FORT LAUDERDALE — A father jumped into the open ocean to save his daughter after she fell from the fourth deck of a Disney cruise ship on Sunday. Both were rescued within minutes in a rare and dramatic mid-sea operation.
The incident occurred aboard the Disney Dream, a 14-deck vessel returning to Fort Lauderdale after a four-day cruise around the Bahamas. Witnesses say the girl fell into the water as her father tried to take her picture near a railing. Without hesitation, he dove in after her.
“The ship was moving fast. One second they were there, and then they were just tiny dots in the water,” passenger Laura Amador said. She added that the ship quickly slowed down and turned as a rescue boat was launched.
A man-overboard alarm was triggered moments after the fall. Video captured by passengers showed crew members deploying a tender boat to reach the two in the water. The pair had been treading water for roughly 10 minutes before being retrieved.
“We watched them get pulled out. It was unbelievable,” said Gar Frantz, who was also on board. “At first, you could barely see them. It was terrifying.”
Disney Cruise Line confirmed the rescue in a brief statement. “The Crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water,” a spokesperson said. “We commend our Crew Members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes.”
The rescue happened on the final day of the voyage. The ship returned to port in Florida as scheduled.
While the passengers survived, similar outcomes are uncommon. A 2019 report by Cruise Lines International Association recorded 25 overboard incidents that year, but only nine people were rescued.
The names of the father and daughter have not been released. Both were examined by onboard medical staff and did not require emergency evacuation.
The Disney Dream, with a capacity of 4,000 passengers, features multiple decks and attractions, including a large waterslide. Safety protocols are standard across the cruise industry, but overboard incidents especially involving children remain rare and dangerous.
The U.S. Coast Guard has not indicated whether it will conduct a follow-up investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fall.
