Dad jumps in to save daughter who fell overboard from Disney cruise ship near Fort Lauderdale
A father jumped into the ocean to save his young daughter after she fell overboard from a Disney Cruise Line ship on its way back to South Florida, prompting a dramatic rescue at sea, according to passengers, videos posted on social media and a statement from Disney Cruise Line.
The incident happened Sunday aboard the Disney Dream as it sailed between the Bahamas and Fort Lauderdale.
As first reported by , the child went overboard during the final leg of the cruise, and her father immediately leapt in after her. Passengers who spoke with CBS News Miami said he treaded water for more than 10 minutes.
An emergency alert sounded through the ship as crew members launched a rescue boat and tossed life preservers into the water.
"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. 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 said.
The Disney Dream docked at Port Everglades early Monday morning after a four-night Bahamian cruise.
The identities of the father and daughter have not been released.
Disney cruise passengers watch swift rescue
A from user Noeayala32, showed the father treading water with his daughter in his arms. He then handed her over to a rescue crew from the cruise ship before getting in the boat as well.
"Yeah, I only saw one fall, but I didn't see the other person. I thought it was only one person. It was a grown-up. I think they were trying to take a picture on the railing. They were trying to see," Noeayala32 said in the video.
Passengers watching from the ship cheered when the rescue mission was complete, the video showed.
"Oh, I see him, yeah, bless his heart. How did he survive that long? Two people, bless their hearts," passenger Melanie Rickman said as she recorded the rescue on her phone.
"Oh my God, that's a dad that needs to have a hero. He's a hero. He jumped in to save his child. He's a hero, he's a hero, that man is a hero," said passenger Tracy Robinson-Hughes, from Charleston, South Carolina, as she took a video of the rescue.
"I cried like a baby because I was worried. We were all worried," added Robinson-Hughes.
"Disney reacted right away; they stopped the ship and when I say Disney, they were. You can tell they were highly trained for this. Everybody was cheering."
Passenger Eric Pabon said, "It took everybody's breath away, to be honest with you. Very nerve-racking to say the least, but as a father, like I said, I would've done the same thing."
"It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I hope I never get to see again," added Pabon.
Cruise expert chimes in, praises response
Amanda Berry, a cruise expert known on TikTok as Mandy the Cruise Planner, has been following the incident closely.
"My reaction to that is obviously relief that a child was saved and that the father was also saved," said Berry, "but also at the same time, a lot of experienced cruisers have noticed, especially in the last two or three years, a lot of parents not closely monitoring their kids as much."
Berry added that although Disney ships like the Dream are equipped with Plexiglas barriers to prevent falls, survival in overboard situations is rare.
"Approximately only 17 to 25 percent of people survive once they go overboard, so the fact that both of them were found and rescued is honestly a testament to the Disney staff that was able to save them," she said.
Disney Cruise issues statement on incident
"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," a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said in a statement.
Kevin Furuta, who was on the ship, posted on Facebook that the child fell from Deck 4 and her dad went in after her, according to .
"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," Robinson-Hughes said as she departed the ship.
The ship has Plexiglas safety barriers on its decks, so it is unclear how the child fell overboard.