Carnival Cruise Line’s official Brand Ambassador, John Heald, has set sail this week on his “For Fun’s Sake” cruise, and is wrapping up the popular voyage with exclusive gifts for travelers.
The “FFS” cruises are an annual tradition with Heald and give Carnival cruise fans the opportunity to meet him and enjoy unique and insightful question-and-answer sessions, cocktail parties, and other special events.
The current FFS cruise is aboard Carnival Magic, which departed Miami, Florida on Sunday, February 16 and has visited Half Moon Cay, Amber Cove, and Grand Turk. A day at sea will conclude the 6-night Eastern Caribbean cruise, and the ship will return to Miami on Saturday, February 22.
One of the most coveted parts of this exclusive cruise is the FFS swag for guests registered for the event. At the end of the sailing, Heald hosts a signing event and each guest also gets a lovely gift as a memorable souvenir for the voyage.
Aboard Carnival Magic, the signing event was held on Friday morning, the last sea day of the voyage. Even though it was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., excited guests were lining up well before that time for their chance to meet Heald, thank him for all the fun, and pick up their gifts.
“As you can see, people are very excited for me to sign things, so I think we better open the doors early,” Heald said, walking down the ship’s promenade alongside a very long line outside the Spotlight Lounge.
Guests brought a variety of items for Heald to sign, including photos, door magnets, shirts, rubber ducks, and more. Some guests arrived as early as 6:30 a.m. to line up ahead of the three-hour event.
The gift Heald is presenting to his FFS guests is a lovely coffee mug with a lid. The mug features a raised FFS logo with the ship’s name, date of the sailing, and “Cruise With John Heald” on the side.
Guests are also receiving a second gift, a pair of FFS towel clips in an oversized clothespin design, also with the ship’s name and sailing date.
“You can either use it as a towel clip, or if you’ve got very big underpants, you can wash them on the line and you can put them there,” Heald quipped.
Heald is well known for his tongue-in-cheek humor, no matter what type of situation he may be faced with either in person or through his popular Facebook page. Each week, he responds to hundreds of comments, requests, inquiries, and complaints, always trying to help guests have a great cruise experience.
Carnival Cruise Line Gifts
Carnival Cruise Line offers exclusive gifts through the “Very Important Fun Person” (VIFP) loyalty program once guests have reached the Gold, Platinum, or Diamond tier.
At the Gold tier, VIFP guests receive a pin on every sailing, customized with the year. Platinum and Diamond level cruisers also receive a pin, but it is a different design and includes the ship’s name, making them very sought after as collectible souvenirs.
Platinum and Diamond guests also receive a VIFP logo gift on each sailing. Those gifts are not available for retail purchase, and the item changes periodically.
Carnival Cruise Line Loyalty Gift
The most recent gifts include a somewhat controversial canvas baseball cap that is currently being phased out as supplies dwindle, and a set of packing cubes that are now being offered.
Guests do not need to reach a certain level of the VIFP club in order to join Heald on a FFS cruise, and the gifts offered during the sailing are for all registered guests for the event, regardless of loyalty status.
While this year’s FFS sailing is now drawing to a close, the 2026 cruise is sure to be announced soon for travelers to join in. In the past, Heald has made appearances on different ships and different itineraries, trying to share the FFS love with as many guests as possible.
These are not full-ship charter sailings but the spaces for Heald’s events do fill up quickly, and interested guests and Heald fans should make their reservations right away to be part of the next FFS cruise.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
