Carnival Freedom
History
NameCarnival Freedom
OwnerCarnival Corporation & plc
OperatorCarnival Cruise Line
Port of registryPanama City,  Panama
Builder
Yard number6129
LaunchedApril 28, 2006
Sponsored byKathy Ireland
ChristenedMarch 4, 2007
AcquiredFebruary 28, 2007
Maiden voyageMarch 5, 2007
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and typeConquest-class cruise ship
Tonnage110,000 GT
Length952 ft (290.2 m)
Beam116 ft (35.4 m)
Decks13 (numbered 1-14, skipping the number 13)
Installed powerSix diesel-electric generators (Wärtsilä 12V46C)
PropulsionTwo shafts
Speed
  • 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) (service)
  • 22.5 knots (41.7 km/h; 25.9 mph) (maximum)[1]
Capacity2,980 passengers [2]
Crew1,150

Carnival Freedom is a Conquest-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line. She is the 22nd operating vessel in the fleet, and the last of the Conquest-class ships. The ship was built as part of a four-ship deal with Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard and was launched in Venice, Italy on April 28, 2006. She was delivered to Carnival on February 28, 2007.[3]

History

Carnival Freedom at night on March 3, 2008.

The ship was built by Fincantieri at its Marghera shipyard in Venice, Italy. She was floated out on April 28, 2006, delivered to Carnival on February 28, 2007, and formally named in Venice by American model, actress, author and entrepreneur Kathy Ireland on March 4, 2007.[1][4][5][6] The ship is also one of the first of the Carnival Cruise Line fleet to get a complete to maintain of the kids’ program.[7]

The ship has 1,150 crew, 1,487 cabins and is able to carry 2,974 passengers traveling at a speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph).[8]

Carnival Freedom entered a three-week routine drydock in Freeport, Bahamas on March 30, 2014 for refurbishment and completed another dry dock in March 2019.[9] In 2019 March, the ship debuted with its water park and major renovation.[10]

Areas of operation

Carnival Freedom initially sailed from her homeport in Civitavecchia near Rome on Mediterranean cruises until the Fall of 2007 when she sailed the Caribbean Sea from the Port of Miami. In the summer of 2008, she returned to Europe and sailed in the Mediterranean again.[11] In the fall of 2008, she sailed the Caribbean again but out of Port Everglades until February 2015 when she changed her home port to Galveston, Texas. Carnival Freedom resumed port calls to Grand Bahama in November 2019 when Hurricane Dorian ravaged the country.[12] The ship has repositioned to Seattle and sails to Alaska since 2021.[13]

Incidents

In 2019, a photographer took a picture of the ship emitting black smoke in Cayman Islands. The cruise line told the media that the smoke was caused by an engine turbocharger malfunction.[14][15]

COVID-19

On March 23, 2020, a crew member who had sailed on the six day March 8 cruise out of Galveston, Texas was hospitalized in Gulfport, Mississippi after experiencing flu-like symptoms. On March 25 they received a positive test result for COVID-19 and passengers from the cruise were subsequently asked to quarantine for 14 days by the cruise line. The passengers had disembarked in Galveston, Texas on March 14 – a day after Carnival Cruise Line suspended operations due to coronavirus.[16]

May 26, 2022 funnel fire

The funnel of Carnival Freedom on fire

On May 26, 2022, Carnival Freedom suffered a large fire in her funnel while she was docked in Grand Turk. The fire was extinguished with no injuries reported. Significant damage was sustained to part of the funnel, on the starboard side.[17] Guests and crew members were allowed to go ashore, as originally planned in Grand Turk.[18] It was announced in the evening of May 26, 2022, by Carnival through a letter to guests that the Carnival Freedom would remain in Grand Turk with passengers on board. Carnival Conquest was scheduled to embark passengers from Carnival Freedom as the ship would not be returning to Port Canaveral. Following the incident, Carnival Freedom underwent an emergency drydock in Grand Bahama for repairs, which included the removal of the funnel's damaged wings.[19][20] As for compensation, Carnival gave a $100 per stateroom onboard credit and a 50 percent off future cruise credit. Any additional parking fees at the Port Canaveral parking garage were waived, and Carnival would cover fees related to changed flights up to $200 per person.[21] The ship resumed normal service on June 11, 2022, with the altered funnel.

