- By Ajeet Kumar
- Tue, 01 Jul 2025 02:51 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
As the Disney Dream returned to Fort Lauderdale from a four-night Bahamian cruise, a young girl fell overboard from the fourth deck, prompting her father to leap into the water to save her. According to a report by Newsweek, Passengers on the unofficial Disney Dream Cruise Ship Facebook group shared accounts of the dramatic incident, noting the father kept his daughter afloat for nearly 20 minutes until the ship’s rescue team arrived.
The ship’s "Mr. M.O.B." (man overboard) alert triggered an immediate response, and both were safely rescued, Disney officials confirmed. "The crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water. We commend our Crew Members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, ensuring the safe return of both guests," Disney told CNN, emphasising their robust safety protocols.
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.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 30, 2025
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
Father gets social media praise
Passengers praised the father’s bravery on social media. "A girl fell overboard from the 4th deck & her dad went in after her. The DCL rescue team was on it immediately, and both were saved," wrote Kevin Furuta on Facebook. "He’s a hero, that man is a hero," said Tracy Robinson-Hughes, a passenger from Charleston, South Carolina, in a video capturing the rescue. Though rare, overboard incidents on cruise ships can be life-threatening. The Disney Dream is now en route back to Port Everglades, Florida, following the successful rescue.
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Past incidents
According to a 2022 report from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), there are roughly 20 to 25 overboard incidents per year. With over 25 million passengers sailing annually, that translates to roughly one incident per million cruisers, according to travel website Boarding Area, Newsweek reported. The publication looked at a dataset covering 2009 to 2019 and found that out of 212 people who went overboard, only 48 were rescued, suggesting a survival rate between 17 per cent and 25 per cent.