Carnival Finally Reveals What Loyal Cruisers Get From Milestones
Key Aspects:
Carnival Cruise Line has announced more details about Milestone recognition in the new Carnival Rewards program.
Guests will receive special gifts, commemorative coins, and onboard credit at higher Milestone levels.
Milestones, stars, and points are all different parts of the new program with different uses.
With the new Carnival Rewards program just two months away, Carnival Cruise Line has released more details about the Milestone recognition program and how guests’ enduring loyalty will be recognized.
Milestones are part of the overall rewards program, but separate from the spend-based stars and points system where different loyalty levels are recognized and guests can redeem benefits.
Days sailed will determine Milestone rewards and they come with personalized recognition that increases the more guests sail with Carnival.
“Every day you sail with us counts toward Milestones recognition,” the cruise line confirmed in an email to guests. “More Milestones, more fun. Achieving new levels of recognition has never been easier.”
To reach Milestone levels, only the number of days sailed with Carnival matters. The overall number of cruises, length of sailings, amount of spending, or type of stateroom booked does not impact accumulating Milestone days.
What Are the Milestone Rewards?
Guests will receive their first Milestone rewards when they reach 50 days sailed with Carnival. For that recognition, guests will receive an additional 5,000 Carnival Rewards points that can be redeemed for benefits of their choice.
Points can be redeemed toward cruise deposits or fares, pre-cruise purchases, or onboard spending. While exact amounts vary, sample point values include 1,357 points for a 6-pack of soda, 2,400 points for a Bonsai Teppanyaki dinner, or 3,000 points for a thermal suite day pass.
The only other recognition at that first level is a “special” Sail & Sign card, though no details have been released about what that card may look like in comparison to the standard cards.
Cruise Hive has already reported on the redesign of the Sail & Sign cards, which includes a new vertical orientation and personalization with the number of nights a guest has sailed.
Once guests reach the 100-day Milestone, they receive an additional 10,000 Carnival Rewards points, the special Sail & Sign card, a commemorative coin, and two other as-yet-undefined benefits.
The first is “onboard recognition” and the second is a Milestones onboard credit. Neither of these perks have been clearly defined and may vary on different sailings, stateroom categories, or other factors.
The same benefits will be awarded to guests for every successive 100 days they sail: 200, 300, and 400.
At 500 days, the benefits increase again. Guests who reach that elite level of more than 16 solid months on Carnival ships will receive all the previous benefits of the 100 level, plus a commemorative award and a commemorative gift.
Both of those special items will be shipped directly to guests’ homes. This will be repeated again at 600, 700, 800, and every successive 100 days sailed with Carnival.
What Is the Difference Between Stars, Points, and Milestones?
There has been a great deal of confusion about the new Carnival Rewards program since it was first announced in June 2025. In the past year, the cruise line has done some tweaking and clarifying about different parts of the program, and this latest update on Milestones is another explanation.
But how do the different facets of the program compare? While there are undoubtedly still more details that haven’t been announced, the simplest explanation is:
Stars – These determine your overall reward status level: Red, Gold, Platinum, Diamond
Points – These can be redeemed for various benefits regardless of status level
Milestones – One-time recognition rewards for accumulating a set number of days sailed with Carnival
Both stars and points are based on spending, either through Carnival Cruise Line or the affiliated Mastercard, which can include everyday (non-cruise) purchases. Stars and points also expire after pre-determined time periods.
As one-time rewards, Milestones do not expire and can be accumulated over a much longer time period. Since the program is still new, there may yet be additional changes as it goes live and gets feedback from guests who begin actively using their rewards.
Carnival Finally Reveals What Loyal Cruisers Get From Milestones