Dry Dock Refurbishment

From October 4th to 22nd, 2023, the 2,980-guest ship entered its 16-day dry dock at the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz, Spain. Once again sporting an iconic winged funnel, Carnival Freedom marked its return to service by welcoming guests on board in Barcelona, Spain for a 14-day transatlantic voyage to its homeport of Port Canaveral, Fla. The ship underwent an extensive refurbishment that included the installation of the new funnel, the addition of the signature Carnival red, white and blue hull livery and other enhancements. The ship’s vibrant transformation is a significant milestone for the shipyard. While the yard’s team members have worked on other projects across the fleet, this is the first time they have designed and manufactured a Carnival funnel. Among the other enhancements is a newly installed Heroes Tribute Bar, which is an expanding venue across the Carnival fleet and honors military veterans and active-duty service members. Carnival Freedom now also features a Dreams Studio, where guests can capture memories that become keepsakes from their cruise with the help of Carnival’s photography staff. Some of the other work includes an expansion to the ship’s casino, and renovations and upgrades across the ship’s staterooms and public areas.[22]

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Smith 2010, p. 38.
  2. ↑ "Carnival.com". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  3. ↑ "13 Reasons Why You Should Cruise on Carnival Freedom". January 30, 2019.
  4. ↑ Spencer Brown, Carolyn (February 28, 2007). "Carnival Takes Delivery of Freedom". Cruise Critic. The Independent Traveler, Inc. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  5. ↑ Jainchill, Johanna (March 5, 2007). "Kathy Ireland christens Carnival Freedom". Travel Weekly. Northstar Travel Media. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Carnival Freedom (9333149)". LR Class Direct. Lloyd's Register. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Carnival Freedom 2.0". TravelPulse.
  8. ↑ "Carnival Freedom - Cruise Ship". Ship Technology.
  9. ↑ "Third Carnival Cruise Ship of 2019 Completes Dry Dock". Cruise Hive. March 10, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  10. ↑ Tribou, Richard (March 12, 2019). "Carnival Freedom debuts water park, other upgrades". orlandosentinel.com.
  11. ↑ "Carnival Cruise Line Resumes Sailings to Freeport, Bahamas Post-Hurricane". www.cruisecritic.com.
  12. ↑ Deerwester, Jayme. "Carnival resumes port calls to Grand Bahama Friday; flights may resume in mid-November". USA TODAY.
  13. ↑ "Carnival Freedom Heading to Alaska for 2021 Summer Season". TravelPulse.
  14. ↑ Bartiromo, Michael (November 4, 2019). "Carnival Cruise Line says smoke seen in Carnival Freedom photo was caused by engine turbocharger malfunction". Fox News.
  15. ↑ "Carnival's pollution grabs headlines - Cayman Islands Headline News". November 4, 2019.
  16. ↑ Harris, Alex; Dolven, Taylor (March 27, 2020). "Carnival Freedom passengers told to isolate after crew member's positive COVID-19 test". Miami Herald. Miami Herald. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Carnival cruise ship catches fire in Grand Turk". NBC News. May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Carnival Freedom Fire: Part of cruise ship catches fire while docked at Grand Turk". May 26, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Login • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved May 27, 2022. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  20. ↑ Carnival sending replacement cruise ship after Freedom caught fire in Grand Turk, retrieved May 27, 2022
  21. ↑ "Carnival Cruise Ship Fire: What Happens Next?". May 26, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Carnival Freedom Returns To Service With New Look and New Funnel". October 23, 2023.

Bibliography

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