Carnival Freedom has returned to her year-round homeport at Port Canaveral with a whole new look following her recent dry dock in Cadiz, Spain.

The ship arrived in Florida looking much different than when she departed, now having a brand new whale-tail funnel as well as the new red-white-and-blue hull livery being added to the entire Carnival fleet.

Welcome Home, Carnival Freedom!

Carnival Freedom sailed smoothly into Port Canaveral in the early morning hours of Monday, November 6, 2023 after completing her transatlantic cruise from Barcelona, Spain. The ship spent 16 days in dry dock in Cadiz undergoing extensive refurbishment inside and out, but is now home again and has already set sail on her first post-dry-dock regular sailing.

The 110,000-gross-ton, Conquest-class ship returned to Port Canaveral via a 14-night transatlantic sailing from Barcelona that called on Valencia and Malaga in Spain, Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, and Kings Wharf in Bermuda. Carnival Freedom departed Barcelona on Monday, October 23, 2023.

Now, the ship returns to her regular deployment offering 4- and 5-night Eastern Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. Depending on the cruise length and departure date, the refreshed ship will be visiting popular destinations like Bimini, Grand Turk, Nassau and Puerto Plata.

Carnival Freedom‘s return to Port Canaveral was a busy 5-ship day at the world’s busiest cruise port, with her sister ship Carnival Liberty also in port along with Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis-class Allure of the Seas and Voyager-class Mariner of the Seas as well as Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, Disney Wish.

The first post-dry-dock sailing of Carnival Freedom has already departed – a 5-night Eastern Caribbean cruise to Grand Turk and Bimini, with two full days at sea for guests to enjoy the refreshed vessel.

Also on various itineraries are private island destinations, including Half Moon Cay as well as Princess Cays. In 2025, the ship will also begin visiting Carnival Cruise Line’s upcoming exclusive port of call on Grand Bahama Island, Celebration Key.

Carnival Freedom will remain homeported from Port Canaveral at least through early April 2026.

Brand New Look

The most notable renovation is the ship’s new, iconic whale-tail funnel. Carnival Freedom‘s original funnel was severely damaged by a fire in May 2022, which melted the starboard wing. After the fire, the funnel’s wings were removed, and the ship sailed with a fully-functional but less recognizable straight funnel until this dry dock, which included the full wing replacement.

The ship’s exterior was also repainted with the new livery that debuted with Mardi Gras in 2021 and has been gradually rolled out across the Fun Ship fleet with dry dock renovations. All news ships are being delivered with the new hull colors.

Other renovations completed during Carnival Freedom‘s dry dock include refreshing public areas, replacing worn decking, expanding the onboard casino, and renovating guest staterooms.

The Heroes Tribute Bar has been added just in time for Veterans Day, and is now located on Deck 5, midship, on the port side near the Fun Shops in the Millennium Atrium. Formerly, the venue was the Skybox Sports Bar.

The addition of the dedicated bar is timely, just as Carnival Cruise Line celebrates hometown veterans with special tributes aboard six vessels at various homeports. For Port Canaveral, the special celebration Veterans Day tribute event will be aboard Mardi Gras on Saturday, November 11.

Four travelers just off Carnival Celebration have been arrested for credit card fraud onboard the ship amounting to tens of thousands of dollars. The individuals were arrested upon debarkation of the ship’s most recent sailing, and are currently being held on significant bond amounts.

Credit Card Fraud on Carnival Celebration

All cruise travelers know that onboard expenses can quickly add up, particularly for guests who enjoy time in the casino, but four passengers aboard Carnival Celebration recently weren’t spending their own money – they were committing substantial credit card fraud.

All four passengers were arrested by the Miami-Dade Police Department when the 180,000-gross-ton cruise ship returned to her homeport on Sunday, November 5, 2023. The ship was just finishing a 7-night Western Caribbean sailing that had visited Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico as well as Roatan, Honduras.

According to WPLG Local 10, the four individuals are Decari Demetrius Cradle (age 29) of Goodlettsville, Tennessee; Chanell Latrice Howard (age 31) of Stone Mountain, Georgia; Dominick Maurice Howard (age 31) of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; and Gilbert Salcido (age 31) of Mount Juliet, Tennessee.

