Carnival Cruise Ship Catches Fire During Visit to Turks and Caicos

Table Of Content

• Carnival Cruise ship catches fire in Turks and Caicos
• News
• Following Incident, Carnival Says Gambling ‘Strictly Forbidden’ Outside of Casino
• ‘90 Day Fiancé’ star Big Ed calls off wedding to Liz without telling her
• Carnival Jubilee Officially Christened by Gwen Stefani (Plus, See Photos of the New Ship)
• Carnival ship catches fire, leaving passengers awaiting rescue cruise

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. “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. The Carnival Freedom cruise ship caught fire over the weekend while passengers were aboard.

Carnival Cruise ship catches fire in Turks and Caicos

VIDEO: Carnival Freedom catches on fire - WFLA

VIDEO: Carnival Freedom catches on fire.

Posted: Sat, 23 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Carnival Freedom set sail from Port Canaveral, Florida, on May 23 on a five-day cruise. Dramatic videos emerged on social media Thursday, showing flames and thick black smoke pouring out of the smokestack of a Carnival Cruise ship in the Turks and Caicos. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry.

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"Carnival Freedom's emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished a fire inside the ship's funnel while the ship was in Grand Turk," Carnival said in a statement provided to Newsweek on Thursday. "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." "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." Carnival says the fire was quickly extinguished by emergency response teams, and that all guests and crew are safe.

Following Incident, Carnival Says Gambling ‘Strictly Forbidden’ Outside of Casino

"#carnivalfreedom we have a problem!" he posted early Thursday on Instagram. They reached Port Canaveral on May 30, two days later than previously scheduled. Carnival’s flagship, Mardi Gras, is also in Grand Turk today, alongside Carnival Freedom.

‘90 Day Fiancé’ star Big Ed calls off wedding to Liz without telling her

As a result two cruises were canceled as the ship will require extensive repairs. No word yet on if Freedom will see any canceled cruises from this incident. The ship was planned to be at sea today before returning to Port Canaveral Monday morning. 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.

‘Just terrified’: Passengers from cruise ship that caught fire say more needs to be done - WFTV Orlando

‘Just terrified’: Passengers from cruise ship that caught fire say more needs to be done.

Posted: Tue, 09 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

More than 1,000 crew members were also aboard at the time of the fire. 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. 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.

"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." Both Carnival Freedom cruises scheduled for this week have been cancelled. Carnival said guests who had booked those cruises would receive full refunds and future cruise credits. 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. The fire was reported around the same time as another Carnival Cruise ship, Carnival Magic, docked in Norfolk, Virginia, after passengers began vomiting and complaining of nausea caused by a chemical smell.

The most spectacular cruise ship fire in recent years was aboard Carnival Freedom, when the ship’s iconic “whale tale” funnel caught fire in May 2022 while the ship was docked in Grand Turk. No injuries were reported, and while the ship was repaired, it has not yet received its new whale tale. The fire was safely extinguished by the ship’s fire response team, with no injuries reported.

Fire destroys funnel on Carnival cruise ship; sailings canceled

Dutch government inspectors determined the vessel to be "fully operable," and this was "confirmed" by the U.S. "We were celebrating the last day of the cruise," she said, when the mood changed "to something extremely somber." Built in 2007, the 948-foot Carnival Freedom can carry just over 3,500 passengers, according to Cruise Mapper. His focus is often U.S. politics, but he frequently covers other issues including the latest developments in Russia-Ukraine war and health. Before starting at Newsweek in 2021, Xander was a reporter at VTDigger, Vermont's largest news outlet, where he wrote about the legislature and state government and worked on investigative projects. His work has also been published by PBS Newshour, Politifact and NPR affiliates including WNYC in New York.

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." There were about 3,700 passengers onboard the ship when the fire occured. And the two upcoming sailings, which were canceled, likely would have had a similar passenger count amid the busy Spring Break season. A fire in the exhaust funnel of the Carnival Freedom this weekend has disrupted a cruise for the second time in less than two years — and will mean that the Florida-based ship's next two sailings are canceled. Earlier this week, in a separate incident, the Coast Guard said that some passengers aboard a Carnival cruise ship heading to Norfolk, Virginia, reported they were feeling ill after smelling chemical fumes.

It commenced its trip two days earlier on March 21, departing from Port Canaveral. "All of us at Holland America Line are deeply saddened by this event," the cruise line said. "We’ve been in contact with the families of both team members and are offering our support to them and to all of our crew at this difficult time." 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.

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 measures 952 feet in length, has 13 decks and can accommodate up to 2,980 passengers and 1,150 crew. The cruise line confirmed that a part of Carnival Freedom caught fire after the ship docked at Grand Turk.

Pictures posted last week on Twitter show smoke and flames coming from the right fin of Freedom’s smokestack. The Carnival Conquest was sent to retrieve the passengers aboard Freedom, which was evacuated after the fire. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

The cruise line said a technical team determined the ship sustained enough damage that it will need repairs before it can be returned to scheduled cruises. The funnel was stabilized, passengers were expected to be returned to Port Canaveral, and the ship will set off to Freeport for repairs, it said. The company says its "emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished" the flames. 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. The damage would "require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel" after disembarking guests in Port Canaveral on Monday, the company said in an updated statement following the assessment. 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.

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. Social media posts show flames spewing from the funnel of the ship and black smoke billowing in the air. PortMiami, Florida’s largest port, served 7.3 million passengers during the 12-month fiscal year 2023.