Do not compare cruise fares alone. Compare the rules attached to the fare — which is where this autumn's movement has been.
NCL: dining now rewards planning
| What changed | What it costs | The detail that matters |
|---|---|---|
| Extra entrées, main dining room | $5 each after the first | Appetizers, soups, salads and desserts are unaffected — those remain unlimited. |
| Specialty dining no-show | $10 per person | Charged if you do not cancel or change at least two hours ahead. Reservations are held 15 minutes. |
| Room service | A dining limit has been added | Reported alongside the entrée change. Confirm the current terms for your sailing. |
The entrée charge is narrower than the reaction to it suggested. Appetizers, soups, salads and desserts are untouched and remain unlimited — what now has a price is ordering two or three mains to sample them. For one person wanting an extra taste it is trivial. For a table of six treating the dining room as a tasting menu, it adds up quickly.
The no-show fee is the one that will actually catch people. Ten dollars per person, charged unless you cancel or amend at least two hours ahead — and the table is held for only fifteen minutes. The failure mode is predictable: you are ashore in a Caribbean port, the tender is slow, the signal is poor, and the two-hour window closed while you were queuing. Cancel when plans change, not when you are late.
Carnival: VIFP is gone, and Points are not Stars
Carnival Rewards replaced the VIFP Club on 1 September 2026. The headline is the name change; the substance is that the programme now runs on two separate currencies, and confusing them is easy.
| What Carnival states | |
|---|---|
| What replaced what | Carnival Rewards replaced the VIFP Club on 1 September 2026 |
| Two separate currencies | Rewards Points are spent on cruise purchases and experiences; Status Qualifying Stars set your tier |
| Earning Points | 3 Points for every $1 of eligible spend with Carnival, per Carnival’s own Rewards site |
| Earning Stars | The co-brand card earns 1 Star per $1 on everyday purchases — a different currency, earned off the ship |
| Tiers | Red, Gold, Platinum and Diamond |
| Existing Diamonds | VIFP Diamond status earned before the switch is recognised as lifetime Diamond |
| The catch | Members had to enrol to carry status and history across, by 31 August 2026 |
This is the part worth slowing down on. Rewards Points and Status Qualifying Stars are different currencies, earned differently, and only one of them moves your tier. Carnival's site states 3 Points per $1 of eligible spend with Carnival — that is the redemption currency. Stars, which decide whether you are Red, Gold, Platinum or Diamond, are earned separately; the co-brand card earns 1 Star per dollar on everyday purchases, off the ship entirely. Trade summaries that quote "3 Stars and 3 Points per dollar" have collapsed two things into one.
The practical shift is from days sailed to money spent. That is not automatically worse — it rewards a different kind of guest. But a frequent cruiser who sails often and spends modestly onboard should redo the arithmetic rather than assume the new tier ladder treats them as the old one did.
Existing VIFP Diamond members keep it for life, provided they enrolled. That concession followed criticism of the original proposals. Everyone else had to enrol by 31 August 2026 to carry status and sailing history across — if you did not, that is a conversation with Carnival rather than something to assume happened.
Loyalty benefits are capacity-conditional, not contractual. Days after the new programme launched, Carnival was reported to have suspended several Platinum priority benefits — embarkation, debarkation, early stateroom access and luggage delivery — on selected sailings where the tier was unusually well represented. Whatever the specifics, the lesson generalises: a published perk describes the normal case, not a guarantee for your particular voyage.
Three things this piece deliberately does not cover
Virgin's MNVV terms, solo fares across the lines, and the Allure charter cancellation all appear in the source material for this article and all are already covered here in more depth than a round-up can manage:
Before you pay
- Confirm the terms for your booking date, not the terms on a page written last season.
- Ask which fees apply to your cabin and fare, as figures.
- For NCL, get your dining coverage confirmed in writing — including how many guests on the reservation it extends to.
- Cancel specialty reservations the moment plans change, and diarise the two-hour rule.
- For Carnival, confirm your Rewards enrolment and that your status and sailing history actually transferred.
- Ask whether the loyalty perks you are counting on are guaranteed on your sailing, or capacity-dependent.
- Recheck deposits, final payment and cancellation rules before paying anything.
Frequently asked
Is the Carnival VIFP Club still running?
No. Carnival Rewards replaced the VIFP Club on 1 September 2026. Existing members had to enrol to carry their status and sailing history into the new programme, with a stated deadline of 31 August 2026. If you did not enrol, contact Carnival rather than assuming the transfer happened.
How do you earn status in Carnival Rewards?
Through Status Qualifying Stars, which are separate from Rewards Points. Points are the redemption currency — Carnival’s site states 3 Points for every $1 of eligible spend with Carnival. Stars determine your tier of Red, Gold, Platinum or Diamond, and the co-brand card earns 1 Star per dollar on everyday purchases.
Did existing Carnival Diamond members lose their status?
No. VIFP Diamond status earned before the switch is recognised as lifetime Diamond under Carnival Rewards, provided the member enrolled in the new programme. That was Carnival’s response to criticism of the original proposals.
Does NCL charge for a second main course?
Yes. NCL charges $5 for each additional entrée in the main dining room after the first. Appetizers, soups, salads and desserts remain unlimited, so the change targets ordering several mains to sample them rather than the size of your meal generally.
What is NCL’s specialty dining no-show fee?
Ten dollars per person if you do not cancel or amend at least two hours before the reservation, and tables are held for fifteen minutes past the booked time. Cancel as soon as plans change — not from a port with unreliable signal an hour beforehand.
Are cruise loyalty benefits guaranteed on every sailing?
No, and this autumn made that plain. Priority benefits are capacity-dependent, and lines have suspended them on individual voyages when a tier is unusually well represented. Treat published perks as the normal case rather than a contractual entitlement for your specific sailing.
What we verified, and what we would not. The Carnival Rewards structure, currencies and earn rate were read on Carnival's own programme site on 6 September 2026; the NCL dining changes are consistent across independent reporting and NCL's dining terms. Not claimed: that Free at Sea now extends specialty dining to guests three through eight — widely repeated, not confirmable on NCL's own pages for this article — and the specific Platinum suspensions, which are reported rather than published. No claim is made about NCL's intentions for solo inventory; the source draft asserted a strategy and cited an expansion announcement in the same breath.
Sources
Off The Grid Getaways is an independent travel advisor affiliated with Nexion Travel Group. Cruise line policies, fees, loyalty programmes, promotions and terms are set by the lines and change without notice. This article is general information as of 6 September 2026, is not a quote, and does not guarantee any fee, benefit or status outcome. Photographs by Valeria Boltneva and Piotr Arnoldes via Pexels, used under the Pexels licence and resized only.
Want the fine print read for you?
Tell me the line and the sailing and I will confirm what your fare actually includes, in writing, before you pay — dining coverage, loyalty status, deposit terms and the cancellation dates that decide everything else.
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