Carnival Freedom is preparing to return to service following a 35-day dry dock at Chantier Naval de Marseille in Marseille, France, where the ship underwent a series of upgrades including the installation of a new whale-tail funnel and an expansion of its casino.
The new funnel has a reduced height, allowing Carnival Freedom to access additional ports. The dry dock program also included a redesigned casino with 100+ additional gaming machines, a refreshed video arcade, updated retail spaces and accessibility improvements across the ship. The vessel has also received CCL-Carnival Cruise Line’s new “From Sea to Shining Sea” bow crest.
Carnival has opened reservations for Carnival Freedom’s 2028–2029 season, with departures from Norfolk, Virginia, through April 2029. The program comprises 6- to 8-day cruises to destinations in The Bahamas, Bermuda, the Eastern Caribbean and Canada, including calls at Celebration Key, RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk and Amber Cove.
Before beginning its new deployment, Carnival Freedom is scheduled to arrive in Barcelona on October 9 and operate an eight-day Mediterranean cruise. This will be followed by a 13-day Carnival Journeys transatlantic crossing to Port Canaveral, where the ship is scheduled to arrive on October 30th.
Carnival Freedom will be based at Port Canaveral through May 2027 before repositioning to Norfolk, Virginia, for its subsequent deployment.