carnival cruise boat on fire

Carnival cruise ship catches fire in Grand Turk

A Carnival cruise ship caught fire as it was docked in Grand Turk on Thursday morning, officials said. 

The fire, which broke out in the Carnival Freedom ship's funnel, was quickly extinguished as the ship was in Grand Turk, the capital island of the Turks and Caicos archipelago southeast of the Bahamas, a Carnival spokesperson said Thursday morning.

"All guests and crew are safe, and the ship’s guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore. We continue to assess the situation," a spokesperson said in a statement about the fire at around 8:45 a.m. ET.

Just before 11 a.m., passengers were still on shore at Grand Turk.

The ship had left Port Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida, on Monday for a five-day cruise, officials said.

It's not yet clear what caused the fire.

According to the marine tracking site CruiseMapper , the ship, which was built in 2007, is 948 feet long and can accommodate over 3,500 passengers. 

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Carnival cruise ship that set sail from Florida catches fire in Grand Turk

By Caitlin O'Kane

Updated on: May 26, 2022 / 5:39 PM EDT / CBS News

A Carnival cruise ship that set sail from Port Canaveral in Florida caught fire on Thursday. The Carnival Freedom ship was in Grand Turk on a five-day cruise when a fire inside the ships funnel started, according to a press release from Carnival.

Carnival says the fire was quickly extinguished by emergency response teams, and that all guests and crew are safe. The ship's guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore. Carnival is continuing to assess the situation. 

The @Carnival Freedom is on fire in Port at #GrandTurk #Carnival pic.twitter.com/7GgoWLG2Tc — Brian H (@Budman922) May 26, 2022

Social media posts show flames spewing from the funnel of the ship and black smoke billowing in the air. 

The ship had 2,504 guests and 972 crew onboard, Carnival said. Another ship, the Carnival Conquest, will travel from Miami to pick everyone up from Grand Turk on Saturday. They are expected to arrive in Port Canaveral on Monday.

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.

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.

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.

While cruise ship fires are not common, they have occurred before. 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.

• Cruise Ship

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.

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Fire, death of crew members aboard two cruise ships that departed from Florida

The Carnival Freedom cruise ship caught fire over the weekend while passengers were aboard. As a result two cruises were canceled as the ship will require extensive repairs.

The ship, operated by Doral-based Carnival Cruise Line, set sail on Monday afternoon from Port Canaveral to its shipyard in Freeport where it is expected to be evaluated and fixed.

On Saturday afternoon, the Carnival Freedom caught fire on the port side of the exhaust funnel, a kind of chimney meant to release smoke and emissions. Black smoke and flames were visible in a video provided to NBC6, which first reported the incident .

The vessel was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, and heading to Freeport following a canceled port stop at Princess Cay due to bad weather, the company said. It commenced its trip two days earlier on March 21, departing from Port Canaveral.

Passengers safe on Carnival Freedom

“No guests were hurt, and the ship remained fully operational,” said Matt Lupoli, a spokesman for Carnival Cruise Line. But he said two members of the carrier’s fire response team were treated for minor smoke inhalation.

Carnival’s onboard team put out the fire on Saturday, and on Sunday, it completed what it said was a thorough assessment of the ship during a visit to Freeport. That is when the crew realized that “the damage is more than we first thought and will require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel,” said Lupoli. After the funnel was stabilized, the ship returned Monday morning to Port Canaveral and let guests off. It has a capacity for nearly 3,000 guests but the company did not specify how many were on the current trip.

Carnival subsequently canceled cruises on Carnival Freedom leaving Port Canaveral on March 25 and on March 29.

Carnival said it also continues to investigate multiple eyewitness reports of a lightning strike.

Carnival said that, “We sincerely regret the impact to our embarking guests,” and that it would provide all guests on canceled cruises a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit.

Meanwhile, that was not the only mishap in the Caribbean.

