Carnival Cruise Lines Announces New VIFP 2x Points Deal and New Program Changes

On September 19, 2025 By Brent AbellIn Carnival Cruise, cruise, Cruising, Travel, Travel Blogger, Traveling Writer, Uncategorized, VIFP RewardsLeave a comment

Welcome back to the Crossroads! This has been a busy week for Carnival Cruise Lines news concerning the upcoming VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) rewards program changes. When initially released, the changes were met with some hostility. The vitriol became so bad that Brand Ambassador John Heald received death threats. I will not rehash the new program here, but if you want to catch up on the program changes, click over to this article from me and read up.

This brings us to this week in the Carnival VIFP program change saga. Carnival sent out an email to members highlighting changes to the changes in an attempt to appease the anger and betrayal many cruisers felt. Many thought Carnival was throwing their earned brand loyalty overboard, making it impossible to reach new benefit levels. Here is the email Carnival sent out (the bullet point comments are mine and do not reflect Carnival):

Dear Brent:

In June, we announced our plans to transition the existing Carnival^® VIFP Club^® loyalty program to a new program in June 2026 — Carnival Rewards™. Carnival Rewards was designed to model other successful and popular travel loyalty programs that more closely align activity and spending to rewards and status. While we explained our rationale for the change and provided a year’s notice to give everyone time to learn about how Carnival Rewards will operate, we also provided an extended period of time to maintain or achieve higher status levels before implementation.

Unfortunately, the announcement left some of our most loyal guests with the impression that their loyalty was being overlooked. We spent the summer listening closely to the feedback we received. As a result, we are pleased to share some modifications that address the concerns expressed:

• Diamond will also be losing benefits according to the Carnival Rewards website.	Diamond Status: As originally proposed, we were providing our Diamond guests with an additional six years of Diamond status once Carnival Rewards launches — through May 2032. Reflecting upon what it takes to achieve Diamond status, we are permanently extending Diamond level status to all guests who have earned it by May 31, 2026.
• This will impact the number of people chasing this level to be granted Gold status when the 10k points are put in a member’s account.	Platinum Status: In our original announcement, we advised that Platinum guests as of May 31, 2026, would enter the new program with Platinum status recognition through May 31, 2028. Given the number of existing Platinum members, we are unable to extend Platinum status permanently due to all of the operational challenges we’ve previously explained. However, we want to do more to recognize their loyalty. Accordingly, for all guests who are Platinum level as of May 31, 2026, along with extending Platinum status through May 31, 2028, 10,000 Status Qualifying Stars will also be deposited into Platinum guests’ new Carnival Rewards account when the program launches next year. That provides a minimum of Gold status in the subsequent June 2028 to May 2030 cycle and provides a boost towards maintaining Platinum status or earning Diamond status. Furthermore, we’re pleased to advise that this 10,000 Status Qualifying Stars deposit will be gifted at the start of each new two-year earning cycle, providing Gold status and a nice head start each period towards Platinum and Diamond status. This deposit is limited to existing Platinum VIFP guests as of May 31, 2026.
• I will be interested to see how this goes.	Guests Under Age 18: U.S. privacy laws restrict children under 18 from being enrolled in programs like Carnival Rewards, but we’re pleased to confirm that children will be able to enjoy the same status as their parent or adult that is designated as their responsible party on the booking for that sailing. Their cruise fare and spending will also contribute to the responsible party’s Carnival Rewards account. Furthermore, for our young cruisers who have achieved Diamond or Platinum status by May 31, 2026, their status will be kept on file and they’ll be invited to opt in to Carnival Rewards with their May 31, 2026, earned status once they turn 18. At that time, they will also be provided with the same Diamond permanent status or perpetual status boost offered to our Platinum guests as outlined above.
• I thought rewards were based on nights cruised and not number of cruises anyway.	Recognizing Your Milestones: We truly value your past cruising achievements and will continue to honor them with Carnival Rewards. All existing VIFP Milestone awards earned through May 2026 will be fully honored through May 2030, giving us the honor of celebrating those special achievements with you. In addition, we are so excited that Carnival Rewards will include an enhanced Carnival Rewards Milestones recognition program that will be based on days sailed (rather than number of cruises taken), and offering more benefits and rewards for each milestone achieved. More details will be shared in the upcoming months through email and our microsite on this recognition program.
• Go get that credit card!	For Our Australia and Canada Guests: We’re actively exploring options for our guests in Canada and Australia so we can offer residents of those countries enhanced earning and rewards opportunities similar to those provided to U.S. residents through the Carnival Rewards Mastercard^®.

