If you're planning a Carnival Cruise, you've likely heard of the line's "Very Important Fun Person" loyalty program. But what is VIFP?

Through VIFP, Carnival rewards cruisers for sailing with the line. You'll earn points for each night of every voyage you book. As you earn more points, you'll ascend up the ranks, and the higher the level you reach, the more perks to which you'll be entitled -- benefits like discounts, thank-you gifts and invitations to exclusive onboard parties.

This article was last updated on May 11, 2021.

It has been more than a year since cruise lines voluntarily halted sailings, and cruisers are wondering when Carnival ships will resume voyages.

Since late 2020, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's sailing ban expired, there have been several new developments -- conditional sailing framework requirements, vaccination roll-outs and an extension of Canada's no-sail order.

Carnival Cruise Line has joined others in cancelling their May cruises.

The cruise line announced on Wednesday it has decided to cancel all of its U.S. departures through May 31, 2021.

In a statement, the cruise line said a "date for the return of guest cruising operations from U.S. ports has not yet been determined."

With the new round of cancellations, Carnival cruise ships won’t begin sailings until June at the earliest.

Carnival removed its new health protocols from its website a day after posting them.

The new rules were inexplicably removed from the website and replaced with a general statement from the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Carnival posted on Friday comprehensive new rules that included wearing masks, social distancing, and limited shore excursion options.

When Carnival restarts cruises, guests will be required to weak masks, socially distance, and limit shore excursion options.

Carnival announced its new health protocols aimed at keeping guests and crew members safe onboard.

The new protocols are a listing of the rules and things guests can expect to encounter on a cruise ship when they restart.

While not a new set of fleetwide cancellations, Carnival is tapping the brakes some more on its ships returning to service.

Carnival Cruise Line announced on Monday new plans for additional ship deployments related to its phased approach to cruises restarting in 2021.

The cruise line outlined a series of ship-specific cruise cancellations and movements including:

Count Carnival Cruise Line among the many cruise lines to throw the towel in for April.

The cruise line announced on Friday it has decided to cancel all of its U.S. departures through April 30, 2021.

In addition, it cancelled Australian operations through May 19, 2021.

Construction is officially underway on Carnival's next new cruise ship.

Carnival Cruise Line announced a steel cutting ceremony was held at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland for the Carnival Celebration, which will be the next Excel-class ship that will debut in 2022.

Celebration will be the sister ship to the Carnival Mardi Gras, and is scheduled to begin sailing from PortMiami in November 2022, part of Carnival Cruise Line’s year-long 50th birthday festivities.

Carnival Corporation reported its fourth quarter 2020 financial results on Monday, indicating a $2.2 billion loss, along with an update on what it is doing to keep the business going.

Another quarter of financial results during the cruise shutdown revealed the company's current financial situation, along with what it is doing to maintain its business during the shutdown.

Not surprisingly, Carnival reported a U.S. GAAP net loss of $2.2 billion and adjusted net loss of $1.9 billion for the fourth quarter of 2020.