Two crew deaths

On Friday, the Nieuw Amsterdam operated by Holland America experienced what it says was an accidental steam release in an engineering space on board while at Half Moon Cay, The Bahamas. Two crew members died as a result. They have not yet been identified. There were no passenger injuries, the company said.

The Bahamas Maritime Authority and the Dutch Safety Board are conducting an investigation, the carrier said.

Holland also said that all systems on board the ship “have since been reviewed and determined to be fully operable by independent surveyors of the Dutch government and confirmed by the US Coast Guard.”

“All of us at Holland America Line are deeply saddened by this event,” the company statement said.

There are not precise figures on number of crew deaths per year because the industry does not typically disclose them. A research paper from 2020 in the International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health noted that 10 crew members died in 2019, a high at the time for one year.

Nieuw Amsterdam returned to Port Everglades on March 23. Then it quickly left on its next tour that same evening, the company said. Its next scheduled port stop is at Ocho Rios, Jamaica on March 26.

The ship, which has a capacity of around 2100 guests, is based at Port Everglades in the winter and in the summer between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska.

The incidents come as the cruise industry is breaking records for number of passengers.

PortMiami, Florida’s largest port, served 7.3 million passengers during the 12-month fiscal year 2023. That was tops for cruise ports worldwide, nearly twice the four million passengers seen the prior year and more than its previous record of 6.8 million passengers set in 2019.

Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral are also booming. The latter was the world’s top cruise port one year before PortMiami took the honors.

It does not seem much is slowing it down.

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Carnival Freedom cruise ship fire: ship's funnel catches fire, second time in 2 years

Fire on carnival freedom leads to other cruise cancelations.

Scary moments were caught on camera when passengers witnessed the Carnival Freedom cruise ship catch on fire. It’s the second time this has happened on this specific ship in two years.

Carnival had to cancel two upcoming voyages on its Carnival Freedom cruise ship after the ship's signature red and blue funnel exhaust pipe caught fire over the weekend, possibly due to a lightning strike, according to the mega cruise line. The damage was more severe than Carnival initial expected and had to cancel upcoming trips to make repairs to the ship.

It's the second time in two years that the funnel on this ship has caught fire.

Photos and videos shared with FOX 35 and on social media showed flames spewing out of the left side of the ship's exhaust funnel, as dark smoke billowed into the air. 

Carnival said the port side (left side) of the ship's exhaust funnel – easy to spot due to its tail-like shape – caught fire on Saturday as the cruise was sailing near the Bahamas. 

"Our onboard team acted quickly to contain and put out the fire.  While we continue to investigate multiple eyewitness reports of a lightning strike, our technical team completed a thorough assessment during the ship’s visit to Freeport on Sunday. 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," Carnival said in a statement.

The Carnival Freedom returned to Port Canaveral in Florida on Monday morning, where passengers were able to get off the ship. It will then sail back to the Freeport Cruise Port in The Bahamas for 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 so they can come back and enjoy a future cruise with us," Carnival said.

Carnival Freedom experienced a fire in 2022

Carnival freedom fire: cruise ship burns while docked at grand turk.

Part of Carnival's Freedom cruise ship caught fire Thursday morning while docked at Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the cruise line said, sending dark black smoke into the air.

It's not the first time that the Carnival Freedom has caught fire. Coincidentally, in 2022 while docked at Grand Turks, part of the ship's funnel also caught fire. That time, however, it was on the starboard side (the right side), according to photos shared with FOX 35 at the time. That's the opposite side compared this most recent incident.

In the 2022 incident, Carnival told FOX 35 in a statement that all guests and crew were safe. A second ship, Carnival Conquest, was sent to pick up the 2,500 passengers and 972-person crew. 

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Video shows scary moments after a cruise ship caught fire

Passengers aboard a cruise ship docked in Grand Turk Island got a surprise that wasn’t on the itinerary Thursday.

