Table Of Content
- Carnival Freedom cruise ship catches fire after possible lightning strike
- Carnival Freedom's next two sailings canceled after funnel fire, second within 2 years
- Fire breaks out on Carnival cruise and 2 crew members killed aboard Holland America ship
- Construction on Second Chinese-Built Cruise Ship Well Underway
- Port Canaveral’s fire-damaged Carnival ship…
To 4 p.m., and is scheduled for another day at sea before returning to Port Canaveral on Saturday, May 28. The fire was contained after about 20 minutes, but took somewhat longer to fully extinguish. Emergency personnel will continue to assess the ship to determine the cause of the fire, as well as to ensure the safety of the vessel. That incident led to passengers being transferred to Carnival Conquest, which had to cancel its scheduled cruise to accommodate the change. Heavy-duty machinery and shipyard workers were atop the funnel throughout the week, prepping for the smokestack redesign. The ship was about 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, when the fire broke out.
Carnival Freedom cruise ship catches fire after possible lightning strike
Friday's five-night sailing also was scheduled to stop at those two ports of call, but in reverse order. On Saturday evening, "Carnival Freedom guests enjoyed the Elegant Night dinner as planned, and, with the exception of the open decks, all areas of the ship are fully functioning," Carnival said in its statement. Carnival said it made the decision after "our technical team completed a thorough assessment" during the ship’s visit Sunday to Freeport in the Bahamas. Damage to the funnel will require the cancellation of Carnival's next two cruises out of Port Canaveral, which were scheduled to depart Monday and Friday. Carnival Cruise Line is also reassuring passengers that the ship’s next voyage, a 5-night Eastern Caribbean cruise departing on March 25 with calls to Amber Cove and Grand Turk, is still planned to set sail on schedule. Firefighterswere able to control the blaze in about two hours and there were no reportedmajor injuries.
Carnival Freedom's next two sailings canceled after funnel fire, second within 2 years
The ship’s last dry dock was in 2019, but headed in early to get its replacement funnel. While the cause of the fire is still being investigated, Carnival noted in a post on X Saturday that eyewitnesses reported the possibility of a lightning strike. Cruise Radio prioritizes well-balanced cruise news coverage and accurate reporting, paired with ship reviews and tips. The unfolding situation is eerily familiar to a scenario that unfolded nearly two years ago.
Fire breaks out on Carnival cruise and 2 crew members killed aboard Holland America ship
In May 2022, Carnival Freedom’s smokestack caught fire while the ship was docked at the Grand Turk Cruise Center. The ship left Port Canaveral on Monday afternoon bound for Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, arriving early Tuesday to start work. The all-clear was given shortly after, and the ship proceeded to its next scheduled stop in Freeport and then onto Port Canaveral, Florida, on Monday to debark guests. As the ship was sailing northbound to Freeport, Bahamas, lightning struck the vessel, igniting fire to the funnel’s port side.
Construction on Second Chinese-Built Cruise Ship Well Underway
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Another ship, the Carnival Conquest, will travel from Miami to pick everyone up from Grand Turk on Saturday. While fires on cruises with guests are unusual, the risk increases during the construction phase due to the presence of heavy machinery and flammable materials in shipyards. On May 28, 2023, passengers aboard P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Adventure confronted such an event when a fire erupted onboard.
It was not until October of 2023 — a full 17 months later, and a short five months ago — that the whale tale was replaced.
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Guests onboard the sailing with the fire also received a full refund of their fare, including pre-purchased Carnival shore excursions and FunShop purchases. More recently, in October 2023, the Carnival Freedom debuted a new iconic winged funnel after returning from a 16-day dry-dock refurbishment in Cadiz, Spain. According to the marine tracking site CruiseMapper, the ship, which was built in 2007, is 948 feet long and can accommodate over 3,500 passengers. For Carnival Freedom, new additions include the addition of the Heroes Military Tribute Bar, a venue that debuted on Carnival’s Panorama in 2019 and has since been installed on new ships Mardi Gras, Celebration and Venezia. In May 2022, the Carnival Freedom caught fire during a five-day cruise to Turks and Caicos.
A Carnival cruise ship caught fire as it was docked in Grand Turk on Thursday morning, officials said. It wasn’t until it left for the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz, Spain, in September that it would undergo a 16-day dry dock that would give the ship a new funnel often referred to as the “whale tail” because of its winged shape. “And I want to add my apologies and my assurances that when you rebook using your full refund and your 100% future cruise credit, that the crew will be standing by to give you all the Fun you deserve,” he added.