No details about whether or not the individuals are connected or conspired together have been released, nor is it known if they were traveling in the same or connected staterooms.

The four travelers used multiple credit cards for onboard purchases, with spending ranging from $2,700 to nearly $20,000 each. While most of the charges were made onboard, Howard reportedly also used a stolen card to book the cruise itself. Howard’s spending was also the highest, at nearly $20,000 in charges.

Howard also cashed out casino credits purchased with the stolen cards, and nearly $11,000 (USD) in cash was found in his luggage by US Customs and Border Protection upon debarkation.

The fraud was noted onboard when the individuals’ cards were declined, and none of the four were able to produce physical copies of the cards to correlate the credit cards with their identification. The actual owners of the cards have not been identified, and it is possible the cards may be counterfeit.

All four perpetrators currently remain in custody at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, being held on individual bond amounts from $16,000 to $26,000.

In February 2023, a 31-year-old woman, Lexus Moorer of Raleigh, North Carolina, was accused of using eight stolen credit cards for a vacation aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas. Her fraud was discovered, with charges adding up to $22,425 (USD). She was likewise arrested by Miami-Dade Police once the ship returned to port.

Protecting One’s Credit Cards

Credit card theft and fraudulent charges can be rampant, and it is essential that all travelers seek to protect their cards from unauthorized purchases and use.

Keeping cards safe and not leaving them out where unauthorized individuals could access them is critical, and when using cards online, it is important to shop only from trusted, secure websites and retailers.

The fewer “linked” credit cards one uses for different apps and websites, the safer overall accounts will be, and thoroughly reviewing statements each month can help detect any unauthorized charges or suspicious activity.

Travelers can also take additional steps to protect their cards while on a cruise. First, do not take along every credit card while traveling – only bring those cards attached to cruise ship purchases or linked to an onboard account, for example, and leave other cards in a secure location at home. Notifying one’s credit card company about travel dates can also help flag any suspicious charges more quickly.

Keeping cards securely in the in-cabin safe while onboard can also ensure they don’t get lost on the ship.

Most credit card companies offer fraud protection, but suspicious charges must be reported immediately and the resolution process can vary for different financial institutions.

Carnival Cruise Line has begun its special series of events to honor and celebrate military veterans with an appreciation lunch aboard Carnival Horizon in PortMiami, along with a unique donation to help veterans get the services they need.

This is the first of six such tributes planned at different Carnival homeports leading up to Veterans Day on November 11.

Honoring Veterans in Miami

Approximately 200 local Miami-Dade veterans were welcomed aboard Carnival Horizon on Sunday, November 5, 2023 for a special military tribute event that included an appreciation luncheon and special recognition. Carnival Cruise Line is hosting six such events this week in six different US homeports.

“As America’s cruise line, Carnival is privileged to have more active and retired military service members choosing to sail with us than any other cruise line for their much-deserved cruise vacations,” said Christine Duffy, Carnival Cruise Line president.

Part of the tribute event included donating a 15-passenger van to the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. The van will help with transporting veterans to different programs and services offered by the VA, including medical appointments.

“It is an honor for us to partner with the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System to show our appreciation to these brave men and women and donate a passenger van to help the center provide convenient transportation to local resources and support services for our military heroes,” said Duffy.

In addition to medical services, the VA offers resources such as emergency preparedness assistance and other special programs.

“We are dedicated to improving the lives of our veterans and their families every day,” said Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System Executive Director Kalautie JangDhari. “I know our veterans appreciate this special event hosted by Carnival Cruise Line. And their generous donation of a passenger van is going to help us to ensure that they can get to their medical appointments easily.”

The hometown veterans tributes come just as Carnival Cruise Line is also introducing a special “Heroes American Pale Ale” on all ships with onboard breweries. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the ale will be donated to Operation Homefront for even more support of military members and their families.

More Tribute Events All Week Long

The Miami tribute event kicks off a full week of events, as the cruise line has organized five other events in other homeports that will feature onboard luncheons for local veterans as well as van donations to each homeport’s VA office.

On the same day as Miami’s tribute, veterans were also welcomed aboard the recently renovated Carnival Paradise in Tampa.

