In a heart-stopping moment on Sunday afternoon, a father heroically jumped off a Disney cruise ship to save his daughter who had fallen from the fourth deck while traveling from the Bahamas back to the United States. Eyewitnesses reported that the girl fell overboard as her father attempted to capture a photo of her against a railing.
Videos circulating on social media showed fellow passengers cheering as both father and daughter were pulled onto a rescue boat after reportedly staying afloat for around 10 minutes. Laura Amador, a passenger on the Disney Dream, described the ship’s rapid movement, stating, "It was crazy how quickly the people became tiny dots in the sea, and then you lost sight of them."
Immediately after the fall, the ship issued a man overboard alert, prompting the crew to act swiftly. The captain slowed the vessel and navigated back to the rescue site, deploying a tender vessel manned by crew members to retrieve the pair. According to Amador, the dramatic rescue unfolded while the ship was returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after a four-day cruise around the Bahamas.
Disney Cruise Line confirmed the incident in a statement, commending the crew for their "exceptional skills and prompt actions," which allowed for the safe recovery of both guests. The cruise ship, capable of holding 4,000 passengers, docked in Florida as scheduled, despite the distressing event.
While overboard incidents are rare on cruise ships, successful rescues are even less common. A 2019 report by the Cruise Lines International Association noted that out of 25 individuals who fell overboard that year, only nine were successfully rescued, highlighting the dangers of such accidents at sea.
