Port Canaverals fire-damaged Carnival ship finally gets its replacement whale tail

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• Latest Updates After Fire Breaks Out on Carnival Cruise Ship
• Carnival cruise ship catches fire in Grand Turk
• Carnival Cruise Passenger Captures Ship Fire on Video After Reports of Lightning Strike
• Second Funnel Fire for Carnival Freedom
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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.

Latest Updates After Fire Breaks Out on Carnival Cruise Ship

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.

Carnival cruise ship catches fire in Grand Turk

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.

Carnival Cruise Passenger Captures Ship Fire on Video After Reports of Lightning Strike

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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.

Second Funnel Fire for Carnival Freedom

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.

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The Freedom ship will be taken to Freeport for a "repair to the funnel," Carnival said. All guests impacted by the changes in upcoming trips have been notified. The ship first had a day at sea on Tuesday and visited Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.

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.

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.

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.

The call to Freeport is now planned for Sunday, March 24, and the ship will return on schedule to her homeport, Port Canaveral, on Monday, March 25. Carnival offers the most sailings from Port Canaveral with four ships offering a projected 270 homeport calls in the next year sailing year-round on a variety of itineraries. Freedom rejoins, Mardi Gras, Carnival Vista and Carnival Liberty, although Liberty will be switched during the year with Carnival Glory. One of the cruise’s passengers, Heath Barnes, posted footage of the incident on Facebook Saturday afternoon.

"The ship’s fire response team was quickly activated, and the ship’s captain also turned the vessel towards the heavy rain in the area to maximize the efforts to put out the flames," an earlier Carnival statement said. "Eyewitnesses reported the possibility of a lightning strike, and that is being investigated, but cannot yet be confirmed." Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines.

Along with the ship’s firefighting team, the captain brought the ship into an area of heavy rain bands to help extinguish the fire, which was successful. Carnival Freedom has canceled several upcoming sailings because of a fire in its funnel, the second in the last two years. Witnesses reported the ship may have been struck by lightning, but that has not been confirmed, and the cause is still being investigated, according to the cruise line. This marks the second occurrence of a fire originating from the ship's exhaust funnel during a voyage.

Carnival Freedom has Second Funnel Fire

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• Ships in Grand Turk

More than 500 people responded to the post, with many saying they thought Carnival was generous with the compensation offer. But some people who said they were on the cruise that experienced the fire said they thought Carnival should have done more for the people who were on the ship. The ship had left Port Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida, on Monday for a five-day cruise, officials said. In fact, following a fire in May 2022, Carnival Freedom ran without either wing of her funnel until the structure was be replaced just five months ago, during a dry dock in October 2023. This includes the ship’s safety and navigation systems, propulsion, hotel operations, restaurants, and entertainment.

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Carnival has not released how much of a financial hit they took for pulling the ship out of service for two sailings. In October 2023, Carnival Freedom underwent a dry dock in Cadiz, Spain, to receive a new funnel after the 2022 blaze. This process involved separating and rerouting the exhaust pipes, eventually removing the winged portion of the funnel, and recreating its 2022 look. Last Saturday, due to high winds, the ship had to spend a day at sea instead of visiting its private destination, Princess Cay. The fire also impacted the March 25 and March 30 cruises from Port Canaveral, line brand ambassador John Heald said on his Facebook page. The port-side portion of the funnel had fallen onto Deck 10, and the firefighting response put out any flames.

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"The funnel has been stabilized for the ship’s return to Port Canaveral overnight to disembark guests, and then it will go to the Freeport shipyard on Monday afternoon to begin the required repairs." The fire in the 3,754-passenger ship took place in the port (left) side of the exhaust funnel on Saturday while the vessel was on a cruise to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral. The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, heading to Freeport, after a canceled call to Princess Cay due to weather. On Sunday, Carnival Cruise Line sent letters to booked guests advising them that the next two cruises were cancelled so the ship’s funnel could be repaired in Freeport, axing the March 25 and March 29 voyages.

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The Conquest's next trip, scheduled to depart from Miami on Friday, has been canceled, as was the Freedom's next trip, scheduled to begin Saturday. There is no information yet about whether the ship will depart Grand Turk on schedule to continue its sailing, or if there may be delays. Cruise ships have specialized fire brigade teams to address these risks, trained in firefighting and adept at managing emergencies at sea. While it’s a rare occurrence given the vast number of cruises that embark each year, the industry takes it seriously.

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In a Facebook post, Carnival's widely followed brand ambassador, John Heald, conceded that many people who booked one of the canceled cruises are "feeling very disappointed," and he apologized for the turn of events. Carnival initially had said it expected no changes in its upcoming cruises, but on Sunday afternoon said the cancellations would be required. Guests booked on upcoming cruises for Carnival Freedom will want to stay in close contact with Carnival Cruise Line for updates and the possibility of cancellations if the ship needs to be removed from service for repairs. The current sailing is a 4-night Bahamas itinerary that was originally to have visited Nassau and Princess Cays.

