A heroic father jumped off a Disney cruise ship into the water after his young daughter fell overboard.
According to TheStreet, the Disney Dream was sailing back to Fort Lauderdale from Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point in The Bahamas.
The cruise turned horrifying after the girl fell overboard from the 4th deck.
“A girl fell overboard from the 4th deck & her dad went in after her,” a passenger posted on Facebook, according to the New York Post.
Collin Rugg noted additional passenger accounts.
“The ship was moving quickly, so quickly, it’s crazy how quickly the people became tiny dots in the sea, and then you lost sight of them,” one passenger said, according to Rugg.
“I saw the mother crying and but when they rescued them, I think that’s when the tears really started flowing, because you were just so overjoyed knowing and I prayed to God to save them, and He did,” another individual reportedly 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,” Disney Cruise stated, according to Rugg.
“We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols,” it added.
The father treaded water for about 20 minutes before they were rescued.
Watch the footage:
NEW: Father jumps overboard to save his 5-year-old daughter, who fell off a Disney cruise ship from the 4th deck into the ocean.
The ship was heading back to South Florida when the intense rescue was made.
"The ship was moving quickly, so quickly, it's crazy how quickly the… pic.twitter.com/PTGmAzZJ7O
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 30, 2025
TheStreet shared additional details:
In social media discussions, some cruisers assumed that the ship must have been docked for the crew to be able to pull off a successful rescue of this magnitude. However, the ship was cruising en route to Fort Lauderdale.
“Not docked! Halfway between Bahamas and Ft. Lauderdale! Fully moving! Heard in our rooms ‘Mr. M.O.B port side.’ Ran to the 11th deck to see them throwing life preservers. 10ish minutes later a lifeboat drops and they find the people within 3-5 minutes of that. The man treaded water for at least 20 minutes,” metzd87 explained in the DCL community on Reddit.
The alarming incident left many cruisers wondering how a child could manage to fall overboard from a Disney cruise ship considering all the safety precautions the cruise line has in place like plexiglass barriers to prevent climbing on railings.
According to passenger comments in the Reddit thread, the child fell from Deck 4 of the Disney Dream, which features a walking/jogging track.
ADVERTISEMENTIt’s obvious that the father was with the child when she fell since he jumped in immediately after her, but it’s unclear at this time exactly how she fell overboard from the ship.
But no matter how the incident occurred, the fact that Disney Cruise Line crew members were able to successfully rescue the child and her father in the middle of the ocean is a testament to their rigorous emergency training. Cruise ship crew members conduct frequent safety drills to prepare for unimaginable situations just like this one.
Hero dad dives into sea to save daughter who fell from Disney Dream cruise —treading water for 20 mins before pulled to safety https://t.co/GnPjUA1HS8 pic.twitter.com/Nul6FD5Tzi
— New York Post (@nypost) June 30, 2025
From the New York Post:
Other vacationers watched in horror as a bright yellow rescue boat was lowered into the water and made its way to where the dad and daughter were bobbing in the Atlantic, drifting ever farther from the cruise ship.
The dad spent around 20 minutes in the sea holding his daughter — who appeared to be about 5 — before they were both pulled to safety, according to some of the online posts.
“Lots of praying folks on this ship!” posted another passenger, Dewayne Smith, who also reported that the “little girl fell overboard and her dad jumped overboard to try to save her.”
“Both the little girl and dad were both successfully rescued.”
It was not immediately clear how the girl first fell.
Disney Cruise Line confirmed that its crew “swiftly rescued two guests from the water.”
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