Carnival Verifies Loyalty Points After Online Confusion

Carnival Cruise Line has released a statement in regards to confusion over the loyalty status points guests are given when sailing on casino offers.

After spam notices and rumors, the cruise line has verified that casino offer sailings do indeed lead to the accrual of points in the Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) loyalty program.

Casino Offer Sailings and Cruise Loyalty Points

Cruise travelers who are members of the Carnival Players Club casino program can earn free or very deeply discounted cruises depending on how much they spend in onboard casinos and how frequently they set sail.

In recent days, there have been online rumors that the cruise line would be cancelling the VIFP points travelers have earned from those discount cruises.

Concerned Carnival fans reached out to the cruise line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, for clarification, and after consulting with senior management officials with the cruise line, Heald stated, without question, the rumors were not true.

“[Someone mentioned] she had ‘inside sources’ stating that we would be canceling all VIFP points for casino cruises. That was false and 100% incorrect,” Heald confirmed. Furthermore, the cruise line released a brief statement addressing the issue.

“All guests who sail under a casino offer and are members of our VIFP program are credited with those sail days as part of the VIFP program. Our policies in this regard have not changed. Recently a few guests noticed that they were not immediately credited with their cruise days following a cruise – please know that while we regret the delay, we are still processing these days and they will be posted soon. Affected guests will see their days credited within the next few days. Rest assured that we have not made any changes to how casino offers interact with the VIFP program – please bear with us as we work through this.”

This indicates the delay is simply a processing backlog, and Carnival Players Club members will be fully credited with all their VIFP days as soon as the processing is complete.

Read Also: Loyalty Programs – Should You Stay Loyal to One Cruise Line?

There may be rare instances where such points will not be valid, such as if a traveler is onboard a non-revenue cruise (such as a media sailing) or if other special circumstances apply, but each individual case is considered separately.

Cruise Scams Online

These rumors follow a recent spate of false online identities, particularly of fraudulent Facebook accounts claiming to be John Heald and interacting with concerned guests on a variety of issues.

Unfortunately, it can be easy to create fake social media accounts, and such accounts may seem authentic on the surface because they may use the same photos, quote previous postings, or otherwise emulate original accounts with some success.

Just as internet users should always be cautious with spam emails and unsecured websites, it is always helpful to ensure a social media account is authentic before trusting what might be posted.

John Heald’s official Facebook page, for example, has more than 400,000 followers and includes the blue checkmark that indicates Facebook confirmation of its authenticity.

Any page that might use the same images or copy posts but only has a few hundred followers is not legitimate, even if a first glance may seem to show it as the right page.

Similarly, online forums, message boards, and other social media are not always a source of correct or complete information, particularly as different travelers’ experiences will differ based on their individual situations. It is rare that a single social media post or rant thread may share a complete and unbiased story.

Cruise Hive always strives to verify news and other information with multiple authoritative sources and original documentation, serving as your reliable source of cruise news, tips, and updates.