As photos and video taken aboard the Carnival Freedom illustrate, black smoke and flames poured out of the ship’s funnel as passengers donned life jackets and were evacuated from the vessel’s upper decks.  

"On Thursday morning while in port at Grand Turk, Carnival Freedom’s emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished a fire inside the ship’s funnel," said the cruise line in a statement . "All guests and crew are safe, and all other ship, hotel, and guest services, along with safety equipment are fully functioning."

According to the statement, most of the ship's 2,504 passengers were ashore at the time the fire broke out.

Plans were soon made to get all guests back to Port Canaveral in Florida, where they originally set sail from Monday for what was meant to be a 5-day cruise. But since Freedom won't be seaworthy in time for an already delayed departure, those arrangements required the cancellation of another Carnival cruise.

"Carnival Conquest’s next cruise, departing May 27 from Miami has been cancelled and that ship will be deployed to Grand Turk to transport Freedom guests back to Port Canaveral," the company explained. "Carnival Conquest will arrive to Grand Turk on Saturday, May 28 and guests aboard Carnival Freedom will transfer to Carnival Conquest for the voyage back to Port Canaveral, arriving on Monday, May 30."

Carnival Freedom's next scheduled cruise, originally planned for Saturday, has also been cancelled.

Repairs are set to begin on the ship's funnel after all passengers are off the ship.

The statement closed, noting, "Carnival apologized to all those guests who are impacted and offered special thanks to the crew who handled the situation on the ship effectively and according to safety protocols."

It remains unclear what caused the fire.

Ree Hines is a freelance writer and editor who covers pop culture, lifestyle stories and trending news. She’s also a soul-music loving, coffee-obsessed member of both Team Cat and Team Dog. Ree lives in Tampa, Florida, and is a regular contributor to TODAY.com.

clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

Carnival ship catches fire, leaving passengers awaiting rescue cruise

Carnival freedom’s signature red, white and blue funnel was ablaze thursday.

A Carnival Cruise Line ship caught fire Thursday morning while docked in Grand Turk, leaving passengers stuck on the boat until another arrives on a rescue mission this weekend.

Carnival Freedom, which left Central Florida’s Port Canaveral on Monday for a five-day voyage, was in the Turks and Caicos cruise when the fire started in the ship’s signature red, white and blue funnel, which is shaped like a whale’s tail.

Carnival cruise on fire sheesh #carnivalfreedom #shiponfire #shipdown pic.twitter.com/n00l0HaFUV — That Panda Guy (@SantaPanda39) May 26, 2022

Passengers on other ships started posting photos and videos after 8 a.m. Carnival released a statement at 8:45 a.m. saying the ship’s emergency response team “quickly activated and extinguished a fire.” The Miami-based operator said everyone onboard — 2,504 guests and 972 crew — was safe. Passengers were allowed to leave the ship to spend the day in Grand Turk.

The cause of the blaze was not clear, and the cruise line did not say how much damage was caused.

But Carnival said in a statement Thursday afternoon that “all other ship, hotel, and guest services, along with safety equipment are fully functioning.” After an initial assessment of the damage, the company said the ship will go to Freeport, Bahamas, for repairs.

The blaze and its aftermath were a far cry from the infamous 2013 fire on the Carnival Triumph , which started in the engine room while the ship was at sea. In that case, the ship lost power and drifted. It became known as the “poop cruise” because of the waste disposal issues that result when a vessel with thousands of people onboard loses power.

#carnivalfreedom 👀 Not a way to wake up this morning at port aboard the #carnivalmardigras pic.twitter.com/aY0TPjfXvj — Justin Reavis (@reavis_justin88) May 26, 2022

The next Carnival Freedom cruise, scheduled for Saturday from Port Canaveral, has been canceled. Passengers will stay onboard while a sister ship, the Carnival Conquest, makes its way to Grand Turk from Miami to pick up passengers and bring them back to Port Canaveral on Monday. The next trip for that ship, scheduled to leave Friday, has also been canceled. The next Conquest voyage, which was intended to leave Miami on Monday, will instead depart Tuesday.

