Carnival Freedom is knocking a bunch of comeback firsts off the list for Carnival Cruise Line this month. On October 9, the vessel departed Miami for an eight-night eastern Caribbean cruise. Included in the itinerary were two ports that Carnival Cruise Line had not yet been to since the industry shutdown in March 2020: the Dutch country of St. Maarten and U.S. Virgin Island St. Thomas.
The St. Maarten call was on Tuesday, October 12, and the St. Thomas visit was the following day — October 13.
Carnival Freedom was Carnival’s fourth ship to resume cruises from Miami when it departed on this voyage. The vessel also called in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Amber Cove, Dominican Republic as part of this eight-night itinerary.
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Of the St. Maarten visit, Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy said “We are delighted to return to St. Maarten and offer guests an opportunity to experience all of the beauty and charm of the island while providing a much-needed boost to the local economy. On behalf of Carnival, I would like to thank our partners in St. Maarten for working with us to bring safe cruising and our guests back to the port.”
For the remainder of 2021, only one other Carnival ship will join Freedom in making visits to St. Maarten: Carnival Magic. St. Thomas, meanwhile, will see visits from Carnival Horizon, Carnival Magic, and Mardi Gras during the rest of the year.
For the rest of the fall and winter, Carnival Freedom is scheduled to operate six and eight-night cruises in the eastern and southern Caribbean before repositioning to Alaska in May for the summer 2022 season.
Over half of Carnival Cruise Line’s U.S.-based fleet is already back in service, and more ships are scheduled to resume sailings in the coming weeks and months.
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