Carnival cruise ship stuck at Florida port over 'environmental matter' finally sets sail hours later

Vacationers eager to begin their cruise aboard the Carnival Freedom ship had a rough start, with the cruise line attributing the delay to an environmental issue.

What we know:

The ship, which was supposed to leave Port Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday evening, remained docked instead of heading out to sea.

The Carnival Freedom was originally scheduled to leave for the Bahamas at 3:30 p.m., but it was delayed for a few hours before it eventually departed.

What they're saying:

FOX 35 News spoke to some passengers who were upset by the situation, with some expressing concern that they would miss their first excursion.

"We did see something on the surface of the water around the boat earlier, but, and that was before they made the announcement," Renee Lord, a passenger on board the ship, said. "I just noticed there was a lot of iridescence floating on the water around the boat."

FOX 35 News also reached out to the cruise line on Thursday night for more details on the delay and received the following statement:

On Saturday, authorities at Carnival shared an updated statement: 

The Source: This story was written based on information provided by Carnival Cruise Line and from passengers aboard the Carnival Freedom ship.

FloridaTravel NewsTravel