A young child went overboard from a Disney cruise ship returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, during a 4-night sailing to the Bahamas.
Several guests traveling aboard the Disney Dream heard "Mr. M.O.B." (the cruise line's secret code for "man overboard") on the ship's public address system, followed by crew rushing to their emergency stations. Life rings were also thrown over the side of the vessel.
According to reports, the child fell from Deck 4, port side, which features an outdoor walking track and plexiglass safety barriers. Moments later, the child's father leapt into the ocean. Thankfully, both were successfully rescued.
"The Crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water," a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said to USA TODAY.
"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 incident happened on June 29, the final day of the 4-night cruise to Nassau and Disney's Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point in the Bahamas.
In the hours following, videos and photos began circulating on social media
"On Disney Dream today, a child fell overboard and the dad jumped in after her. Disney handled [the] situation perfectly, and everyone is ok!!!" wrote metzd87 on a Disney Cruise Line Reddit thread, alongside two images of the rescue boat in the open ocean.
The pictures depict four crew members on the boat wearing bright yellow safety helmets and life vests. One is holding the young child, who is wrapped in a blanket.
A TikTok shared by noeayala32 shows the boat being lifted back onto the cruise ship. Guests can be heard clapping and cheering in the background, while the female crew member continues to hold and comfort the child.
noeayala32 also captured the rescue. The boat approached the two in the water and safely pulled the duo onboard. In the video, one shocked guest can be heard saying she didn't know two people went overboard.
"Yeah, I only saw one fall, but I didn't see the other person," the passenger says, "I thought it was only one person...I think they were trying to take a picture on the railing."
Despite the accusation, how the young girl fell overboard remains unclear
Social media users have been quick to blame the father.
"There's a post reply in the 'Disney Fantasy 2025-2026' Facebook group claiming exactly that. Dad put the kid on the railing to take pictures, kid fell. If true, wow," MissedApex wrote on Reddit.
rjwqtips added, "I’d imagine the parent must have been present and involved in whatever [led] up to this, seeing as how they were able to jump in immediately after the child."
Others defended the father's harrowing actions, emphasizing his instinctive response, even if he was at fault.
"I'm sorry but whether or not he put her up on the railing doesn't take away from the fact that he did what he did to save her," wrote one TikTok user.
"He immediately jumped in after her from 4 stories up, found her, and tread water with her in his arms for 20+ minutes until she was safe. A lapse in judgment doesn't negate what a good father he is and how he handled the situation [in my opinion]."
Another said, "That did is an absolute hero! To jump off a cruise ship into the ocean (and survive!!) and be able to find his little girl and tread water...is nothing short of astounding and an actual miracle in itself that they both survived."
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
