Carnival Freedom Gets New Whale-Tail Funnel During French Drydock

Carnival Freedom is getting one of its most recognisable features back as the ship undergoes a major drydock in France.

The Carnival Cruise Line ship is currently at the Chantier Naval de Marseille in Marseille, where it is receiving routine technical maintenance and other work ahead of its return to service in October. One of the most visible changes will be the installation of a new Carnival funnel, restoring the ship's familiar whale-tail profile after more than two years sailing with a shortened, straight funnel.

​The Carnival Freedom's funnel has already been through several major incidents. In May 2022, a fire while the ship was visiting Grand Turk damaged part of the structure. The funnel was subsequently repaired, and Carnival Freedom eventually received a replacement whale-tail funnel during a 2023 drydock in Spain.

However, the restored funnel did not remain in place for long. In March 2024, a lightning strike caused another fire in the funnel, forcing Carnival to remove the damaged whale-tail section. The ship then returned to service with a shortened, straight funnel.

That unusual appearance remained for more than two years. Now, Carnival Freedom is finally getting its signature profile back. Carnival has provided a behind-the-scenes look at the latest work, showing the new structure being installed at the French shipyard.

The current drydock began in early September after Carnival Freedom completed a transatlantic voyage from Port Canaveral to Barcelona. The ship then moved into drydock in Marseille for more than 30 days.

The funnel replacement is being carried out alongside routine maintenance and technical work. The 2007-built Carnival Freedom has a capacity of around 2,974 passengers and is one of Carnival's Conquest-class ships.

Carnival Freedom is scheduled to welcome passengers back on October 9, 2026, when it begins an eight-night Western Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona. The itinerary will include calls in France, Italy and Malta, with destinations including Marseille, Livorno, Naples and Valletta. The Mediterranean sailing will be followed by a longer repositioning cruise across the Atlantic.

Carnival Freedom is scheduled to depart Barcelona on a 13-night transatlantic voyage to Port Canaveral, visiting destinations in Spain, the United Kingdom and the Bahamas along the way. The cruise is expected to include calls such as Alicante, Málaga, Gibraltar and Carnival's private destination of Celebration Key.

Once the ship returns to Florida, Carnival Freedom will resume its shorter cruise programme. The ship is scheduled to operate four- and five-night cruises from Port Canaveral, visiting destinations in the Bahamas. Depending on the itinerary, passengers can expect calls at Nassau, Celebration Key, RelaxAway and Half Moon Cay.

The ship is also scheduled to take on a new role in 2027, when Carnival Freedom will move to Norfolk, Virginia, replacing Carnival Sunshine on the port's cruise schedule.