Latest news with #VIFP
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Carnival shares cruise loyalty news; Royal Caribbean cruiser fined
For some time now, Carnival Cruise Line has been teasing that it's working on a revamp of its VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) Club loyalty program. In April, Carnival President Christine Duffy confirmed that enhancements to the program are indeed coming soon and will offer greater value and engagement for loyal Carnival cruisers. Details on these improvements are expected to be revealed this summer and take effect in before the full details are unveiled, Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald just shared one key thing that the updated program won't include — and many passengers are not happy. Doug Parker shared more details on Carnival's disappointing loyalty program news and other cruise news, including a case that reminds cruisers to be mindful of laws in cruise ports of call, on the May 9th edition of Cruise News Cruise News Today with Doug Parker. Good morning, here's your cruise news for Friday, May 9th. A U.S. cruise passenger has been fined $2,500 in Bermuda after admitting to drug possession and importation. Pamela Walker, age 60, arrived aboard the Liberty of the Seas and asked customs officials if cannabis was illegal, then admitted to them that she had some. Now officers found over 10 grams of cannabis, a small amount of the white stuff, and other drug-related items. Walker said that the drugs were for pain relief and apologized in court. The judge reminded her that drug laws vary by Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed it will not offer loyalty status matching across its sister brands like Holland America, Princess, Cunard, and so on, which disappointed cruisers hoping for shared benefits like Royal Caribbean. Despite being part of the same corporate family, Carnival says each brand is run independently with different pricing and perks, making a unified loyalty program impractical. Carnival's brand ambassador John Heald says there are no plans to change this, meaning that if Carnival guests are looking to try premium lines like Cunard or Princess, they'll have to start the loyalty program from a federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit by two Filipino crew members who claimed false imprisonment and emotional distress after being kept on board a Celebrity cruise ship during the early months of the pandemic. The 11th Circuit Court sided with the Miami-based cruise line, noting that the CDC's no-sale order delayed crew repatriation and that the company followed strict protocols once the order was lifted. The crew members, who remained on board for months, were eventually flown home in May of 2020. The court found that Celebrity's actions did not cross the line of being the photo of the week comes from Jeff on Sapphire Princess in Moorea. I hope I pronounced that correctly. You can send yours in: photos@ All photos are subject to broadcast. And cruise line stocks were all up on Thursday. Carnival Corporation: up 3 percent, 20.25. Royal Caribbean: up 2 percent, 232.84. Norwegian: up 3 percent, 17.88. And Viking: up 1.2 percent, 43.57. If you have a lead on a story, let us know. Tips@ Have yourself a great weekend. I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Carnival shares cruise loyalty news; Royal Caribbean cruiser fined
For some time now, Carnival Cruise Line has been teasing that it's working on a revamp of its VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) Club loyalty program. In April, Carnival President Christine Duffy confirmed that enhancements to the program are indeed coming soon and will offer greater value and engagement for loyal Carnival cruisers. Details on these improvements are expected to be revealed this summer and take effect in 2026. Related: Carnival Cruise Line unveils new system to eliminate pain point But before the full details are unveiled, Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald just shared one key thing that the updated program won't include - and many passengers are not happy. Doug Parker shared more details on Carnival's disappointing loyalty program news and other cruise news, including a case that reminds cruisers to be mindful of laws in cruise ports of call, on the May 9th edition of Cruise News Today. Want the latest cruise news and deals? Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Transcript: Cruise News Today with Doug Parker. Good morning, here's your cruise news for Friday, May 9th. A U.S. cruise passenger has been fined $2,500 in Bermuda after admitting to drug possession and importation. Pamela Walker, age 60, arrived aboard the Liberty of the Seas and asked customs officials if cannabis was illegal, then admitted to them that she had some. Now officers found over 10 grams of cannabis, a small amount of the white stuff, and other drug-related items. Walker said that the drugs were for pain relief and apologized in court. The judge reminded her that drug laws vary by country. Related: Cruise excursion leads to illness; Princess Cruises limits drinks And Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed it will not offer loyalty status matching across its sister brands like Holland America, Princess, Cunard, and so on, which disappointed cruisers hoping for shared benefits like Royal Caribbean. Despite being part of the same corporate family, Carnival says each brand is run independently with different pricing and perks, making a unified loyalty program impractical. Carnival's brand ambassador John Heald says there are no plans to change this, meaning that if Carnival guests are looking to try premium lines like Cunard or Princess, they'll have to start the loyalty program from scratch. