Heroic Father Rescues Daughter After Fall From Disney Cruise Ship in Dramatic Mid-Sea Rescue

A father’s quick action saved his young daughter’s life after she fell overboard from the Disney Dream cruise ship as it sailed between the Bahamas and Fort Lauderdale on Sunday.

The child, reportedly aged 5, went overboard during the final leg of the four-night Bahamian cruise, prompting her father to immediately jump into the ocean after her. According to passengers who spoke with CBS News Miami, the father treaded water for more than 10 minutes while holding his daughter.

“The captain slowed the ship and turned it around, and then they deployed a tender ship with people on it to go get them, and we saw them rescue the dad and daughter,” passenger Laura Amador recounted.

Crew members responded swiftly to the emergency, sounding an alert throughout the vessel, launching a rescue boat, and deploying life preservers.

The child reportedly fell from the promenade deck “Deck 4”, a popular passenger area featuring shuffleboard, lounge chairs, and a walking track, along with the ship’s lifeboat muster stations. It remains unclear how the child fell overboard.

Disney Cruise Line issued a statement praising their crew: “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. We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols.”

The successful rescue stands out as a rarity in man overboard accidents in the cruise sector. According to Cruise Junkie.com, Disney has reported only two man overboard incidents among the 420 incidents reported worldwide between 2000 and 2024, with many overboard situations becoming fatal.

The Disney Dream docked at Port Everglades early Monday morning.

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