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]
 Carnival Freedom in 2024
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Carnival Freedom |
| Owner | Carnival Corporation & plc |
| Operator | Carnival Cruise Line |
| Port of registry | Panama City,  Panama |
| Builder |
|
| Yard number | 6129 |
| Launched | April 28, 2006 |
| Sponsored by | Kathy Ireland |
| Christened | March 4, 2007 |
| Acquired | February 28, 2007 |
| Maiden voyage | March 5, 2007 |
| Identification | |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Conquest-class cruise ship |
| Tonnage | 110,000 GT |
| Length | 952 ft (290.2 m) |
| Beam | 116 ft (35.4 m) |
| Decks | 13 (numbered 1-14, skipping the number 13) |
| Installed power | Six diesel-electric generators (Wärtsilä 12V46C) |
| Propulsion | Two shafts |
| Speed |
|
| Capacity | 2,980 passengers [2] |
| Crew | 1,150 |
Description and design
editThe 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).[4]
History
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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][5][6][7]
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.[8] 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 entered a three-week routine drydock in Freeport, Bahamas on March 30, 2014 for refurbishment.[9]
The ship went for another dry dock in March 2019.[9] That month, the ship debuted with its water park and major renovation.[10] Carnival Freedom resumed port calls to Grand Bahama in November 2019 when Hurricane Dorian ravaged the country.[11] 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.[12][13]
COVID-19
editOn 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.[14]
The ship repositioned to Seattle and sails to Alaska since 2021.[15]
Incidents
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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.[16] Guests and crew members were allowed to go ashore, as originally planned in Grand Turk.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19] The ship resumed normal service on June 11, 2022, with the altered funnel.
From October 4 to 22, 2023, the ship entered its 16-day dry dock at the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz, Spain. Once again sporting a winged funnel, Carnival Freedom sailed from Barcelona, Spain for a 14-day transatlantic voyage to its homeport of Port Canaveral, Florida. 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, including a Heroes Tribute Bar, like other ships in the Carnival fleet, which honors both military veterans and active-duty service members. Carnival Freedom also features a Dreams Studio. Some of the other work included an expansion to the ship's casino, and renovations and upgrades across the ship's staterooms and public areas.[20]
On March 23, 2024, Carnival Freedom was sailing through severe weather when passengers reported an extremely loud thunder clap and lightning. Shortly after, a fire was reported in the port side exhaust.[21] This led to the next two cruises being cancelled for repairs to be carried out.[22][23] The funnel wings were removed at Freeport, Bahamas and the exhausts re-routed, leaving it with a more conventional appearance.[24]
References
editNotes
edit- ^ a b Smith 2010, p. 38.
- ^ "Carnival.com". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ "13 Reasons Why You Should Cruise on Carnival Freedom". January 30, 2019.
- ^ "Carnival Freedom - Cruise Ship". Ship Technology.
- ^ Spencer Brown, Carolyn (February 28, 2007). "Carnival Takes Delivery of Freedom". Cruise Critic. The Independent Traveler, Inc. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
- ^ Jainchill, Johanna (March 5, 2007). "Kathy Ireland christens Carnival Freedom". Travel Weekly. Northstar Travel Media. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
- ^ "Carnival Freedom (9333149)". LR ships in class. Lloyd's Register. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
- ^ "Carnival Cruise Line Resumes Sailings to Freeport, Bahamas Post-Hurricane". www.cruisecritic.com.
- ^ a b "Third Carnival Cruise Ship of 2019 Completes Dry Dock". Cruise Hive. March 10, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
- ^ Tribou, Richard (March 12, 2019). "Carnival Freedom debuts water park, other upgrades". orlandosentinel.com.
- ^ Deerwester, Jayme. "Carnival resumes port calls to Grand Bahama Friday; flights may resume in mid-November". USA TODAY.
- ^ Bartiromo, Michael (November 4, 2019). "Carnival Cruise Line says smoke seen in Carnival Freedom photo was caused by engine turbocharger malfunction". Fox News.
- ^ "Carnival's pollution grabs headlines - Cayman Islands Headline News". November 4, 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Carnival Freedom Heading to Alaska for 2021 Summer Season". TravelPulse.
- ^ "Carnival cruise ship catches fire in Grand Turk". NBC News. May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ "Carnival Freedom Fire: Part of cruise ship catches fire while docked at Grand Turk". May 26, 2022.
- ^ Carnival sending replacement cruise ship after Freedom caught fire in Grand Turk, May 26, 2022, retrieved May 27, 2022
- ^ "Carnival Cruise Ship Fire: What Happens Next?". May 26, 2022.
- ^ "Carnival Freedom Returns To Service With New Look and New Funnel". October 23, 2023.
- ^ Poirot, Lissa (March 23, 2024). "Carnival Ship Funnel Catches Fire After Possible Lightning Strike". Cruise Hive.
- ^ "Update on Next Cruise After Carnival Cruise Ship Fire". March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ "Carnival Cancels Two Cruises After Fire Damages Funnel". March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ "Carnival Ship Debuts New Funnel After Fire [PHOTOS]". cruiseradio.net. March 30, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
Bibliography
edit- Smith, Peter C. (2010). Cruise Ships: The World's Most Luxurious Vessels. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword Maritime. ISBN 9781848842182.
External links
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