Just How Long Has Carnival Been Considering the Rewards Plan?
A week after its initial announcement, the backlash continues against the new Carnival Rewards program, a spend-based system due to replace the current loyalty program from June 1, 2026.
Many flabbergasted cruise guests have wondered just how much thought was put into the design of the new program. It has been almost universally maligned by top tier travelers – the very guests who have shown the most loyalty to Carnival Cruise Line.
A small piece of intrigue has been found that may shed some light on the program’s development, though not the wisdom or popularity of the change.
Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, has run a very popular and helpful Facebook page for many years. Today, he has more than 620,000 followers and answers hundreds of guest questions, concerns, and comments every week.
Nearly six years ago, his page wasn’t quite as massive, but he still interacted with thousands of guests. One way he did so was via polls, asking sometimes silly and sometimes informative questions to gauge feedback and responses.
On September 1, 2019, he asked what has become a crucial question today:
“Moving forward do you think that the loyalty program should be based on the amount of money you spend on a cabin and the amount of money you spend on board?”
More than 23,300 votes were cast, with an overwhelming majority – 87%, or at least 20,200 – firmly voting NO.
The comments on the old poll were equally insightful and echo many of the sentiments similar to the recent Carnival Rewards program backlash.
“Someone that has cruised three times in a suite is NOT more loyal then someone who has cruised 20 times in an inside room,” one guest noted.
“Just because one person can afford to spend more on a cruise does not make them more loyal. Loyalty is coming back again and again, not spending more,” another explained.
Some guests even quickly noted the difference between “rewards” and “loyalty” as it applies to customer spending and their vacation choices.
“You can have a rewards program for the dollar amounts spent, to earn perks. But LOYALTY has nothing to do with what cabin one chooses. Loyalty is the fact that they chose Carnival, period,” one guest described, with more than 50 positive reactions.
The differences in personal budgets, family sizes, permitted time off work, accessibility to travel, and other factors were all discussed in various comments and reactions to Heald’s poll. Ultimately, the idea that spending should equal loyalty was not a popular one.
Does the Old Poll Mean Anything?
Heald often asks questions and posts polls to his followers that could be interpreted as market research or simply gauging reactions to different ideas.
Read Also: What We Don’t Know (Yet!) About the New Carnival Rewards Program
While this does not mean that Carnival Cruise Line has officially been developing the new spend-based program since 2019, it was at least a glimmer in someone’s eye that many years ago.
But let’s not forget that from March 2020 through June 2021, global events dramatically shifted the travel industry as well as cruise line profits. Loyal cruisers who kept coming back after the pandemic helped the cruise line recover, but that also meant fast growth in the loyalty program.
Heald has been hinting that the VIFP program needed overhauling for years, which is not a surprise to anyone who has lost benefits on popular sailings or missed out on a gift or pin because supplies have run low.
Time will tell just how the new program will officially be implemented or how it may impact Carnival Cruise Line and cruise travelers’ choices over the next few years.
Will Carnival still be a popular cruise line? Of course. But maybe just not with the same loyal cruisers.
Just How Long Has Carnival Been Considering the Rewards Plan?