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Cruise ship delayed due to oil sheen

The 'Carnival Freedom' remained at Port Canaveral in Florida instead of heading out to sea on Jan 24 at 3.30 p.m., after being delayed due to an environmental issue. It finally set sail several hours later. An oil sheen around the ship was observed, but a survey showed no discharge from the ship. A few hours it eventually departed. On Jan 25, authorities at Carnival shared an updated statement: "Carnival Freedom’s team promptly investigated and cleaned an oily sheen around the ship after notifying Port Canaveral and Coast Guard officials (on) Thursday. Internal systems and a thorough survey of the ship’s exterior conducted by a dive team showed no discharge from the ship. All regulatory requirements were followed, and the USCG cleared the ship for departure on Thursday night. Carnival Freedom is sailing a Bahamas cruise."

Whale tale funnel not to be restored soon

The 'Carnival Freedom', which lost her funnel in fires in May 2022 and in March 2024, just months after receiving her replacement funnel, has been sailing with a modified straight funnel that is fully functional, but lacks the visual and architectural interest of Carnival Cruise Line’s signature whale tail, as disrupting the ship’s scheduled deployment is not an option. To give her a whale tail funnel would mean canceling two possibly three cruises while that work is done,. When the 'Carnival Freedom‘s whale tail first caught fire in May 2022, the starboard wing of the structure was completely destroyed. The incident happened while the ship was docked in Grand Turk, and guests were transferred to the 'Carnival Conquest' to return to Port Canaveral. The 'Carnival Freedom' then went into an emergency dry dock in Freeport for assessment and repair, at which time the portside wing of the funnel was also removed. The ship returned to service on June 11, 2022 with a modified straight funnel. It wasn’t until the ship’s scheduled dry dock in Cadiz in Oct 2023 that the whale tail funnel was fully restored. A lightning strike hit the brand new funnel in March 2023, causing a fire on the portside wing. Once again, the ship would set forth with a modified straight funnel, which she has sported ever since. While Carnival Cruise Line has not confirmed exactly when the 'Carnival Freedom' will once again receive a new whale tail, it may happen during her planned dry dock in Oct 2026. The ship is scheduled for a 14-night, one-way transatlantic crossing from Port Canaveral to Barcelona, departing on Aug18, 2026. Barcelona is the closest embarkation/debarkation port to the shipyard in Cadiz, 560 miles away. The next voyage for the ship is not until Oct 9, 2026 when she will offer an 8-night Mediterranean itinerary from Barcelona. Following that, a westbound 13-night transatlantic cruise will return the ship to Port Canaveral to resume her Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean itineraries.

Carnival refits Carnival Freedom with new onboard experiences

Carnival Cruises has refitted Carnival Freedom with new experiences in a three-week dry dock in Freeport, The Bahamas. The multimillion-dollar project has added a new waterpark, Bonsai Sushi Express and retail spaces to the cruise ship. The renovation was part of the line’s US$2 billion ship enhancement programme that has involved rolling out ‘Fun Ship 2.0’ innovations across the fleet. Among the new additions is the WaterWorks aquapark, which features a 203-foot-long AquaTunnel slide and Carnival’s signature Twister slide, as well as PowerDrencher tipping bucket and SplashZone area. The nine-hole miniature golf course has been relocated to Deck 11 and the deli on Deck 9 has been rebranded and expanded to offer sandwiches, paninis and traditional sides. The retail area has been extended to create a mall-style shopping area with different outlets.