Carnival Cruise Line takes on a new passenger problem
Loyal Carnival passengers who join the cruise line's VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) Club loyalty program can earn a variety of rewards just for cruising on board Carnival ships.
Passengers get one VIFP point for each day they cruise, and once they rack up 24 points, they reach the Red level, which means they're entitled to begin redeeming onboard rewards.
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The first onboard benefit offered to Red-level Carnival cruisers and above is a complimentary 1.5 liter-bottle of water, redeemable during their sailings.
Many passengers appreciate and make a point to enjoy this bottle of water while on board, but lately there's been some confusion and controversy around this particular perk.
Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald, who regularly addresses passenger concerns on his popular Facebook page, found himself in the middle of a new cruise controversy after sharing a complaint related to the complimentary bottle of water in a post on his page.
"I had a scathing message sent to me from a very angry, shouty Platinum guest that they were charged for drinking the bottle of water from their cabin," Heald shared.
It turned out that this wasn't the only passenger who was confused and upset that the bottles of water placed in staterooms are not provided as the VIFP Club benefit.
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After receiving the Platinum-level cruiser's complaint, Heald wanted to clarify for all passengers that the cruise line currently requires VIFPs to pick up their complimentary bottle of water at an onboard bar. Bottles of water placed in the staterooms are not meant to be the VIFP benefit.
"The water that is in the cabin comes from the housekeeping inventory whereas the complimentary bottle of water comes from the bar inventory," Heald explained as the reasoning for this.
"I understand that having to collect the free bottle of water is not the best scenario for some, but this is how we are currently doing it and I wanted to make sure I mention this again in case there is any confusion," Heald added.
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It turns out there was a lot of confusion about this because according to the Carnival Cruise Line website, the VIFP bottle of water benefit is "redeemable at any bar, restaurant, or stateroom."
A number of passengers pointed this out to the brand ambassador in the comments on his post. Some also noted that the cruise line used to make a point to place the complimentary bottles of water in staterooms for their VIFPs.
"I think it lies in the fact that it used to be placed in the room with a nice welcome back greeting. When I cruised in March, I thought they forgot my bottles and was disappointed. I let it slide and realized after my cruise that I had to go to the bar to request it," Michelle Gray commented. "Perhaps going back to those little extra touches like leaving it in the room is the way to go."
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Heald takes passenger feedback very seriously and immediately began investigating the disconnect between what's listed on the website and how the VIFP bottled water benefit is being handled on board.
"I wasn't aware that it said that on the website and to be very honest a couple of the beards [Carnival executives] that I've been speaking to weren't certain of that either," Heald said in a video update about the situation. "It seems that some ships were doing one thing and some were doing another and there was not the consistency that we needed in telling you where to collect this bottle of water."
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Heald assured passengers that he and his team are working to come up with a solution and will promptly communicate it to loyalty program members. In the meantime, the brand ambassador asked VIFPs to please continue going to an onboard bar to collect their complimentary bottle of water.
"I'll be back with more direction on that in the coming days," Heald promised. "Thank you for your patience and enjoy from the bar your complimentary bottle of water or complimentary bottles of water."
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
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