The Carnival Freedom's next two sailings have been canceled after the cruise ship, based out of Florida, caught fire. Again.
Carnival initially said there were no expected changes in its schedule but on Sunday afternoon announced cancellations of the Monday and Friday cruises out of Port Canaveral, which come during a busy spring break period.
"Regrettably, the damage is more than we first thought, and will require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel, resulting in the cancellation of the March 25 and March 29 cruises from Port Canaveral," according to a statement issued by Matt Lupoli, Carnival Cruise Line's senior manager of public relations. "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."
This is the second time in less than two years this cruise ship's funnel has caught on fire and disrupted the schedule.
Carnival cruise fire:Carnival Freedom's next two cruises from Port Canaveral canceled after exhaust funnel fire
When did the Carnival Freedom catch on fire?
The fire broke out on the port side of the ship's exhaust funnel area at about 3:15 p.m. Saturday, Carnival said.
The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas. It was intended to call on the Carnival private island of Princess Cay but had rerouted toward Freeport due to adverse weather.
"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. The fire was put out by 5:20 p.m., the cruise line said.
Why did the Carnival Freedom cruise ship catch fire?
Unknown at this time.
"Eyewitnesses reported the possibility of a lightning strike, and that is being investigated," Carnival said, "but cannot yet be confirmed."
Was anyone hurt in the Carnival Freedom fire?
The cruise line said there were no reports of passenger injuries, although two firefighting crew members were treated for minor smoke inhalation and part of the funnel fell onto Deck 10, according to Carnival.
There were about 3.700 passengers aboard.
Which Carnival Freedom cruises have been canceled?
While initially the cruise line said the schedule would not be affected, further investigation found more damage than suspected. Scheduled cruises for Monday, March 25 and Friday, March 29 have been canceled.
Can I get a refund for my canceled Carnival Freedom cruise?
"We sincerely regret the impact to our embarking guests, as we know they have been looking forward to their spring break vacation<' Carnival Cruises said in a statement. "We are providing all guests on both canceled cruises a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit, so they can come back and enjoy a future cruise with us. We also greatly appreciate the terrific guests who are currently sailing with us, for their outstanding cooperation and support."
Where is Port Canaveral?
Port Canaveral, Florida is located on a barrier island between the Banana River and the Atlantic Ocean just north of Cape Canaveral. The port is 54 miles from Orlando and 75 miles from Daytona Beach.
What is the funnel on a cruise ship?
A cruise ship exhaust funnel works as a smokestack to lift emissions away from the deck and from passengers and crew. They're often called stacks.
The Carnival Freedom debuted a new stylized winged funnel in October last year after a 16-day dry-dock refurbishment in Cadiz, Spain. Carnival cruise funnels are referred to as the whale tail.
Has the Carnival Freedom cruise ship caught on fire before?
A fire broke out in the funnel area in May 2022 while it was docked in Grand Turk. Three scheduled sailings were canceled while the ship was repaired at a shipyard in Grand Bahama.
The ship was carrying about 2,500 passengers at the time and a crew of about 1,100, according to the cruise line. There were no injuries reported.
Which cruise ship caught fire?
TheCarnival Freedomcaught on fire on Saturday, March 23.
The 110,000-ton vessel made its inaugural sail in 2007. The Freedom, which has 13 decks,can hold up to3,754 passengers and 1,150 crew members.
Has a Carnival cruise ship ever sank?
No. But one has been shipwrecked.
On Jan. 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia struck a reef and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio. The ship, which was owned by a Carnival Corporation subsidiary, when the captain steered the 952-foot, 13-deck ship close to the shore to "impress the passengers" and tore a 160-foot gash in the port hull.
Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty of manslaughter in 2015 and sentenced to 16 years in prison for the deaths of 32 passengers and crewmembers.