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. And a federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit by two Filipino crew members who claimed false imprisonment and emotional distress after being kept on board a Celebrity cruise ship during the early months of the pandemic. The 11th Circuit Court sided with the Miami-based cruise line, noting that the CDC's no-sale order delayed crew repatriation and that the company followed strict protocols once the order was lifted. The crew members, who remained on board for months, were eventually flown home in May of 2020. The court found that Celebrity's actions did not cross the line of being unlawful. Related: MSC cruise ship fight leads to death; cruise crew members deported And the photo of the week comes from Jeff on Sapphire Princess in Moorea. I hope I pronounced that correctly. You can send yours in: photos@ All photos are subject to broadcast. And cruise line stocks were all up on Thursday. Carnival Corporation: up 3 percent, 20.25. Royal Caribbean: up 2 percent, 232.84. Norwegian: up 3 percent, 17.88. And Viking: up 1.2 percent, 43.57. If you have a lead on a story, let us know. Tips@ Have yourself a great weekend. I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Carnival Cruise Line takes on cruise class controversy
Carnival cruisers who have reached the highest levels in the cruise line's VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) loyalty program, Platinum and Diamond VIFPs, have a reputation for sometimes acting entitled. Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald often receives complaints on his popular Facebook page from some of these high-status passengers demanding special treatment on reputation that Platinum and Diamond Carnival cruisers have gained has also led to rumors about ways that these cruisers flaunt their status over others on board. Since Carnival issues passengers onboard Sail & Sign key cards in colors that signify their levels in the VIFP program, the fact that some Platinum and Diamond cruisers wear these cards on lanyards around their necks has sent the wrong message to some cruisers. John Heald recently dedicated a Facebook video to this cruise class controversy in an effort to combat the latest rumor, and to share his perspective on Heald: Good morning, good afternoon, and to my friends in Cleveland, New Zealand and Australia, good evening. I don't know why I say that every time. Welcome to today's three-minute video, and we're going to talk a little bit this morning about a post I received yesterday from somebody who we will call Michael because, well that's his name. And Michael says: 'A big discussion on Cruise Critic. Will the Grand Pooh Bear — and in brackets: you Heald lol, care to comment? — It has been said that most Diamond and Platinum [VIFPs] wear their Sail & Sign card on their lanyards at all times to impress the lowly Golds, Reds and Blues. Of course, they do. What do you say, John?' Well, thank you very much, Michael, Mickey. I think it's brilliant, by the way, that you've put Cruise Critic in with a capital C and a capital C, but when you've written my name, not only did you not call me John, but Heald is in all small case, so no capital for my name. Does not bother me in the slightest and if you tried to get under my skin it's not working. It's not right, seriously, I think some of our most loyal guests do wear their Sail & Sign card on a lanyard to show, simply, how proud they are of their loyalty. Now this is very much a cruise thing. You will never see this on Cleveland Airlines with a Diamond Platinum Elite member walks down the aisle with an airline card around their neck. It's just a cruise thing, but although I do think it is mostly for convenience, I think that a lot of, or some of, our most loyal guests do want to show their loyalty and it's not to look down on people who are not Diamond or Platinum. It is just to say, 'Look what I have done, look what I have achieved. I'm proud. I love Carnival.'And those last three words I would like to think is the reason that most people who have reached those levels wear their cabin key around a lanyard. So that's my answer. I'll be interested to see what others have to say on this, but I would say that 99% of our Diamond and Platinum guests wear their card around their neck simply because they are proud. Nothing more and nothing less. More Carnival cruise news:Now, I don't have any news on the new loyalty program. As soon as I do, of course, we will share it in the usual way. They do say if you want to talk about loyalty, you have to talk about a pet and it always reminds me of this story: There are three pets. They pass away and they go to heaven and they meet God. And God wants to know what they believe in and he looks first at the German Shepherd and says, 'What do you believe in?' and the German Shepherd says, 'I believe in discipline and loyalty to my family,' and God said, 'Well done, you can sit on my right side.' Then he looks at the next pet. It's a Shih Tzu — It's not where the joke's going — It's a Shih Tzu, and God says to the Shih Tzu, 'What do you believe in?' and the Shih Tzu says, 'I believe in love and care and cuddles and loyalty,' and God said, 'You can sit on my left side.' And then God looks at the cat and says to the cat, 'What do you believe in?' and the cat looks at God and says, 'I believe you're sitting in my seat.'
