The Carnival Freedom entered drydock in France earlier this month, after completing a trans-Atlantic crossing from Port Canaveral.

The Carnival Cruise Line vessel is now undergoing routine maintenance work at the Chantier Naval de Marseille.

While little information has been shared by the company, the vessel is expected to undergo technical maintenance, in addition to class inspections and overall upkeep work.

The shipyard is also expected to reinstall a new funnel onboard the vessel, restoring Carnival’s traditional whale-tail design.

The Carnival Freedom has been sailing with a shortened, straight funnel since suffering a fire in March 2024.

Caused by a lightning strike, the incident marked the second time that the 2007-built ship lost its winged funnel design.

At the time, the funnel had just been fixed by the Navantia shipyard following another fire incident that took place in mid-2022.

The Carnival Freedom is scheduled to welcome guests back in October, offering an eight-night cruise to the Western Mediterranean.

Sailing roundtrip from Barcelona, the itinerary will sail to destinations in Italy, Malta and France, including Civitavecchia, Naples, Valletta and Marseille.

The 2,974-passenger ship is then scheduled to kick off a trans-Atlantic crossing back to North America, sailing from Barcelona to Port Canaveral.

The 13-night cruise will feature visits to destinations in Spain, the United Kingdom and the Bahamas, including Alicante, Málaga and Gibraltar.

Before arriving back in its homeport in Central Florida, the Carnival Freedom will also visit the company’s private destination of Celebration Key in Grand Bahama.

In early November, the 110,000-ton vessel will resume its regular schedule of four- and five-night cruises to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral.

In addition to Celebration Key, the ship’s itineraries include visits to RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay and Nassau.

The Carnival Freedom is scheduled to reposition to Norfolk in mid-2027, taking over Carnival Sunshine’s itineraries from Virginia.