The passion and loyalty of our guests is something that motivates our team every day to deliver the best cruise experience at sea. We appreciate the support of our guests as we move forward with a new loyalty program that has been designed to create more rewards and recognition for our guests. Please look for updates via email and as posted to carnivalrewards.com, including more details later this year about the new credit card program. With the opening of Celebration Key™, our enhancements at RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay and Isla Tropicale, our expanded presence in Australia, exciting new itineraries and more new ships on order, there is much we look forward to, and many more reasons to sail Carnival.

Sincerely,

Christine Duffy
President, Carnival Cruise Line

The new changes will benefit the Diamond-level members, who will be granted permanent status on June 1, 2026. The proposed changes didn’t sit well with everyone at the Platinum level and below. The amount needed to keep my Platinum level didn’t justify staying loyal to Carnival any longer. So Carnival thought they’d throw those close to either Diamond or Platinum a bone.

Today, Carnival sent out a second update in the form of a 2x points special.

I made a follow-up video on the YouTube channel, discussing this offer and what it does. It’s limited, but it will help those close to either Diamond or Platinum reach that next tier before the May 31, 2026, cut-off date. The response for bookings has been high enough that the Carnival site crashed. If you’re close to that next level, take advantage quickly before the sailings get booked. After making a mock booking, I found that many cheaper rooms have already been taken.

The thing that caught my eye about this deal was that all guests in the cabin will get the 2x points. This has been a topic of discussion and hand-wringing since the rewards program redux was announced, and the topic is about the booking guest getting the points, but not everyone else in the cabin. So, if a wife books a cabin for her and her husband, she would get the points, and he wouldn’t get anything. I’m not sure who in the Carnival chain thought that was a good idea, but here we are…

There are details about the offer and how it can help bump some guests to the next reward level before the new program takes effect. Does it change what cruises you’re looking at between now and next year? It changed my mind to look at more NCL or MSC cruises, so I will expand my knowledge and experience base with those cruise lines. Drop a comment below about how this news may change your cruising plans.

Thanks for stopping by the Crossroads, and I’ll see out in the world,

Brent

My Final Review of My NCL Bliss Alaskan Cruise

On August 19, 2025 By Brent AbellIn Brent's Crossroads, Cagney's Steakhouse, content creators, cruise, Cruising, NCL, NCL Bliss, Norwegian Cruise Lines, The Local, Travel, Travel Blogger, Travel Review, Travel Vlogger, Traveling Writer, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Welcome to the Crossroads! The last couple of videos about my Alaskan adventure aboard the NCL Bliss are in the can for the YouTube channel, and I’m beginning preparations for Dragon Con in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend, a trip out west for Oogie Boogie Nights at Disneyland (as well as the 70th anniversary), and my first trip to Universal Studios Hollywood for Halloween Horror Nights. Now is the time for me to honestly review my first cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines, the Alaskan ports I visited, and Pier 66 in Seattle.

Let’s head out to the Crossroads, and talk about my latest adventure.

This was my first sailing on an NCL ship, and my first impressions were very positive. We booked this cruise using our casino points from online games, and the process was pretty smooth and easy. If you are interested in me delving deeper into the process and if it was worth it, drop a comment below and let me know. Because we booked through our points, we each had to book individually, which worked out because it allowed us to explore and compare an interior cabin versus a balcony cabin (balcony was fantastic for the beautiful views of the Alaskan mountains and glaciers). Our booking also had the “More at Sea” package added, so I will take a broader look at whether the package is worth the money later as well.

Pier 66 in Seattle is easy to reach from the airport by train. Purchasing an Orca Pass and navigating to the port from the airport is simple. The trip is a straight shot, and you don’t have to change lines. The stop is a few blocks from the pier, and it is an easy walk if you don’t have twenty suitcases. If you packed that much, you’ll want to Uber or take a cab to Pier 66. We arrived too late before the train shut down for the night, so we stayed at an airport hotel and took the train in the morning. This allowed us to explore the Pike Place Market a little. It did suck with our suitcases, but it was not impossible. The impossible thing was locating a restroom to use. If you take time to see Pike Place, the pier is only a five-minute walk from there.

My first view of the Bliss on the walk to Pier 66.

The pier is easy to navigate and to get through security. If you aren’t carrying on, you drop your luggage at an outside kiosk and proceed through the regular port security. The crowds didn’t seem large, and we cleared security quickly. I expected long lines at the port to check in since the sailing was at capacity, but it was never crowded, and we boarded easily.

My first impressions of the Bliss were positive. The atrium area was small, only a couple of floors high. The atrium’s second level is The Local Pub’s open center. The Bliss’s lack of a huge atrium four to six floors high was different, but it worked with the layout. Norwegian also had passengers complete their muster drill as soon as they boarded. This was a great way to ensure that all passengers completed it without having to track stragglers down.

