by Sarah Kuta
Last updated: 3:00 PM ET, Thu October 8, 2026
Carnival Freedom is fresh off a makeover, with a new whale tail funnel, expanded casino and other onboard upgrades following a 35-day dry dock in Marseille, France.
After work at Chantier Naval de Marseille, the ship will return to service October 9 with an 8-day Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona, Spain, followed by a 13-day Carnival Journeys transatlantic voyage.
Carnival Freedom will arrive in Port Canaveral, Florida, on October 30 and homeport there through May 2027 before repositioning to Norfolk, Virginia.
Carnival Cruise Line also has opened reservations for Carnival Freedom’s 2028 and 2029 season from Norfolk, with six- to eight-day itineraries departing through April 2029. The cruises will visit destinations across The Bahamas, Bermuda, the Eastern Caribbean and Canada, including Carnival’s Celebration Key and RelaxAway destinations, as well as Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk and Amber Cove.
One of the ship’s most visible changes is its new whale tail funnel, which has been redesigned at a lower height. The modification will allow Carnival Freedom to access additional ports that previously could not accommodate the ship’s taller funnel.
The dry dock also brought several changes to the ship’s onboard spaces. Its casino has been redesigned and expanded with more than 100 additional gaming machines, while the video arcade has been refreshed and retail spaces have been updated. Carnival also made accessibility improvements throughout the ship.
Carnival Freedom now also features the cruise line’s new “From Sea to Shining Sea” bow crest, which Carnival introduced as a celebration of its position as “America’s Cruise Line.”
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