“Carnival apologized to all those guests who are impacted and offered special thanks to the crew who handled the situation on the ship effectively and according to safety protocols,” the company’s statement said.

The Freedom passengers’ situation is reminiscent of the experience guests had on the Norwegian Escape in March. In that incident, the ship ran aground and passengers ended up being flown home under sometimes-chaotic circumstances days later. Many who were stuck on land awaiting flights watched the ship depart without them.

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Carnival Cruise Ship Catches Fire During Visit to Turks and Caicos Islands

Carnival Cruise Line says the fire broke out on its Carnival Freedom ship while it was visiting Grand Turk as part of a five-day cruise

Abigail Adams is a Human Interest Writer and Reporter for PEOPLE. She has been working in journalism for seven years.

A Carnival Cruise Line ship caught fire Thursday morning during a visit to the Turks and Caicos islands, the company has confirmed.

In a statement shared online at 8:45 a.m. ET, Carnival Cruise Line verified that a fire broke out in the funnel of its Carnival Freedom ship while it was in Grand Turk.

The company says its "emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished" the flames.

"All guests and crew are safe, and the ship's guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore," Carnival said added.

Carnival Freedom departed from Port Canaveral in Florida on Monday for a five-day cruise, according to the company. It is due back on Saturday.

Social media users began sharing images of the blaze erupting from the ship's "Whale Tail" around 7:45 a.m. ET. Photos and video of the fire show a massive plume of black smoke billowing into the air as crews worked to put out the flames.

One passenger told WESH 2 News that passengers onboard the ship put on life jackets, but said no evacuations were ultimately ordered.

At 10:15 a.m., Carnival Cruise Line shared a photo of Carnival Freedom guests "onshore at Grand Turk along with guests from Mardi Gras , as scheduled."

The cause of the fire remains unclear. Carnival Cruise Line said it will "continue to assess the situation."

Built in 2007, the 948-foot Carnival Freedom can carry just over 3,500 passengers, according to Cruise Mapper .

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Video shows flames, heavy black smoke after Carnival Freedom exhaust funnel catches fire near Bahamas

By nbc6 • published march 25, 2024 • updated on march 25, 2024 at 7:38 am.

Shocking video filmed by a passenger onboard the Carnival Freedom captured the moment after the ship's port-side exhaust funnel caught fire off the coast of the Bahamas on Saturday.

According to a statement from Carnival, the fire broke out at around 3:15 p.m. Saturday and the damage was more than they initially thought. The ship required immediate repair for the stabilization of the funnel.

The ship’s fire response team was also 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, the statement said.

At approximately 3:15 pm EDT today, Carnival Freedom reported a fire on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel. The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, heading to Freeport after a cancelled call to Princess Cay due to weather. — Carnival Cruise Line (@CarnivalCruise) March 23, 2024

Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.

Carnival Cruises also acknowledged there were swirling rumors that a lightning strike from severe weather was potentially responsible for the fire, but said that had not been confirmed.

On Monday, the ship was set to go to the shipyard in Freeport, Bahamas to undergo the required repairs.

Due to the fire, the cruise line canceled two sailings for the Carnival Freedom out of Port Canaveral -- one on March 25th and the other on March 29th.

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The company assured passengers, however, that anyone scheduled to board those cruised would receive full refunds and a credit for a future cruise.

The cruise line said two crew members were treated for minor smoke inhalation, but there were no reports of injured guests at this time.

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Carnival Cruise Ship Catches Fire for Second Time in 2 Years After Passengers Report Lightning Strike

The incident marks the second time in two years this particular ship has caught fire. It has caused the cancellation of two upcoming voyages

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.

This is the second time in less than two years that the Carnival Freedom, based in Port Canaveral, Fla., has been impacted by a fire.

