Carnival Freedom Safely Returns to Port Canaveral Following Funnel Fire

This past weekend, a fire broke out on the port side of the exhaust funnel (aka whale tail) of Carnival Freedom. The ship has returned to Port Canaveral, Florida with all onboard reporting safe. 

Following are images of Carnival Freedom as it is docked in Port Canaveral today, March 25, 2024: 

A Look at the Funnel Damage of Carnival Freedom - Photo by Kimberly Coyne 

Several onboard accounts reported a lightning strike as the cause of the fire, however the cruise line has not confirmed. Carnival Freedom will need immediate repairs and has already canceled scheduled voyages slated for March 25 and March 29, 2024. 

Carnival Cruise Line shared the following statement on Sunday afternoon in regards to the ship’s status:  

"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. 

We sincerely regret the impact to our embarking guests, as we know they have been looking forward to their spring break vacation. We are providing all guests on both cancelled cruises a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit.”  

Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald shared the following message on Facebook regarding the fire on Carnival Freedom:

This is the second time the funnel of Carnival Freedom has caught on fire. In May 2022, a fire broke out on the ship as it was docking in Grand Turk. The fire was quickly extinguished and all passengers and crew were reported safe. 

This is a breaking news story. We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

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