The ship is excellent for the Alaskan itineraries due to the large observation lounge, mounted binoculars outside in multiple locations, and outdoor seating areas with great views. The drawback is the pools. There are plenty of hot tubs, but where some ships that do Alaskan itineraries have a retractable roof over the pool deck, the Bliss is wide open the entire time. If you want to swim, you’d better do it on embarkation day or the last day heading back to Seattle, because if not, it’s too cold to swim unless you hit the hot tubs.

Now, what did I think of the food? The food in the main dining room (MDR) was average. Some of it was very good, and some not so much. The breakfast and lunch menus in the MDR were better than most of the dinners. The free included restaurants like The Local and the American Diner were great. The Local is open 24 hours and has the best food on the ship between the MDR, buffet, and included restaurants. The only pay restaurant we dined at was Cagney’s Steakhouse. It was the best steakhouse I’d experienced on the four cruise lines I’ve sailed. You can dine at the pay restaurants with your More at Sea package. The number of times depends on which package you purchase. Ours only covered one meal, so we chose Cagney’s after hearing many positive reviews online. The Garden Cafe (buffet) was also excellent. It rotated dishes based on theme, had a hot dog/burger section, and served various Indian food daily. The buffet is my second favorite behind MSC. MSC’s buffet brought it at every meal.

Onboard entertainment was average. They did have a Broadway production of Jersey Boys for a couple of nights, but the other nights were your average singing oldies that older cruisers like. At least the entertainment wasn’t jugglers and magicians like on Royal Caribbean. I think I’d see the shows I’ve attended on Royal Caribbean ships at a retirement home. Carnival still has the best shows, in my opinion. Let me know in the comments what your favorite cruise line entertainment is. The Bliss also featured a Beatles tribute band, the best and most accurate-looking and sounding tribute band I’ve ever heard. I could close my eyes and believe I was listening to the Beatles in Liverpool.

The port stops were great, and I covered all of them in my video series on the YouTube channel (check them out here). My only real gripe is that the Bliss was always the odd ship out and had to dock the furthest away from the towns. The docking assignments left Bliss passengers with shuttle buses to get to and from the downtown areas of the port stops. The other ships sailed up to the front door and dropped off in the thick of the action. We lost time due to the travel requirements of being bused back and forth.

A quiet and reflective moment in Icy Straight Point.

To close, I would rank Norwegian Cruise Lines as my second-favorite cruise line. NCL is close to the top, but one other takes the top spot. I promise I’ll count them down for you soon. Where will the four rank? Tune in by subscribing to be notified when new content drops at the Crossroads! Thank you for stopping in, and I hope to see you out in the world!

Safe travels,

Brent

Bigfoot does exist, and he works in a gift shop.

Is The Local on the NCL Bliss the Best Place to Eat?

On July 28, 2025 By Brent AbellIn Brent's Crossroads, cruise, Cruising, food reviews, NCL, NCL Bliss, Norwegian Cruise Lines, The Local, Travel, Travel Blogger, Travel Review, Travel Vlogger, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Welcome to the Crossroads! I’m continuing my reviews and commentary about my experiences on the NCL Bliss during our recent Alaskan cruise. This was my first Norwegian sailing, and The Local was one of the top dining locations on the ship. Located on the 7th floor, overlooking the atrium, this large pub and grill features a dining area, pub seating sections, and a bar. The best part of The Local is that it is open 24 hours. Hungry in the middle of the night? Do you need a sandwich before bed? If you answered yes, The Local is the right place for you.

The food is pretty good, too.

Because The Local is open 24 hours a day, the menu varies depending on when you go. They have a small breakfast menu in the morning, a full lunch and dinner menu served most of the day, and a limited menu for those late-night munchies.

Click Here to View The Local’s PDF Menu

The best items on the menu were the starters. The pretzel bites, nachos, and three flavors of hot wings topped the items we sampled. We ate at The Local enough to munch our way through most of the menu. Of the four cruise lines I’ve sailed on, The Local is one of the best restaurants included with your cruise fare on any ship. The focus on pub fare makes this a great place to eat and grab a beer or cocktail after you return to the ship after a long day at port or a snack in the middle of the night.

The main dishes were mostly sandwiches and burgers, keeping with the pub atmosphere. Some of the menu items are available at The American Diner, so you can eat them in several locations. The menu highlights include the Reuben, Coney Island Hot Dog, and the classic pub favorite fish and chips. We also tried the Wrangler burger, blue cheese burger, and tavern-battered fish sandwich. Each menu item was good, and I recommend trying everything on the menu. The only disappointing things were the fries and the enormous amount of bread on the hot dogs. I don’t eat a lot of buns with things, so I had to remove half of the bun to taste the actual hot dog and toppings through all the bread. The fries would’ve tasted better warm, but since the food appeared to be batched out of the kitchen, you could tell some of the plated fries sat out for a while once they hit the plate. Guy’s Burgers on Carnival still has the best fries, and those bad boys are hard to beat.