"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," Matt Lupoli, Carnival Cruise Line's senior manager of public relations, told Florida Today in a statement. "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."

PEOPLE has reached out to Carnival, but did not immediately hear back.

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.

One of the cruise’s passengers, Heath Barnes, posted footage of the incident on Facebook Saturday afternoon.

In a statement to TMX, Barnes said it had been storming on and off and he was on one of the ship’s upper decks when he experienced “the loudest thunder and lightening [sic] I have ever heard.”

After he returned to his cabin for about 15 minutes, his nephew and two friends came to tell him the ship was on fire.

“I thought they were giving me a hard time but I got up and went out on the balcony and sure enough the flames and smoke was pouring out of the tail,” he continued, adding that he took the videos from his balcony before travelers were asked to stay indoors.

Related: Carnival Cruise Ship Catches Fire During Visit to Turks and Caicos Islands

Carnival's brand ambassador John Heald addressed the incident on Facebook, acknowledging that those impacted by the cancellations “will be feeling very disappointed.” 

“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.

Related: 2 Holland America Line Crew Members Killed During Onboard 'Incident' in the Bahamas

In May 2022, the Carnival Freedom caught fire during a five-day cruise to Turks and Caicos.

At the time, Carnival Cruise Line verified that a fire broke out in the funnel of the ship while it was in Grand Turk.

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter  to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

The company said its "emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished" the flames.

"All guests and crew are safe, and the ship's guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore," Carnival added.

The 948-foot Carnival Freedom, built in 2007, can hold just over 3,500 passengers, according to Cruise Mapper .

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Read the original article on People .

Carnival Freedom's next two cruises from Port Canaveral canceled after exhaust funnel fire

A fire in the exhaust funnel of the Carnival Freedom this weekend has disrupted a cruise of the Port Canaveral-based ship for the second time in less than two years — and will mean that the ship's next two cruises are canceled.

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.

Thousands of passengers with scheduled cruises will be affected by the canceled cruises during a busy spring break period for Carnival and other cruise lines.

Carnival initially had said it expected no changes in its upcoming cruises, but on Sunday afternoon said the cancellations would be required.

"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."

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.

In the statement, Carnival said: "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 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."

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.

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."

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.

Carnival said the fire was confined to the funnel area. The cruise line said there are no reports of injuries to passengers. Two firefighting crew members were treated for minor smoke inhalation.

Carnival said that, at about 3:15 p.m. Saturday, the Carnival Freedom reported a fire on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel. The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, heading to Freeport after a canceled call to the Carnival private island of Princess Cay due to adverse weather.

Details of previous fire: Fire breaks out on Carnival Freedom while Port Canaveral-based ship was in Grand Turk

"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."

By 5:20 p.m. Saturday, the fire was extinguished. 

Carnival said the ship's captain made multiple announcements to passengers and crew, and advised all but essential safety personnel to stay away from balconies and all open decks. 

The port-side portion of the funnel had fallen onto Deck 10, and the firefighting response put out any flames. 

The U.S. Coast Guard has been notified of the fire, and Carnival activated its incident response team to support the ship’s crew. 

Carnival said there were no other operational issues with the ship’s systems, and the ship, which was on a four-night cruise, was visiting Freeport on Sunday.

The Freedom sailed into the channel at Port Canaveral around 7:30 a.m. Monday, and docked at Cruise Terminal 6, letting off the passengers who were on the cruise. Carnival then awaited a Coast Guard inspection of the ship before it could be cleared to leave Port Canaveral for the Freeport shipyard for repairs. The ship left the port about 6:20 p.m.

A cruise ship funnel generally serves as a smokestack to lift emissions above the deck, thus away from passengers and crew.

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. 

The sailing had about 3,700 passengers onboard. And the two upcoming sailings that were canceled each likely would have had a similar passenger count, because this is a busy time for the cruise industry.

