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Carnival Conquest has been sent to Grand Turk to return the Freedom's guests to Port Canaveral.
Several media outlets report that Carnival Cruise Line is sending the Carnival Conquest to pick up the guests currently onboard Carnival Freedom.
In a letter sent to guests, they were told, "In order to get you home as soon as possible, we have made arrangements to send the Carnival Conquest to Grand Turk to sail back to Port Canaveral."
A fire broke out yesterday on the Carnival Freedom while the vessel was docking in the port of Grand Turk. Carnival's Brand Ambassador John Heald posted this on social media. "Earlier this morning, Carnival Freedom's emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished a fire inside the ship's funnel while the ship was in Grand Turk." He added, "All guests and crew are safe, and the ship's guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore."
Carnival issued a statement that said, "We have been in regular in contact with our Fleet Operations Center in Miami, and all the appropriate authorities have been notified. Our technical team from Miami will be joining the ship later today to conduct a technical assessment and plan for the necessary repairs which will be made at the shipyard in Grand Bahama." The company added that "Our protocols worked as planned and all safety systems and hotel services continued functioning normally. All guests and crew are safe."
The company explained further, "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." The extra cruise days and their gratuities won't be charged while guests who purchased Wi-Fi and beverage packages will have them extended on a complimentary basis. The cruise line will also post a $100 onboard credit per stateroom and offer the passengers a 50 percent future cruise credit. Additional parking fees in the Port Canaveral Parking Garage will be waived and a reimbursement of up to $200 per person will be offered in the event of expenses associated with independent, non-refundable air expanses and change fees.
