum and I don’t even go to the party. They could do away with all the party’s and make the cruises cheaper. They are getting so high. I don’t blame the people that are Gold being mad for that would make me up set 2. The things that they give me & my husband are not that really worth having anyway… The chocolate strawberrys r ok but that other things on the dish are not good at all. I think they should go back giving sea mills you got more off your cruises . the fun points are not that good . now this is for the ones that has a Carnival credit card. I am going to be Diamond soon but that don’t mean nothing to me. I just wish the cruises would get a little cheaper.
I am really sorry to hear this. I just turned Gold on our last cruise. It is a shame that we are important enough to celebrate our loyalty. I may have to look elsewhere for further cruises. A gold party is in order. We are important as well
I can understand but i cruise without my husband and on our next cruise where there will be 17 of us, i am the only platinum … Not a big deal but i wont bother going on my own as it was fun to share these nights with others, all the others bar 4 are gold
I have seen the vifp parties become so big that they no longer seem to be enjoyable. With over 400 cruise days some times the diamond parties are terrible, of course it depends on the ships captain. Some of the captains are friendly while a few absolutely do not want to be with the passengers. When certain captains are on certain ships I have refused to go to the diamond parties. Over all the Carnival crew members do one heck of a good job making my wife and I feel like royalty. We love Carnival in fact we recently met on the Conquest and got married on the Miracle in Hawaii. We thank the captains and the senior officers on the Conquest, Miracle ,Triump, Valor, Sunshine, Splendor, Fantasy,and the Imagination, As we plan our up coming trips we look forward to meeting the many wonderful crew members we have become friends with. Ola and Joe McDonald
I wish that carnival would allow your platinum status to be good on any of the cruise lines they own instead of just Carnival. We would cruise more often if we could get a better selection of choices and we would’ve glad to use them more. But so far with each different cruise line you have to start your status climb all over. Not that we have cruised a lot and know more of the ins and outs of I have to start earning a status over I would choose a couple of different cruise lines and they are both NOT owned by Carnival or their subsidiaries!!
If I had been a diamond by now, I would have preferred a less special gold affair followed by a more special diamond affair. Would have made more sense.
Not a happy camper, we have been Gold Members for years and this Party made us feel like we were someone, one thing we looked forward to because lately Carnival has not impressed us like in the past, and now this, my rating of Carnival is going backwards fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i love the change. I had to work my way to platinum and the main theater usually has so many people now your lucky you get one drink unless you chase down a waiter!
That’s fine to have a smaller group like diamond and platinum status. Catering to those 2 groups is all about earning the points to get to that level. But the gold card group shouldn’t be pushed aside and paid off with a 9.00 drink card as if it were a bribe ! Gold status has earned our level, too. Maybe the cruise line should offer a gold card status party, a nice discount on staterooms, a nicer beverage package offer, etc. I’m optimistic that Carnival, Inc will be able to provide a mix of several options to show their appreciation to the gold status as well. A few extra perks for any returning Carnival cruiser will help ensure that Carnival keeps their loyal cruisers. If not, it’s just as easy to book a different cruise line and we all know Carnival, Inc does not want to be known for this !!
Couldn’t agree more with your comment! Send it to Carnival as well.
So why is the drink coupon only valid on the last day of the voyage? We cruised in Feb 2014 and did not get a complimentary bottle of water. Is that something new? Is it one bottle for us to share? We both earned GOLD status so shouldn’t it be two bottles? eh, I guess this wasnt thought thru all the way. Now Carnival has to make changes.
This change went into effect within the last few months.
Well it just figures that they would change it now, what’s the point of being a gold card holder if they just change the rules