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 that sailing and a Friday sailing both have been canceled. Friday's five-night sailing also was scheduled to stop at those two ports of call, but in reverse order.

In May 2022, a fire broke out in the funnel area of the Carnival Freedom while it was docked in Grand Turk. Carnival then canceled three scheduled sailings of the Carnival Freedom out of Port Canaveral because of the need to repair the ship's fire damage at a shipyard in Grand Bahama.

More recently, in October 2023, the Carnival Freedom debuted a new iconic winged funnel after returning from a 16-day dry-dock refurbishment in Cadiz, Spain.

Dave Berman is business editor at  FLORIDA TODAY.  Contact Berman at  [email protected] , on X at  @bydaveberman  and on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

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Cruises canceled following Carnival Freedom fire during busy spring break season

'damage is more than we first thought,' carnival says of the freedom fire.

Carnival cruise passenger catches video of Freedom on fire for second time in less than 2 years

A fire broke out aboard the Carnival Freedom cruise ship about 20 miles away from Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, on March 23, the cruise line announced. Courtesy: @breezebreeze_ via Storyful

Two cruises have been canceled this week during the busy spring break travel season, following a fire on the Carnival Freedom, the second on the ship in less than two years. 

"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," a Carnival spokesman told Fox Business.

Initial information from Carnival about the fire came on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, confirming the fire broke out at 3:15 p.m. ET Saturday on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel while it was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas.  

Passengers with upcoming cruises nearly immediately began asking if they would be canceled, and at the time Carnival said no. However, "a thorough assessment" was completed in Freeport on Sunday, requiring it to return to the shipyard on Monday afternoon for the required repairs to stabilize the funnel. 

CARNIVAL FREEDOM CRUISE SHIP CATCHES FIRE FOR SECOND TIME IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS

Carnival Freedom reported a fire on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel March 23, 2024. (@breezebreeze_ via Storyful / Fox News)

While multiple witnesses reported a lightning strike, Carnival is investigating the cause of the fire. The ship's onboard team quickly extinguished the fire and no injuries were reported.

"It was scary, very scary, fire on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean," passenger Jamie Eubanks told FOX 35 Orlando while disembarking in Port Canaveral on Monday.

CARNIVAL FREEDOM CRUISE SHIP SEEN ON FIRE AT GRAND TURK

Cruisers told the TV station the top deck was closed the rest of the trip, and they did not get to visit all the ports planned for their itinerary. 

"We sincerely regret the impact to our embarking guests, as we know they have been looking forward to their spring break vacation," the Carnival statement reads. The cruise line is providing guests on both canceled cruises with a full refund and a 100 percent future cruise credit. 

COAST GUARD CALLS OFF SEARCH FOR MISSING CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER

The Carnival Freedom, shown in Italy in 2007, caught fire in the Caribbean on Saturday, March 23, for the second time in less than two years.  (Victor Sokolowicz/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Carnival thanked the passengers who were onboard during the fire, noting their "outstanding cooperation and support."

The Freedom's exhaust funnel previously caught fire in May 2022 while the ship was docked at Grand Turk Island in Turks and Caicos. Video from then also showed the ship’s funnel – referred to by some as the whale tail – consumed by flames and smoke. 

CARNIVAL CRUISE CREW MEMBERS HELP RESCUE 12 PEOPLE FROM OCEAN AFTER CARGO VESSEL CAPSIZES

Passengers board the Carnival Freedom in February 2013 in Key West, Fla. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images / Reuters)

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The part of the ship that caught fire is designed to help direct the flow of exhaust gases away from the ship, according to the Crown Cruise Vacations website. 

Fox Business' Greg Norman contributed to this report. 

Florence in California: Carnival launches new Italian-style cruise ship

Carnival Cruise Line is bringing a touch of Italy to Southern California.

