Carnival’s loyalty programme has changed completely, and reaching Platinum status works very differently from the old VIFP days.
Instead of earning your way up simply by spending nights at sea, Carnival Rewards is based on how much you spend with Carnival. The Platinum perks have changed too, with some old favourites disappearing and other benefits taking their place.
So, what does Carnival Platinum actually get you now, how much do you need to spend to reach it and what happens if you earned Platinum under the old VIFP programme? Here’s everything you need to know.
Carnival Rewards Replaced VIFP in 2026
Carnival Rewards replaced the old VIFP Club on 1st September 2026, bringing some major changes to how Carnival’s loyalty programme works.
Under VIFP, your status was based mainly on the number of nights you’d sailed with Carnival. Carnival Rewards instead rewards qualifying spending, and your status is reassessed over two-year earning periods rather than simply lasting forever.
The change also altered some of the perks available at Platinum level, so if you remember the benefits from the old VIFP scheme, you might notice some differences.
Read more: Carnival Rewards Explained
How To Reach Carnival Rewards Platinum
Reaching Platinum works very differently under Carnival Rewards. Instead of counting how many nights you’ve spent cruising with Carnival, it’s now mainly about how much money you spend.
You need 50,000 Status Qualifying Stars to reach Platinum, and you’ll earn 3 Stars for every $1 you spend on eligible Carnival purchases. That means you’d need to spend around $16,667 to reach Platinum through Carnival spending alone.
It’s not just your cruise fare that counts. You can also earn Stars on things like gratuities, transfers, Carnival Vacation Protection and qualifying purchases before and during your cruise.
The big difference is that Platinum is no longer something you earn once and then keep forever. Carnival Rewards works in two-year cycles, so you’ll need to keep earning enough Stars if you want to maintain your status in future.
What If You Were Already Platinum With VIFP?
If you’d already reached Platinum under the old VIFP Club by 31st August 2026, there’s some good news. You won’t immediately lose the status that you spent all those cruises earning.
Once you’re enrolled in Carnival Rewards, you’ll keep Platinum until 31st December 2028.
After that, former VIFP Platinum members get a 10,000-Star boost at the start of each new two-year earning cycle. That gives you Gold status straight away, but you’ll still need to earn enough additional Stars to get back to Platinum.
NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!
See the latest Carnival cruise offers…
What Platinum Members Get With Carnival
These include priority check-in, boarding and debarkation, priority dining, complimentary drinks and free laundry services.
Here’s a rundown of everything you get as a Platinum member:
1. Priority Check-In and Boarding
One of the most useful Platinum perks is getting a head start on everyone else when it’s time to check in for your cruise.
Platinum guests can access Online Check-in 48 hours before other guests, giving you an earlier chance to choose the Arrival Appointment you want.
When you arrive at the terminal, you’ll also have access to the Priority check-in line and Priority boarding. You’ll still need to stick to the Arrival Appointment you’ve chosen, though, so Platinum status doesn’t mean you can simply turn up whenever you like.
And there’s another handy little perk once you’re on board. If your cabin isn’t ready yet, you can drop off your luggage before heading back to the ship’s public areas while the crew finishes preparing it.
2. Priority Debarkation
Getting off the ship isn’t the most exciting part of a cruise, but Platinum status can at least make the final morning a little easier.
Platinum guests get priority debarkation, with special luggage tags and instructions provided towards the end of the cruise.
It can be a useful perk if you’ve got an early flight or a long journey home, as you’ll have the chance to get off the ship before most other guests.
3. Priority Access to Guest Services
If you’ve got any problems or queries that you need Guest Services to resolve, then you don’t want to spend time queuing and wasting precious cruise fun time. So, as a Platinum guest, there are two ways you get priority access to the Guest Services team.
Firstly, if you visit them in person, there’s a priority line for Platinum and Diamond guests. Any guests in this line will be seen before others in the standard line.
And if you don’t want to visit in person, you get a priority phone number, so you don’t have to wait in a holding queue on the phone with other non-Platinum guests.
4. Priority Dining
Platinum guests get priority when it comes to dining requests, which can make it easier to get the dinner time you want.
If you choose a set dining time, you’ll receive priority when Carnival assigns your requested Early or Late Dining option. If you choose Your Time Dining, you’ll also receive priority when requesting a table.
It’s a useful perk, particularly on busy sailings when the most popular dining times can be harder to get.