The desserts were the only weak point. We tried the carrot cake and the chocolate sundae. The carrot cake was super rich and too sweet for my tastes, especially for a piece of cake cut from a mass-produced sheet. The sundae mainly consisted of vanilla ice cream with a light touch of chocolate syrup at the very bottom of the dish. It wasn’t terrible, but it was nothing to write home about either.

The breakfast is a skip. The menu is limited, and it wasn’t very good. I was so unimpressed, I didn’t get any pictures so we could hurry to the Garden Cafe to grab a bite before disembarking the ship for the day.

Overall, I highly recommend The Local. It is a great place to eat lunch or grab dinner if you aren’t crazy about the MDR menu for the evening. It does get crowded depending on what is happening in the atrium below. People will sit in the seats surrounding the atrium all day to watch the different shows and talks. The dine-in area is usually walk-up, but it gets busy when passengers are boarding the ship in port and the Garden Cafe is closed. Seating around the entire restaurant area is generally open and not full except for the main seating area. So, find a table and enjoy some great pub food and cold beverages. It’s included, so take advantage of the hours and the menu!

Thanks for stopping by the Crossroads, and I’ll see you out in the world,

Brent

Carnival is Leaving Its Rewards Members Out at Sea

On June 19, 2025 By Brent AbellIn Brent's Crossroads, Carnival Cruise, cruise, Cruising, Travel, Travel Blogger, Travel Vlogger, Traveling Writer1 Comment

Time for some big cruise news in the travel world. Carnival Cruise Lines has announced a massive change to their VIFP Club that is making members feel like jumping ship. I picture Royal Caribbean and MSC hanging out around the corner like Spirit Halloween hanging around a newly closed retail location, waiting to pounce on dissatisfied members.

Carnival announced changes were coming to their loyalty reward program, but I don’t think anyone knew how big a shift they would make to the program. If you aren’t familiar with the Carnival VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) program, it was a tiered system that provided members with increased benefits as they progressed through the program. Each night counted toward your total. For example, if you had x number of nights on the ships, you would be at x level. With x level, you received certain rewards and perks. These perks included priority check-in, complimentary laundry, complimentary drinks, and priority access to the water shuttle at tender ports. Once you achieved a level, you were that level until you earned the next higher one.

But things are changing, and people aren’t happy. The Facebook groups have the torches and pitchforks out.

The loyalty system is being thrown overboard for a point-based system. Now, instead of earning your level based on nights cruising, you earn it by spending money for the points (cruise fare, spa treatments, excursions, and spending in the casino will earn you points, to name a few). For example, suppose you are a platinum-level VIFP member. In that case, you will need to earn 50,000 points within the two-year window to maintain your status. Using the calculator on their website, it says I would need to sail on 3-4 times a year during the two year window to maintain my status, and unless I go all out in the window, I’d never reach Diamond no matter how many sailings I go on. The next level will be unobtainable for most cruisers, and many feel they will lose two or three levels and be stuck at the first tier forever. The jump from platinum to diamond is another 50,000 points. Diamond level would require 100,000 points (stars) to achieve that status. The perks do not appear to be changing, but I don’t think people care…they are pissed.

The new program doesn’t begin until June 1, 2026. To view their new requirements for the rewards program, please visit https://carnivalrewards.com/. To say it has gone well with cruisers since the announcement would be a lie. Since the program change is still a year away, I wonder if things will change. I know we’ve been sailing on various other cruise lines more and more lately, and this isn’t making me want to continue supporting a company that has decided my years of loyalty are meaningless. One of the lines from the announcement email stated that they didn’t think all the elite-level guests on sailings made anyone feel special. Guess what? I don’t sail to feel special. I sail to experience new places or to relax in the ocean and soak up the sun. I sailed to build my brand loyalty, but I guess I should’ve jumped ship long ago, because our loyalty meant nothing to Carnival in the end. I don’t envy John Heald when he starts getting the heat on Facebook.

I will leave you with a link to the email Carnival sent out to announce their program changes. Click here if you feel the need to throw up a little in your mouth. They pretty much gaslight us into believing it’s our fault for advancing through the system that they need to change it. No, their policies since COVID-19 are mostly to blame, but that is an argument for another time.

Well, I need to get ready for the next trip, so thanks for stopping by the Crossroads!

Brent