The line launched Carnival Firenze, inspired by its namesake city, this week. The vessel sailed its maiden voyage from its Long Beach homeport on Thursday.

“We carry more guests than any other cruise line from California, and now this ship is giving us the opportunity to offer more fun to more people sailing from Long Beach,” Christine Duffy, the line’s president, said in a news release . “The recipe combining this ship’s beautiful Italian theming with the familiarity of our friendly team’s hospitality is, in a word, perfecto!”

The ship is the second in the Carnival Fun Italian Style concept after sister ship Carnival Venezia joined the fleet last summer. Both were originally part of Costa Cruises – also owned by parent company Carnival Corp. – before being rehomed.

Where will Carnival Firenze sail?

The roughly 5,000-guest ship will offer Baja Mexico and Mexican Riviera cruises ranging from three to seven days. Stops include destinations like Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Catalina Island.

What can guests expect on board?

Built in 2020, Firenze was refurbished earlier this year to add Carnival-specific touches. Those include staple venues like the Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse and JavaBlue Cafe.

But the line leans into the ship’s Italian motif. The ship’s atrium was designed with Florence’s Piazza del Duomo in mind and the Lido deck takes influence from the Italian Riviera. There’s even a replica of Michelangelo’s David on board that was previously on Carnival Pride (the real sculpture is located in Florence’s Accademia Gallery).

The theme extends to the food and drink options, with eateries like Italian specialty restaurant Il Viaggio, Mexican-Italian fusion venue Tomodoro and La Strada Grill, serving Italian street food. Frizzante specializes in bubbly drinks, and passengers can sip craft cocktails and Italian coffee at Amari.

Other features include the WaterWorks water park and Serenity Adult-Only Retreat.

How long should I take a cruise?: Here's how short and long cruises compare

How much does Carnival Firenze cost?

Prices vary based on sailing date and other factors, but a five-day Mexican Riviera cruise departing on May 30 currently starts at $409 per person based on double occupancy, according to Carnival’s website . The fare includes much of the food on the ship, drinks like regular coffee and iced tea and more.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Cruise ship rescues migrants on small wooden boat signaling for help

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A massive Carnival cruise ship turned around and rescued more than two dozen Cuban nationals after seeing them signaling from help from a small wooden boat.

The boat was adrift in bad condition with a makeshift sail when crew aboard the Carnival Paradise spotted it about 20 miles west of Cuba on Sunday, reported Fox News .

Cruise crew veered off their route from Tampa, Florida , to Roatan, Honduras, and pulled all 27 Cubans on board at roughly 2.30pm.

The Cubans were all examined by medics on board and provided with food.

Cruise staff notified the US Coast Guar Sector Key West.

Despite the detour, the cruise reached its port at Mahogany Bay in Roatan on time, stated Carnival. The cruise is set to make another stop to Cozumel, Mexico , on Tuesday before returning to Tampa on Thursday.

It was not immediately known if the Cuban nationals stayed or are staying on board until the cruise reaches Florida or whether they disembarked at a port.

Earlier this month, the US Coast Guard spotted another makeshift boat near the Key West shoreline and took in 16 migrants who were repatriated back to Cuba.

‘The Coast Guard’s primary mission is to preserve human life at sea,’ stated Coast Guard Seventh District Lt Matthew Miller. ‘The maritime environment is inherently dangerous. The Coast Guard and our HSTF-SE partners are committed to preventing unsafe voyages at sea and enforcing US immigration laws and regulations.

‘Do not take to the sea.’

The Carnival Paradise incident was not the only out-of-the-ordinary event involving a cruise ship recently.

Last week, a pregnant passenger aboard the Disney Fantasy cruise ship was airlifted by a US Coast Guard helicopter when she began experiencing medical complications. Drone footage showed a Coast Guard crew member being lowered down to the front of the cruise and securing the woman to a rescue basket. She was lifted up and brought into the chopper safely.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

For more stories like this, check our news page .

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