A second Carnival cruise ship has emerged from dry dock over the past week. This time, it’s Carnival Freedom, after spending 35 days at Chantier Naval de Marseille in Marseille, France.
During the dry dock, Carnival Freedom received its third whale tail funnel, a signature feature on all Carnival ships that sail from the U.S. The ship lost its two previous ones from fires in the funnel.
The new whale tail on Carnival Freedom is similar to the ones found on Excel-class ships. The new funnel is lower and wider, allowing the cruise ship to visit additional ports, since it can pass under more bridges.
Carnival Cruise Line announced that Carnival Freedom will homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, for the 2028-2028 season. The ship will offer six- and eight-night cruises from Norfolk to The Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, and the Eastern Caribbean through April 2029. These new sailings are now open for bookings.
Ports the ship will visit in The Bahamas and the Caribbean on these new sailings include Grand Turk, Amber Cove, Half Moon Cay, and Carnival’s newest port, Celebration Key.
While Carnival Freedom was in dry dock, it received several other updates. They include a redesigned casino with more than 100 additional gaming machines, a refreshed video arcade, updated retail spaces, and accessibility improvements throughout the cruise ship.
In addition, Carnival Freedom now sports Carnival Cruise Line’s new “From Sea to Shining Sea” bow crest.
Carnival Freedom will return to service on October 9, 2027, for an eight-night cruise from Barcelona, Spain, in the Mediterranean. The ship will then sail a 13-night Transatlantic cruise that will end in Port Canaveral on October 30, 2026.
The ship will continue to sail from Port Canaveral through May 2027, before moving to Norfolk.
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