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Fire destroys funnel on Carnival cruise ship; sailings canceled
Ashley Kosciolek
Senior cruise writer
In addition to cruising, Ashley is obsessed with reading, lawn gnomes, pizza, cats, CrossFit, SEO and proper grammar.
May 26, 2022
•
4 min read
Fire destroys funnel on Carnival cruise ship; sailings canceled
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Two additional sailings have been canceled following a fire that caused structural damage to the funnel on Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Freedom on May 26.
There were no injuries, but the incident prompted the line to cut the ship's last voyage short and cancel its May 28 departure. It has now canceled the subsequent June 2 and June 6 departures also.
Passengers were transferred to Carnival Conquest for their return home, allowing Carnival Freedom to sail to Freeport, Bahamas, where it is now docked for repairs. The move necessitated the cancellation of Carnival Conquest's May 27 sailing, too.
A statement from Carnival said that Carnival Freedom remained in Grand Turk, where the ship was docked when the fire broke out, until Carnival Conquest arrived on May 28. Carnival Freedom served as a floating hotel for the 2,504 passengers on its last cruise until they could be moved to Carnival Conquest, which then transported them back to Port Canaveral, their original port of disembarkation.
They reached Port Canaveral on May 30, two days later than previously scheduled.
The ship sailed to Freeport, Bahamas, after passengers disembarked; it is currently undergoing repairs there.
After disembarking passengers at Port Canaveral on May 30, it returned to its Miami homeport, where it began its May 30 itinerary on May 31, one day later than scheduled.
Several passengers, including Jim Edgar from Jacksonville, took to social media to share photos and videos of the incident.
"#carnivalfreedom we have a problem!" he posted early Thursday on Instagram.
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In a statement, Carnival said the fire broke out in the ship's funnel — the iconic "whale tail" structure where ships emit exhaust — while the vessel was docked at Grand Turk, a port the line developed specifically for use by its passengers.
"All guests and crew are safe, and the ship's guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore," the statement said. "We continue to assess the situation."
There has been no official word yet on what caused the blaze. The vessel was on a five-day sailing from Port Canaveral that departed on May 23.
Featured photo courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
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Cons
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- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
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