Dad jumps in to save little girl who fell from Disney cruise ship into the Atlantic Ocean

A little girl who fell from a Disney Cruise Line vessel into the Atlantic Ocean, and her father, who jumped in after her, were both rescued by fast-acting crew members on Sunday afternoon. The incident occurred as the Disney Dream was returning to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., following a four-day trip to Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas. The company confirmed the incident and the rescue in an email to National Post. It was also corroborated by several passengers who posted about it on Facebook, shedding more light on what occurred. In the Disney Dream Cruise Ship Group, passenger Kevin Furuta said the child, believed to be four or five years old, fell from the vessel’s fourth deck and “her dad went in after her. “Right after the incident we heard on the loud speaker MOB Port side,” he wrote on Facebook , using the acronym for man overboard. Furuta said rescue crews wasted no time getting them back aboard.

We are on the Disney Dream at sea today and just witnessed a first on a cruise. A little girl fell overboard and her...Posted by Dewayne Smith on Sunday, June 29, 2025

“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 told National Post. “We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols.” Passengers Dewayne Smith and Janice Martin-Asuque also posted about the rescue on Facebook, the latter sharing a video showing the man wading with his daughter in the relatively calm waters as the rescue vessel approached. He then hands her off before being helped into the vessel himself. Deck 4 on the 217-foot-tall vessel is surrounded by a walking and jogging track , which Furuta noted in a separate post features a ladder-like railing mostly covered in plexiglass. According to Enchanting Escapes Travel , outward-facing railings measure 43.3 inches, which is above the minimum height of 42 inches set out in the 2010 U.S. Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act. It’s not yet clear how the girl fell into the water.

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