5. Priority Water Shuttle Boarding
Heading to shore for an excursion or just a day of exploring independently? You won’t be the only one – hundreds of people will be leaving the ship on a day at port. So on days when you need to use a water shuttle to get to shore, it’s a nice benefit to have priority access so that you can beat the lines and have more time to explore.
You only get priority travelling from ship to shore – on the return to the ship, you’ll need to queue with everyone else. And it’s not always available either – it varies by destination based on local guidance, and it can be withdrawn as a perk at short notice. So don’t be too disappointed if you have to wait in line with everyone else.
6. Two Complimentary Drinks
Platinum guests now get two complimentary drinks on every cruise, which is an improvement on the single free drink offered under the old VIFP programme.
You can use them for alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, so whether you’d prefer a cocktail, a glass of wine or something alcohol-free, it’s a nice little extra to enjoy during your cruise.
7. Collectible Carnival Pin
If you like bringing home a souvenir from your cruises, Platinum status still comes with a collectible Carnival pin.
The pin is specific to your ship and year, so it’s a fun one to collect if you cruise with Carnival regularly.
Under the old VIFP programme, Platinum guests also received a separate Carnival logo gift. That benefit has now been removed, but the collectible pin remains.
8. Complimentary Wash & Fold Laundry
Free laundry is still one of the more useful Platinum perks, especially if you’re on a longer cruise and don’t want to pack quite as much.
Platinum guests get complimentary bags of Wash & Fold laundry, with the number depending on the length of the cruise. You’ll get one bag on cruises of 3 to 6 days, two bags on cruises of 7 to 13 days and four bags on cruises of 14 days or longer.
The service is Wash & Fold rather than pressing or dry cleaning, but it’s still a handy perk that could save you a decent amount on a longer sailing.
To Conclude
Carnival Platinum still comes with some useful perks, particularly priority boarding, dining benefits, free drinks and complimentary laundry. But Carnival Rewards has changed both how you reach Platinum and how you keep it.
Instead of simply building up cruise nights until you reach Platinum for good, you’ll now need to earn enough Status Qualifying Stars during each earning cycle. That’s a big change, especially for loyal Carnival cruisers who reached Platinum under the old VIFP Club.
If you book a suite as well, you can combine your loyalty benefits with Carnival’s suite perks for a few more extras during your cruise.
And if you have questions about how Carnival Rewards works in practice, you can also try contacting Carnival’s brand ambassador, John Heald, who regularly answers questions from Carnival guests.
NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!
See the latest Carnival cruise offers…
One other perk worth knowing about is that MSC Cruises offers a Status Match programme, which lets members of other cruise line loyalty programmes apply for equivalent status with the MSC Voyagers Club.
So if you have Carnival Platinum status and you’re thinking about trying MSC, it’s worth seeing what status you could qualify for before you book.
Check out my MSC Cruises Status Match Chart for more information.
I just returned from a Carnival cruise and note a difference between what is listed and what I experienced: Both items were addressed to Guest Services, of which they confirmed what is written below. 3. Priority Access To Guest Services: Yes, there is a priority line; however, only one person is dedicated to serve this line and 6 others were dedicated to serve the standard line. I was not seen before others in the standard line. Also, there was no priority telephone line provided and Guest Services often did not answer the phone when calling from the room. 9. Complimentary Water: Carnival recently changed their policy regarding where you can get your free water. You can only obtain the complementary water from your room steward.
I just returned from a Carnival cruise and note a difference between what is listed and what I experienced: Both items were addressed to Guest Services, of which they confirmed what is written below. 3. Priority Access To Guest Services: “Any guests in this line will be seen before others in the standard line…you get a priority phone number, so you don’t have to wait in a holding queue on the phone with other non-Platinum guests.” Yes, there is a priority line; however, only one person is dedicated to serve this line and 6 others were dedicated to serve the standard line. I was not seen before others in the standard line. There was no priority telephone line provided and Guest Services often did not answer the phone when calling from the room. 9. Complimentary Water: It states, “You just need to redeem it to pick up your bottle, which you can do at any bar or restaurant on the ship.” This is no longer true, you can only obtain the complementary water from your room steward.
My platinum perks on NCL are far better than Carnival. Including Carnivals above mentioned I get two free dinners for 2 at a specialty restaurant this includes a bottle of wine for one of the dinners. Little treats delivered including chocolate covered strawberries. 25% off pictures, 10% off excursions, 10 or 15% off spa. Does not have one free drink. plus more. Big difference.
That sucks, what about some free drinks every day