Carnival Cruise Line will replace its current Very Important Fun People (VIFP) programme with the new Carnival Rewards program, effective June 2026.
Christine Duffy shared that the lifetime status benefits of the current programme could not be delivered properly, leading to the change. The new programme will feature a spending-based system and status levels that expire every two years.
Carnival’s investment in new ships includes two additional Excel-class vessels set to join the fleet by 2028 and three Ace-class ships debuting from 2029.
Duffy emphasised the importance of being transparent with guests about the loyalty program changes, guaranteeing six years of maintained Diamond status for existing members regardless of spending.
Christine Duffy shared, “While we recognize that we knew this change and announcement was going to be difficult, the lifetime status benefits just can’t be delivered in the right way. We decided to announce it a year in advance so that we would have the time for everybody to know what changes were coming and how it’s going to work. Status on the new programme will be something that will be different and we’ll give everybody six years to maintain that status irrespective of how much they spend or sail after the change.”
