Carnival Rewards Loyalty Program Expands With Lifetime Diamond and Platinum Benefits
Carnival Cruise Line continued unveiling details of its upcoming Carnival Rewards loyalty program. The latest update adds lifetime status and accelerated benefits for its most frequent passengers. The program, launching on June 1, 2026, will replace the current VIFP Club® with a more flexible system akin to airline and hotel loyalty schemes.
Diamonds Are Forever, Platinum Gets a Boost
As part of the latest update, members who achieve Diamond status in the VIFP Club® by May 31, 2026, will receive lifetime Diamond status when the new system begins.
Platinum members are also gaining new perks. Passengers who reach Platinum level by May 31, 2026, will continue to hold their status through 2028 as previously announced. Now they will also receive a boost of 10,000 status-qualifying stars every two years once the new program begins.
Carnival says the bonus amounts to “a 20-percent head start to earning Platinum status, and even a head start to reaching the higher Diamond status in the new program.” The line also emphasized that the bonus guarantees at least Gold status in all future earning cycles.
Growing Up With Carnival Rewards
The line also clarified how minors will be included. While children under 18 cannot be formally enrolled in the Carnival Rewards loyalty program due to U.S. privacy laws, they will enjoy the same tiered privileges as the responsible adult on their booking. Once they turn 18, those who had reached Platinum or Diamond status by May 31, 2026, can opt into the program with the same standing as other adult members.
The Carnival Rewards loyalty program will introduce a new structure to recognize passenger loyalty. Members will accumulate two different measures: points, which convert into reward dollars for cruise fares, onboard purchases, and shore excursions; and status-qualifying stars, which determine a member’s tier level.
Compared this latest information with our review of Carnival Rewards when it was announced in June 2025:
