Carnival Rewards Points vs Stars | How to Earn and Redeem

Carnival Rewards launched this week with a massive thud. The elimination of the VIFP Loyalty Program and expiring loyalty status had loyal Diamond and Platinum cruisers up in arms. Many have threatened to, or have outright canceled Carnival cruises. Some are calling for the resignation of Carnival President Christine Duffy and Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald.

But what cruisers missed in their anger was a massive part of the program called Carnival Rewards Points. Rewards Points are a new form of currency that was announced as part of Carnival Rewards. Unlike Stars that count toward status, Carnival Rewards Points are a new form of currency that allows you to apply them for things like a discount to your cruise fare, a dinner at Cucina Del Capitano, or even free internet on your cruise.

Unfortunately for Carnival, they decided to roll out Stars, Rewards Points, the sunset of VIFP, the expiration of status, updates to the new Carnival Rewards Mastercard, conversion of FunPoints, elimination of fan-favorite loyalty perks, and more ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

It's no wonder cruisers are confused. Some have incorrectly linked Carnival Rewards Points to loyalty levels - and why wouldn't they. You earn 3 Stars per dollar spent to achieve Red, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond status levels. You earn 3 Carnival Rewards Points per dollar spent, too. But those apply to things you buy.

But then you also get one point per casino point. Oh, and one star per casino point. And the Carnival Rewards Mastercard earns Points, but there's going to be a way via the Mastercard to also earn loyalty (which means Stars).

Got it yet? It took us several days to process it all. Reading through every FAQ 2-3 times, reverse-engineering Carnival's new Stars Calculator, reverse-engineering Carnival Rewards Calculator, and becoming an expert in the Carnival Rewards Mastercard... It was a lot.

Our goal is to simplify it for you in a way that makes it easy to understand how you Earn Carnival Rewards Points, how you Redeem Carnival Rewards Points, and how they are different from their Stars-based cousin.

If you have ANY questions about earning or redeeming Carnival Rewards Points, be sure to let us know in the comments below.

Do you think Carnival Rewards Points were overshadowed with the announcement? Do they ease the burden of expiring VIFP status? Sound off and let us know!

-Mark

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