Carnival Redesigning the VIFP program?

[gazingm42]

So this was posted on carnival job site for Florida.   Does this mean they are in the process to redesign the VIVP program again?

 

 

 

[Elaine5715]

Maybe, maybe not but the position is Senior Loyalty Operations Manager so they would need to have creative control over the VIFP program  

[mz-s]

They've been teasing and discussing changes to the VIFP program for years. I recall JH talking about changes on his Facebook page (not announcing any changes, just saying that they're looking at things they could change).

 

I imagine they had planned to announce changes by now but COVID threw a wrench in those plans.

[Ilovesailaway]

Well it certainly looks like changes are coming... Did the old Sr. Loyalty Operations Manager not get the job done? Not enough changes? The changes didn't get implemented because of the timing of the shutdown?

It will be interesting to see. I would hope the customer feedback is solicited. If you were asked what changes to VIFP would you recommend?

[DrSea]

Seriously, they really need to revamp the program. Gold status honestly is trash (hate me all you want, but you know it's true). A pin (that I get charged a penny for) and sometimes a free drink (that sometimes is very hard to redeem due to system issues and it not showing up)...Terrible...just terrible...

 

Thankfully I don't cruise for these fringe benefits. But I have no delusions about how terrible they are when you are not Pl or Diamond. 

[ninjacat123]

I think a way to increase connectivity is to have the staff that interact with the passengers (MDR, room stewards, etc.) give out cards that have their social media account through Carnival.  Maybe on FB, so that it creates buzz.  I have been in contact with a member of my MDR staff since 2018 because he asked me if I wanted to friend him on FB.  I know a number of us CC members are friends with the crew.  Make it easy for them to reach out and get kudos from Carnival by doing so, either financially or building up job cred.

[Guest BasicSailor]

They're making changes to the program slowly and surely.  The current boarding process and running down your loyalty items are here to stay. FTTF will return as it is a money maker.

[Illbcruzn4life]

You know if they do change it, you’ll be so happy you’ll be dancing down 5th ave.

 

Dr Sea platinum is nothing to write home about either

[Guest BasicSailor]

1 hour ago, gazingm42 said:

So this was posted on carnival job site for Florida.   Does this mean they are in the process to redesign the VIVP program again?

 

 

 

To build long term relationships.  🙄

[DrSea]

34 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

You know if they do change it, you’ll be so happy you’ll be dancing down 5th ave.

 

Dr Sea platinum is nothing to write home about either

Agreed. But It would be nice to have free laundry (assuming they don't shrink your clothes lol). Not a big deal since I bring gym type clothes that can easily washed and dried. 

[TomCruise48]

Look at to the second to last bullet point about "opportunity to work across brands."  Reciprocity among Carnival Corporation brand loyalty programs is something many of us have wanted for a long time.  Hope this is more than just lip service.

[ninjacat123]

Here's another thought.  I love watching "Below Deck" and why doesn't Carnival have a reality show that showcases  different types of passengers.  Families, singles, seniors, LBGTQ, kids, etc that illuminate what Carnival's all inclusive message is all about.  Make cruising user-friendly for everyone. People like to see how these experiences affect others and how they can benefit from this information.

Edited August 31, 2022 by ninjacat123

[tidecat]

3 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

Here's another thought.  I love watching "Below Deck" and why doesn't Carnival have a show that showcases  different types of passengers.  Families, singles, seniors, LBGTQ, kids, etc that illuminate what Carnival's all inclusive message is all about.  Make cruising user-friendly for everyone.

I think they were all cancelled by 2019, but Carnival Corp was actually producing three TV shows simultaneously: Good Spirits (which I believe Princess has based onboard bars on several ships), Ocean Treks (highlighting shore excursions), and Vacation Creation (whee a family who has undergone hardship is given a cruise vacation).

 

I'm sure buying 60 minutes of airtime on broadcast TV and 30 minutes on A&E each week had a fairly healthy cost - effectively they were infomercials, even though Ocean Treks and Vacation Creation were used to meet the FCC's E/I programming requirements.

[ninjacat123]

2 minutes ago, tidecat said:

I think they were all cancelled by 2019, but Carnival Corp was actually producing three TV shows simultaneously: Good Spirits (which I believe Princess has based onboard bars on several ships), Ocean Treks (highlighting shore excursions), and Vacation Creation (whee a family who has undergone hardship is given a cruise vacation).

