Does Carnival honor your Princess status?

The Captain's Circle program is exclusive to Princess Cruises only. Loyalty status will not be matched with other lines in the Carnival Corp. portfolio, nor will they honor the perks you've earned as a result of your Princess loyalty status.



Generally, no, Carnival Cruise Line does not offer a direct "status match" or honor the specific loyalty tier you have earned with its sister brand, Princess Cruises. While both lines are owned by Carnival Corporation & plc, their loyalty programs—the Carnival VIFP Club and the Princess Captain’s Circle—operate independently. This means that if you are an Elite member on Princess, you will still start at the introductory level when sailing on a Carnival ship. However, there are occasional corporate-wide promotions or specific "status match" offers (such as the "VIFP Status Match" for casino players) that might bridge the gap. For the most part, passengers are encouraged to build loyalty within each individual brand to earn perks like priority boarding, free laundry, or specialty dining discounts specific to that line's fleet.

People Also Ask

In addition to differences in cruise mates, you'll see big differences in atmosphere: Carnival is about affordable fun, while Princess cruises are often nicer and more low-key, with a slightly higher price tag. The Vegas-style gaudiness that bothered some Carnival cruisers in the past is slowly being erased.

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Royal Princess is a large cruise ship with a maximum capacity of 3,560 passengers, but crowds are usually not an issue here.

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Yes, you can remove gratuities on Princess Cruises. All gratuities are automatically added to your onboard account and can be adjusted or removed completely at the Guest Services desk before disembarkation. Guests also have the option of pre-payment of gratuities prior to sailing.

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That usually depends on the length of the cruise and the time of year you sail. Shorter summer and holiday cruises (7-10 days in length) tend to bring out the younger 20-30 age group plus some older, where as the longer more exotic cruises, or those during off times of the year seem to bring out the older crowd.

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Being a red card holder with Carnival Cruises means you've reached the second stage of the VIFP program. You get the red Sail & Sign card on your second cruise, and you'll stay at this level until you have completed 24 nights on a Carnival cruise. This is the first time that 'VIFP points' becomes important.

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Loyalty Tiers and Accessing Your Benefits
  • Gold. After your first cruise1,2,3
  • Ruby. After completing 3 cruises or 30 cruise days1,2,3
  • Platinum. After completing 5 cruises or 50 cruise days1,2,3
  • Elite. After completing 15 cruises or 150 cruise days1,2,3


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