Carnival Breeze in Galveston, Texas is hosting a military tribute event on Monday, November 6, while Carnival Miracle will welcome veterans in Long Beach, California on Tuesday, November 7. Carnival Valor will do the same on Thursday, November 9 for veterans in New Orleans, Louisiana.

One of the cruise line’s largest ships, Mardi Gras, will host the final veterans’ tribute event at Port Canaveral, Florida on Veterans Day itself – Saturday, November 11.

In addition to the special homeport events that will host veterans from the local community, every Carnival ship in the fleet will host a Military Appreciation Day this week – as they do on every sailing, all year long.

Military Appreciation Day was introduced in July 2023 as an expansion of what were formerly Military Appreciation Gatherings. The events include shipwide announcements to thank military service members and veterans, special messages on the Seaside Theater screen, raising the US flag in the ship’s atrium (on sailings four nights or longer), commemorative pins for all veterans, and additional special activities.

All veterans who join in the Military Appreciation Day events can also be entered into a monthly drawing for a free Carnival cruise awarded to a service member.

In 2023, Carnival Cruise Line will host more than 1,500 military gatherings, honoring tens of thousands of veterans and active service members and their families.

Carnival Panorama has developed engine difficulties that have impacted the ship’s maximum cruising speed, and as a result, two ports of call have been cancelled on her current sailing.

No other onboard systems are impacted, and the ship will still be able to return to Long Beach, California on schedule for debarkation on Saturday, November 11, 2023.

Carnival Panorama Skipping Ports of Call

Guests onboard Carnival Panorama have been notified of an itinerary change that is resulting in two out of three ports of call being cancelled on the ship’s current cruise. The sailing departed Long Beach, California on Saturday, November 4, on what was to have been a 7-night Mexican Riviera itinerary.

The cruise was originally scheduled to visit three popular ports of call – Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas. Now, however, two of those stops have been cancelled.

“The ship has developed an issue that is affecting its maximum cruising speed only,” a letter delivered to guests’ staterooms explained. “Regrettably, due to the reduced speed, we will not be able to visit Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán.”

Carnival Panorama will still call on Cabo San Lucas, but the visit has been changed to Wednesday, November 8 from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. instead of as originally planned on Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The extra 90 minutes in port will give guests slightly more time to explore the vibrant and scenic destination, as it is now the only port of call on the week-long cruise.

It must be noted that the ship’s safety systems and onboard operations, including hotel operations, food and beverage, and entertainment, are not impacted by the technical issue.

Only the ship’s maximum cruising speed of 22.6 knots (26 miles per hour / 42 kilometers per hour) is affected, which changes the distance the vessel can sail and still keep her schedule.

Compensation Offered

All shore excursions purchased through Carnival Cruise Line for Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán are being automatically cancelled and refunded to guests’ onboard accounts.

The ship’s Shore Excursions team is working with tour operators in Cabo San Lucas to adjust booked tours to Wednesday rather than Thursday, but guests will be notified if such adjustments are not possible.

As compensation for missing ports of call, all staterooms are also being given a $400 onboard credit to use for drinks, specialty dining, spa treatments, or other onboard purchases.

“We apologize for this situation and appreciate your understanding,” the letter, signed by Captain Carlo Queirolo, concludes.

Previous Engine Issues

This is not the first time Carnival Panorama has had engine issues impacting her cruising speed and planned itineraries.

In early June, the ship was delayed returning to Long Beach because of engine issues, which created embarkation delays for the next sailing. Further sailings at that time were also impacted with adjusted itineraries to compensate for the reduced speeds.

Onboard engineers are always able to work to correct technical problems, but occasionally special parts or different expertise may be required for permanent repairs. It is unclear whether or not this current issue with Carnival Panorama is an extension of her earlier difficulties or a new technical problem.

At this time, it is unknown whether or not additional upcoming sailings of the ship may be affected, though guests booked on sailings in the next few weeks will want to stay alert to possible itinerary changes or delays.

Carnival Panorama also experienced very similar issues in August 2021, with adjustments to port visit times and delayed returns to Long Beach. The same types of problems were also noted in December 2022.

The 133,868-gross-ton, Vista-class ship can welcome 4,008 guests at double occupancy, or as many as 5,146 passengers when fully booked. Also onboard are more than 1,400 crew members to ensure that all travelers have a memorable and fun cruise vacation, despite any unexpected difficulties.