 

I'm sure buying 60 minutes of airtime on broadcast TV and 30 minutes on A&E each week had a fairly healthy cost - effectively they were infomercials, even though Ocean Treks and Vacation Creation were used to meet the FCC's E/I programming requirements.

Wow, I didn't see any of these shows.  I watch Travel, HGTV, and anything else that has a travel reference in it.  I wonder how they could make it more marketable.  Like on Apple TV?  I love Ted Lasso and I pay $5 a month to see it.  If there was a Carnival show you bet I'd be watching it.

[icft]

1 hour ago, ninjacat123 said:

Here's another thought.  I love watching "Below Deck" and why doesn't Carnival have a reality show that showcases  different types of passengers.  Families, singles, seniors, LBGTQ, kids, etc that illuminate what Carnival's all inclusive message is all about.  Make cruising user-friendly for everyone. People like to see how these experiences affect others and how they can benefit from this information.

I once actually suggested to Carnival that they produce a show that would be a cross between The Love Boat and Fawlty Towers. That was the result of a cruise in 2016 on the Triumph.

 

So many things went wrong that it ended up being one of our more enjoyable cruises because it was so bad it was funny. Here's a few snips from my letter to them with the first being the Ice Bucket incident and the second the Bedside Table incident with many others left out because it would take pages:

 

Ice Bucket:

 

…End of day one and start of day two, after having visited guest services, we wanted some ice water. Then we noticed there was no ice bucket in the room. I called the room steward number and as usual was told to call someone else; in this case room service. So I call room service and ask for an ice bucket and ice. A few minutes later my wife answers the door and finds a young man from room service bearing a ziploc bag of ice. She said we had asked for a bucket also. The young man said they were very busy and were out of buckets…

 

…Also on day four we decided to ice down and drink the bottle of sparkling wine the Player's Club had delivered to our room. We tried to use the metal ice bucket but the bottle was almost as big around as the bucket. That wasn't going to work. The note that came with the bottle said to get a bucket and ice from your room steward or room service. We knew the response if we called the room steward number would be to call room service. So I called room service and explained that the Player's Club had sent wine to our room and we needed a bucket big enough to ice it down and ice. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. I answered to find a young man... with a ziploc bag of ice. Of course I asked about the bucket and he explained that they were very busy and didn't have any buckets…

 

…Late on day five the dining room experience convinced us we had to try for a bucket and ice for the bottle of wine again or risk never drinking it as we were at our customs limit for alcohol and couldn't take it home. A little before midnight I again called room service and explained we had this bottle of wine and needed a big bucket and ice to ice it down. Our plan was to ice it overnight and then my wife (the wine drinker of the family) could drink it throughout the next day. A few minutes after the call I answered the door and found a young man, with a ziploc bag of ice. Now, I am not proud of the following couple of minutes. It was kind of like an interaction between Basil Fawlty and Manuel, but not long afterward we had a big bucket full of ice.

 

Bedside Table:

 

On day four as we were leaving the room we again ran into the steward so we asked him to come in and asked why there were no bedside tables. He said there was a bedside table. We asked where while pointing to the empty sides of the bed. He pointed to the kneehole of the counter on the opposite wall. What we had assumed was one of those room refrigerator bars that you dare not open on penalty of paying ten dollars for a Coke was actually a bedside table. So we asked why it wasn't beside the bed. He explained that if it were beside the bed he could not make the bed.

 

 

[DrSea]

1 hour ago, tidecat said:

I think they were all cancelled by 2019, but Carnival Corp was actually producing three TV shows simultaneously: Good Spirits (which I believe Princess has based onboard bars on several ships), Ocean Treks (highlighting shore excursions), and Vacation Creation (whee a family who has undergone hardship is given a cruise vacation).

 

I'm sure buying 60 minutes of airtime on broadcast TV and 30 minutes on A&E each week had a fairly healthy cost - effectively they were infomercials, even though Ocean Treks and Vacation Creation were used to meet the FCC's E/I programming requirements.

Yea, I agree that producing a show might not be the best idea today. They barely have enough crew on ships and is still having financial difficulties (hence all the cut to my precious fillet mignon during sea day brunch). 

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 hour ago, ninjacat123 said:

Wow, I didn't see any of these shows.  I watch Travel, HGTV, and anything else that has a travel reference in it.  I wonder how they could make it more marketable.  Like on Apple TV?  I love Ted Lasso and I pay $5 a month to see it.  If there was a Carnival show you bet I'd be watching it.

