“All of the crew were amazing at keeping us informed and making sure we knew where we needed to go,' Fleming said. Everyone was told to report to their muster stations for 20 to 30 minutes while Carnival's crew assessed the situation. Passengers got the all-clear to go ashore at 8:40. 'Mom runs inside and calls 911, and we were apparently the first to report it.'įleming said they reported the fire at 7:30 a.m. 'Mom and I were sitting on the balcony, drinking coffee, as we were docking, and some amazing people on the (Carnival) Mardi Gras next to us start screaming at us that there’s a fire,' Fleming said. Fleming said they were among the first to report the fire. 'Additionally, since we'd love noting more than to welcome you back, you will receive a 50% future cruise credit.' Carnival cruise ship fire: What happened?Īmong the passengers on the Freedom were Jenny Fleming and her mother, Carol Reich, both of Palm Bay. 'We understand this extends the time you had planned to be away from home, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this delay may cause you,' Imbimbo wrote.

The ship sailed out of Port Canaveral on Monday, and was scheduled back Saturday. Port Canaveral will not charge affected passengers additional parking fees for the extra two days. The cruise line also will give passengers a $100 per stateroom onboard cruise credit will pay up to $200 per person for airline expenses of change fees. In an email to passengers of the current Freedom cruise, Captain Mario Imbimbo said: that 'the extra days of cruise and gratuities are on us,' and beverage and Wi-Fi packages will be extended as no charge for passengers who purchased such packages. '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 said in a statement. The scheduled Saturday departure of Carnival Freedom - a five-night sailing from Port Canaveral - has been canceled.Ĭarnival said passengers booked on the impacted sailings on Carnival Conquest and Carnival Freedom voyages have been notified of these changes. Once passengers are transferred from Carnival Freedom, 'the ship will proceed to Freeport for a repair to the funnel,' the statement said. Saturday, and passengers aboard Carnival Freedom will transfer to Carnival Conquest - a sister ship of the Freedom - for the voyage back to Port Canaveral, arriving on Monday. .Ĭarnival Conquest then return will to Miami, and its scheduled May 30 departure will be shortened by one day, with guests embarking on May 31. That ship instead will be deployed to Grand Turk to transport Freedom passengers back to Port Canaveral.Ĭarnival Conquest is scheduled to arrive to Grand Turk at 4 p.m. Why did Carnival cancel the cruise?Ĭarnival said it decided to cancel Carnival Conquest’s next cruise, scheduled to leave Friday from Miami. There are 2,504 passengers and 972 crew members on board. The statement said that 'while the majority of Carnival Freedom’s guests went ashore in Grand Turk (on Thursday), Carnival’s technical team completed an initial assessment of the funnel and related features, and the shoreside team completed a plan to get our guests back to Port Canaveral.'

In a statement issued by Matt Lupoli, senior manager of public relations at Carnival Cruise Line, the company said: '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. All guests and crew are safe, and all other ship, hotel and guest services, along with safety equipment, are fully functioning.' Instead, those passengers will return to Port Canaveral on another Carnival ship, the Conquest, on Monday morning.įire onboard: Fire breaks out on Carnival Freedom while Port Canaveral-based ship was in Grand TurkĬarnival Cruise ship catches fire with 3,500 aboard. The fire in the funnel area of the ship also will delay the return of passengers on that cruise that was schedule to come back to Port Canaveral on Saturday. Watch Video: Video shows fire on Carnival Freedom cruise ship while docked in Grand TurkĬarnival Cruise Line late Thursday canceled a scheduled Saturday sailing of the Carnival Freedom out of Port Canaveral, after the ship sustained fire damage during a port-of-call stop in Grand Turk.Ĭarnival told passengers the Freedom instead will sail without passengers to a shipyard in Grand Bahama for repairs.

Carnival freedom fire in grand turk