Carnival Freedom leaves dry dock with shorter funnel
Carnival said the modification will allow the ship to visit more ports, while the dry dock also brought casino, retail and accessibility updates.
Carnival Freedom received a shorter version of Carnival Cruise Line’s whale-tail funnel during a 35-day dry dock at Chantier Naval de Marseille in Marseille, France. Carnival announced the change on October 8 and said the lower funnel would enable the ship to enter additional ports. The company did not identify those ports or disclose how much height was removed.
Other work included a redesigned casino with more than 100 additional gaming machines, along with updates to the video arcade and retail spaces. Carnival also said accessibility improvements were made throughout the ship. A new bow crest bearing the phrase From Sea to Shining Sea was added.
Carnival Freedom was scheduled to return to service October 9 on an eight-day Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona. A 13-day Carnival Journeys transatlantic voyage was set to follow before the ship returned to Florida.
The ship was scheduled to arrive at Port Canaveral on October 30 and sail from there through May 2027 before moving to Norfolk, Virginia. Carnival has also opened reservations for its 2028-29 Norfolk season, with six- to eight-day departures available through April 2029. The itineraries are scheduled to visit The Bahamas, Bermuda, the Eastern Caribbean and Canada.
