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Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Carnival cruisers get free drinks with this lesser-known deal
Carnival cruisers get free drinks with this lesser-known deal originally appeared on Come Cruise With Me. Often, to get something for free on a cruise, you have to be a member of the cruise line's loyalty program (or casino loyalty program). Earning free rewards usually requires sailing frequently or spending a significant amount of money in the onboard Carnival cruise ships, once you have a few sailings under your belt as a member of the cruise line's VIFP Club loyalty program, you can start redeeming rewards during your cruises like a complimentary 1.5 liter-bottle of water. Other perks become available as you continue to sail and advance to higher levels of the VIFP Club. But besides redeeming VIFP rewards, if you plan ahead, you can also take advantage of one special free wine offer. This lesser-known Carnival cruise perk is available to any adult sailing on any Carnival cruise ship, no matter what their status in the cruise line's loyalty program. Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald recently highlighted it on his popular Facebook page where he answers questions and shares helpful information for Carnival cruisers every day.'Thousands of votes in and it seems [many] people enjoy a complimentary bottle of wine on the first night of the cruise at the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse,' Heald noted about recent passenger poll he took on his Facebook page. Comments on the poll also revealed that many other cruisers — even some who sail frequently — were unaware of this and other wine deals available for Carnival's specialty dining restaurants, so Heald detailed them for his followers. Heald explained that passengers who make a reservation to dine in Carnival's Steakhouse and select other specialty dining restaurants on the first night of their cruise can enjoy one free bottle of house wine for every two passengers who are 21 or offer applies to all Steakhouse, Rudi's Seagrill, Il Viaggio, JiJi Asian Kitchen, and Cucina del Capitano specialty dining restaurants with the exception of Cucina del Capitano on Carnival Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee. Passengers who prefer premium wine can choose to enjoy a 50% discount on bottles of wines listed under $100 instead. This 50% discount offer applies during the first and second night of the cruise in the Steakhouse, Rudi's Seagrill, and Il Viaggio restaurants on any Carnival ship. If you plan to take advantage of one of these wine deals during your cruise, make sure to ask your server about it and confirm the details before placing your Carnival cruisers who are wine lovers appreciate the fact that they can pair these specialty dining wine deals with other ways to avoid paying a premium for wine on board. Although passengers aren't allowed to bring their own beer or liquor on board, Carnival allows passengers to bring one sealed 750-ml bottle of wine per person. 'Love my wine! We bring our two bottles and also go to the steakhouse the first night. It's wonderful to sit on the balcony at night and enjoy the view of the ocean, moon and stars while sipping a nice red wine,' Mary Elderkin commented on Heald's post about the wine deals. More Carnival cruise news:Other wine lovers also appreciate that Carnival offers a 'Cruise the Vineyards' wine package that features wine at a discounted price. Available in a three- or five-bottle package, the 'Cruise the Vineyards' program allows passengers to choose from a varied selection of wines from around the world to enjoy during their voyages. 'I love the new wine drink package," Kelly Davey noted. "I have done the five-bottle package the past four cruises.' (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. This story was originally reported by Come Cruise With Me on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Carnival Cruise Line rep scolds cruiser for cruel loyalty response
Carnival Cruise Line rep scolds cruiser for cruel loyalty response originally appeared on Come Cruise With Me. There's no doubt that Carnival Cruise Line's recently announced loyalty program changes are extremely unpopular with many of the cruise line's most loyal passengers. In a move to bring cruise line loyalty programs more in line with spend-based airline rewards programs, Carnival plans to link status to spending with Carnival Rewards, a new program rolling out in June 2026 that will replace the cruise line's VIFP Club loyalty with rewarding passengers more for higher spending than for the time they spend sailing with the cruise line, Carnival Rewards will eliminate lifetime loyalty status for Carnival cruisers. For many passengers who have spent years cruising their way to high status in the VIFP Club, the new program sounds like Carnival no longer values their loyalty much at all. Passengers certainly have a right to be angry with the cruise line, but there are right ways and wrong ways to go about expressing frustration over the loyalty program changes. In the comments on a June 26 Facebook post where he provided an update on the loyalty program fallout, Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald called out a passenger who boasted about expressing his anger in one completely unfair and inappropriate way. This passenger wrote to Heald to share a cruel tactic that he intended to use during his cruise to send a message about his dissatisfaction with the loyalty program changes.'I've already made my shirt for my non-refundable cruise that I'm forced to go on with the saying 'no loyalty, no gratuity' that I'll be wearing on the last day to explain to your staff why people are pulling their tips. And it's your bosses' fault, not paying customers that you try to guilt trip, gaslight, and block here on social media,' Trey Rios commented on Heald's post. In his signature respectful yet honest way, Heald reprimanded the passenger for misdirecting his anger about the loyalty program changes.'Can I respectfully ask what the crew have done to deserve this,' Heald replied. 'What has the person who would've cleaned your cabin and what will the people who have served you food and both doing so with such a smile on their face, what have they done to deserve you removing their gratuities. Respectfully, please let me know, cheers.' The brand ambassador and any person thinking rationally should understand that removing gratuities is a completely inappropriate and unhelpful response to the loyalty program changes. 'You can be mad at me. You can be mad at my colleagues, but this in my humble opinion, is wrong. And it makes me very sad,' Heald passenger Kirstin Moore expressed a much more level-headed point of view with which most cruisers hopefully will align as they seek to make their opinions about the new loyalty program heard. 'That is cruel to the crew who are serving you. They had no say so in this. In fact, if it were up to them, they wouldn't change anything. They don't like to see us upset and certainly don't want to see us leaving. Please do let John know your thoughts, mention it in your survey, post as much as you see fit on [Facebook], but don't take it out on the crew who are serving you,' she wrote. More Carnival cruise news:Removing gratuities as a way to send a message to the cruise line won't accomplish anything but harming innocent crew members. These diligent shipboard staff members have nothing to do with the loyalty program besides being the reason why so many people have enjoyed their cruises and stayed loyal to Carnival for so many years. (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. This story was originally reported by Come Cruise With Me on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