Isnt the travel channel actually the paranormal channel but the never changed the name?🤪

 

Smithsonian channel has better ship programming than the travel channel. What ever happened to Samanta Brown? Used to see her all over the place.

Edited August 31, 2022 by Illbcruzn4life

[Illbcruzn4life]

2 hours ago, DrSea said:

Agreed. But It would be nice to have free laundry (assuming they don't shrink your clothes lol). Not a big deal since I bring gym type clothes that can easily washed and dried. 

My whites didn't shrink but they did turn colors

[DrSea]

1 hour ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

My whites didn't shrink but they did turn colors

Like brown?

[Illbcruzn4life]

4 minutes ago, DrSea said:

Like brown?

rofl! no like light blue!!😛

[Joebucks]

I have no idea where this thread is heading. I just want more drink vouchers.

[Honolulu Blue]

10 hours ago, BasicSailor said:

The current boarding process and running down your loyalty items are here to stay. FTTF will return as it is a money maker.

I hope you're wrong and the current scavenger hunt for perks goes away.  I'm not a drinker, so I ordinarily wouldn't visit any of the bars.  The pins and luggage tag (or whatever the gift-of-the-month happens to be) are cute, but why make me go down to the photo shop to pick them up?  And I'd rather not bother room service to have my chocolate-covered strawberries delivered to me.

[wemjam]

11 hours ago, DrSea said:

Seriously, they really need to revamp the program. Gold status honestly is trash (hate me all you want, but you know it's true). A pin (that I get charged a penny for) and sometimes a free drink (that sometimes is very hard to redeem due to system issues and it not showing up)...Terrible...just terrible...

 

Thankfully I don't cruise for these fringe benefits. But I have no delusions about how terrible they are when you are not Pl or Diamond. 

The problem is I am VERY willing to bet that if they revamp the program, you are going to see more things be taken or reduced or made harder to get - versus getting more (especially at lower levels like blue, red, gold).  I could see them making it take longer to get to Platinum or Diamond, etc.  So wouldn't hold my breath about getting more at Gold.

 

Most of the perks any of us get regardless of level (I am Diamond now) really are not that big of a deal.  The only thing I was every happy to have Platinum or Diamond status for was the priority boarding/debarking and special line at guest services - and the main thing - being able to get on and go drop my luggage in my room.  Now with the way they do the arrival appointments (which does directly translate to which zone you board in), status  doesn't really  matter, and I would not be surprised if they continue that moving forward.  We have a family trip coming up and I went in to select our boarding time 16 days out thinking I could do it for all 3 rooms because someone on the board said you could (we are Diamond and other two family rooms are Gold and Frist Timers)  - and it didn't work! (whoever posted on the boards you could was wrong, you can do all 3 rooms at the same time, but have to be within the 14 days not 16 days).   So I went back at 14 days out and selected their rooms.  We were zone A01 they were A04, so probably all of 5-10 minutes apart in boarding times (we will just board with them which we planned all along).   So no real advantage there between us Diamond and the rest of the family, two of whom are first time cruisers.

 

The free drink, bottle of water, small gift, etc.  NOT that big of deal all around.

 

And laundry service is nice, but we stopped using it years ago when clothing items came back faded, discolored, stained, etc.  I either pack enough myself to start with (which is usually the case) or just go wash a couple things if I need to.

[topaz123]

11 hours ago, DrSea said:

Seriously, they really need to revamp the program. Gold status honestly is trash (hate me all you want, but you know it's true). A pin (that I get charged a penny for) and sometimes a free drink (that sometimes is very hard to redeem due to system issues and it not showing up)...Terrible...just terrible...

 

Thankfully I don't cruise for these fringe benefits. But I have no delusions about how terrible they are when you are not Pl or Diamond. 

The Platinum leap to Diamond is way too much time. You can get to Platinum pretty quick, but from Platinum to Diamond is a stretch.  Oh well, no enough solid perks anyway

[simplelife]

12 hours ago, Ilovesailaway said:

Well it certainly looks like changes are coming... Did the old Sr. Loyalty Operations Manager not get the job done? Not enough changes? The changes didn't get implemented because of the timing of the shutdown?

It will be interesting to see. I would hope the customer feedback is solicited. If you were asked what changes to VIFP would you recommend?

Retirement?