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It should be noted that the ship’s funnel is an exhaust vent and it is possible for the vessel to run safely without the characteristic “wings” that make Carnival cruise ships so distinctive. Mardi Gras, which arrived in port just before Carnival Freedom, experienced no delays with its own schedule for guests to debark and visit the port. No other cruise ships are visiting Grand Turk today, and the fire caused no damage to port facilities. Carnival Freedom experienced a fire in the starboard “wing” of its iconic whale-tale funnel while the ship was docked in Grand Turk on Thursday, May 26, 2022. No injuries have been reported, and the fire has been successfully extinguished. The ship’s captain kept all passengers onboard informed during the emergency with multiple announcements over the public PA system.
Carnival Cruise Line has updated guests on ship operations and the next cruise after Carnival Freedom had a second funnel fire. The 110,000-gross-ton, 2,980-guest ship that debuted in 2007 welcomed passengers back on board this week and is now on a 14-night transatlantic voyage back to Port Canaveral, where it will return to service Nov. 6. Explorethe latest travel news, advice, updates, upcoming exclusive deals and more. Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.
In May of 2022, Carnival Freedom‘s funnel caught fire while the ship was docked at the Grand Turk Cruise Center. “The Captain has made multiple announcements to guests and crew and advised all but essential safety personnel to stay away from balconies and all open decks. A Carnival cruise ship that set sail from Port Canaveral in Florida caught fire on Thursday.
No evacuations were ultimately necessary, and no injuries among passengers or crew have been reported. In May 2022, the ship experienced a blaze in the whale-tale funnel as the ship was docked in Grand Turk. Additionally, the ship’s forthcoming schedule, including a 5-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary departing on March 25, remains as normal. This upcoming cruise is expected to visit Puerto Plata/Amber Cover, Dominican Republic, and Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos on another roundtrip route from Port Canaveral. The current voyage, which departed Port Canaveral on March 21, is expected to arrive back as normal on March 25. Carnival has confirmed it does not anticipate any changes that will delay the ship’s arrival in Florida.
The Carnival Freedom ship was in Grand Turk on a five-day cruise when a fire inside the ships funnel started, according to a press release from Carnival. When the fire was first reported, the ship’s emergency alert signal was sounded and guests were assembled at their muster stations to don their lifejackets as the situation was quickly evaluated. At press time, Carnival has not cancelled or rescheduled Carnival Freedom’s upcoming sailings. The funnel also caught on fire in May 2022 while the ship was docked in Grand Turk. The Carnival Freedom is scheduled to return to port on Monday morning, following an incident where a fire erupted on board, leading to the cancellation of at least two cruises from Port Canaveral. Carnival said there were no other operational issues with the ship’s systems, and the ship, which was on a four-night cruise, was visiting Freeport on Sunday.
There were about 3,700 passengers onboard the ship when the fire occured. And the two upcoming sailings, which were canceled, likely would have had a similar passenger count amid the busy Spring Break season. The 110,000-gross-ton, Conquest-class Carnival Freedom can welcome 2,980 passengers aboard, and is also home to roughly 1,150 international crew members. The ship is homeported year-round from Port Canaveral, offering a variety of 4-night Bahamas and 5-night Eastern Caribbean cruises, perfect for quick getaways. In a letter sent to guests booked on the next sailing of Carnival Freedom, Carnival Cruise Line has provided an update to the ship’s condition and operation following a fire that damages the port side wing of the ship’s funnel. Freedom has been sailing without the iconic red-white-and-blue smokestack funnel since it became engulfed in flames in May 2022 while docked in Grand Turk.
In May 2022, a fire broke out in the funnel area of the Carnival Freedom while it was docked in Grand Turk. Carnival then canceled three scheduled sailings of the Carnival Freedom out of Port Canaveral because of the need to repair the ship's fire damage at a shipyard in Grand Bahama. The U.S. Coast Guard has been notified of the fire, and Carnival activated its incident response team to support the ship’s crew. Carnival said the ship's captain made multiple announcements to passengers and crew, and advised all but essential safety personnel to stay away from balconies and all open decks.
There were some changes to the itinerary, however, because ofthe fire and weather. The current situation was inherently more dangerous because the ship was at sea with all her passengers and crew on board. When the funnel caught fire in 2022, many passengers were ashore, greatly reducing the risk of passenger or crew harm. By early evening, the Captain had announced that passengers had reported seeing the funnel hit by lightning but added that this was not confirmed. While details are still unfolding, a statement from Carnival Cruise Line — as well as eyewitness reports provided to Cruise Radio — indicate that a lightning strike may have caused the Carnival Freedom fire.