Carnival cruise ship catches fire in Grand Turk

The vessel had cancelled its call to Princess Cay due to weather conditions. Passengers onboard also witnessed a possible lightning strike that caused the fire to start. A Carnival cruise ship’s exhaust funnel caught fire on Saturday during a trip to the Bahamas, causing the company to cancel its next two voyages. He continued, “The ship’s fire response team was quickly activated, and the ship’s captain also turned the vessel towards the heavy rain the area to maximize the efforts to put out the flames.

A fire in the exhaust funnel of the Carnival Freedom this weekend has disrupted a cruise for the second time in less than two years — and will mean that the Florida-based ship's next two sailings are canceled. "All guests and crew are safe, and the ship's guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore," Carnival added. In 2016, more than 500 passengers and crew were evacuated from a burning ship about a mile off Puerto Rico's north coast. Many aboard the Caribbean Fantasy ship required medical care, though there were no reported fatalities.

Ships in Grand Turk

We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports.Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. “Saturday afternoon, Carnival Freedom reported a fire on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel. The ship was approximately 20 miles off the coast of Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, heading to Freeport as a replacement port of call for the cancelled visit to Princess Cays (due to adverse weather),” the letter explained. Carnival says the fire was quickly extinguished by emergency response teams, and that all guests and crew are safe. A fire broke out on the port side of Carnival Freedom’s exhaust funnel while sailing in the Bahamas.

Video of the inferno was taken by passengers aboard Carnival’s Mardi Gras, which was docked alongside, showing half of the tail disintegrating amid billows of black smoke leaving behind a charred husk. The company said its "emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished" the flames. One such passenger, Heath Barnes — who also provided us with photographs — reported that he was outside reading and saw a large lightning strike, followed by people screaming. A short time later, guests were cleared to disembark for their day in Grand Turk, while evaluations continue aboard the ship. The Carnival Freedom cruise ship caught fire during a port visit in Grand Turk. Over the weekend, Carnival's technical team conducted a thorough assessment of the ship while docked in Freeport.

Similarly, in February 2023, fire alarms echoed on Viking Cruises’ Viking Orion while docked in Sydney, resulting in damage to three cabins. This comes after the vessel’s funnel caught fire in 2022, requiring the ship to cancel sailings and undergo a dry dock. The Carnival Freedom cruise ship funnel catches fire after possibly being hit by lightning in the Bahamas.

In late 2024, that will expand to five ships with the arrival of the Italian-themed Venezia, a rebranded ship originally built for sister cruise line Costa Cruises. At the time, Carnival Cruise Line verified that a fire broke out in the funnel of the ship while it was in Grand Turk. Carnival’s flagship, Mardi Gras, is also in Grand Turk today, alongside Carnival Freedom. The Conquest-class Carnival Freedom is in the midst of a 5-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary, having departed Port Canaveral on Monday, May 23. Cruise Critic members were on Freedom during the sailing and posted live during the incident.

Last month, passengers on a Carnival cruise from Miami to Seattle were forced to quarantine after people onboard tested positive for COVID-19. Carnival didn't say how many of the approximately 2,100 passengers aboard were infected. Upon docking, all infected passengers were moved to area hotels for isolation. Social media posts show flames spewing from the funnel of the ship and black smoke billowing in the air. Guests aboard Mardi Gras were advised to clear the open decks at the time of the fire, while guests on the starboard side of the vessel – closest to Carnival Freedom – were asked to leave their balconies and remain indoors.

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.

Subsequently, the company made the decision to cancel the cruises set to depart on Monday and the following Friday from Port Canaveral. The Carnival Freedom's next voyage was scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral on Monday afternoon on a five-night Eastern Caribbean cruise. That cruise had port-of-call stops scheduled at Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic and at Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. But, Heald added that he wanted to assure affected passengers 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." Undoubtedly, options will be considered for further repairs to the ship’s funnel once again after a full technical and cosmetic assessment is made.

As the ship only recently came out of dry dock, it may be some time before her funnel is repaired, depending on how the work can be completed. After that incident, the ship was not able to sail and the next cruise was cancelled, while guests onboard were transferred to Carnival Conquest to return to Florida. Ultimately, four cruises were cancelled before Carnival Freedom returned to service on June 11, 2022. Authorities are investigating the incident and all of the ship’s systems are fully operational after the scary situation, and only some areas of the ship’s open decks are closed for safety. Ships head in for a required dry dock every five years under international maritime law, during which cruise lines often install new features.

Around mid-afternoon, eyewitness accounts and subsequent reports confirmed a fire aboard the vessel. Carnival reported the flames were extinguished two hours after it began, with damage confined to the funnel, where part of the structure collapsed onto Deck 10. Carnival announced full refunds and future cruise credits for passengers scheduled to depart on the canceled cruises. A cruise ship funnel generally serves as a smokestack to lift emissions above the deck, thus away from passengers and crew.