Child falls overboard on Disney Cruise, rescued by crew members

[TIGER0822]

Unbelievable story. A child on the Disney Dream fell overboard today while the ship was sailing to Fort Lauderdale. Her dad jumped in to save her, and both were rescued by crew members.


Disney Cruise Line statement:

"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, 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 shared.

Child falls overboard on Disney Cruises ship

What could have been a tragic man and child overboard turned into a story worthy of Disney.

www.thestreet.com

Swift rescue, took 20 minutes. Do better Disney.

 

[TIGER0822]

That stupid father knew if he did not save that girl, he might as well just drown too because her mother would kill him.

Hey, The Mom not the Dad was with the girl when that happened. Dad did a Usain Bolt type sprint to the area and jumped overboard.

 

[lonetraveler]

Hey, The Mom not the Dad was with the girl when that happened. Dad did a Usain Bolt type sprint to the area and jumped overboard.

I’ve seen the below photos referenced in media that are present on this particular ship- open “portholes” and railings halfway up but not completely closed off.

View attachment 599532

So, where is the shuffle board that the parents were suppose to be playing at when the girl went overboard?

 

[lonetraveler]

Hey, The Mom not the Dad was with the girl when that happened. Dad did a Usain Bolt type sprint to the area and jumped overboard.

No, she noticed that the girl went overboard and notified the father.

 

[lonetraveler]

Ok, so the sheriff is saying she was sitting on a railing and fell backwards through a porthole. And all reports I've read say it was from Deck 4. The Dream deck plan shows that deck as the walking/jogging track so that makes sense and would correlate to the picture posted by @kccorona. How did she come to be sitting on the railing? Did someone put her there? Did she climb up herself and no one noticed in time? Why on earth would someone let a child (or anyone for that matter) sit on the railing of an open porthole?!? Hopefully they will release more info. I'm sure they must have cameras out there so hopefully the incident was captured.

https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/girl-who-went-overboard-from-disney-cruise-fell-backward-through-a-porthole-sheriffs-investigation-finds/

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships/deck-plans/dream/

It was also stated that the parents were playing shuffleboard and did not notice when the girl fell overboard. If you look at the only open windows on the ship, there is no shuffleboard area in the vicinity.

 

[lonetraveler]

Hey, The Mom not the Dad was with the girl when that happened. Dad did a Usain Bolt type sprint to the area and jumped overboard.

No, she was the first to notice that she had fallen over the side.

 

[IceIce9]

Swift rescue, took 20 minutes. Do better Disney.

It takes some time for a huge cruise ship to make a u turn.

 

[mickey2942]

It takes some time for a huge cruise ship to make a u turn.

Just to stop a ship that large takes at least 10 minutes. They don't stop on a dime.

 

[TIGER0822]

It takes some time for a huge cruise ship to make a u turn.

True. They did not put life jackets on the rescued after they boarded the life boat.

 

[TIGER0822]

It was also stated that the parents were playing shuffleboard and did not notice when the girl fell overboard. If you look at the only open windows on the ship, there is no shuffleboard area in the vicinity.

There are good pictures online. Not only is there wide open portholes, but there is a ledge under it, practically begging kids to stand on it to look out. Unless this was crew only quarters, looked like a safety hazard .

 

[LadyL]

Swift rescue, took 20 minutes. Do better Disney.

the boat was fighting the ship's 'current' - it was difficult for them to manage the boat while rescuing and on the way back to the ship, the 'current' actually turned the boat completely around in the opposite direction

they were lucky to be rescued at all, much less in better time IMO

 

[MyJoey]

Been on many Disney cruises and I’m telling you they are top of the line in safety and training. Seriously think about it, rescued in 20 minutes is a miracle. This is the first I’ve ever heard of anyone going over a Disney ship.

 

[LadyL]

True. They did not put life jackets on the rescued after they boarded the life boat.

well that is strange

 

[TIGER0822]

It takes some time for a huge cruise ship to make a

well that is strange

Look at the videos of the boat rescue and the boat heading back to shore.

 

[LadyL]

Look at the videos of the boat rescue and the boat heading back to shore.

I saw that and edited my post.

 

[Skigh]

Police reveal how girl fell from cruise ship before father saved her

The Florida Sheriff's Office has revealed just how a young girl managed to fall from a Disney cruise ship and into the ocean during a family vacation.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The Florida Sheriff's Office has revealed just how a young girl managed to fall from a Disney cruise ship and into the ocean during a family vacation.

The officials have stated that during the June 29 incident, the five-year-old had been sitting on a railing when she lost her balance and fell into the ocean from the fourth deck of the ship.

According to their investigation, the father didn't see the incident that Sunday at all, and only learned that his daughter had fallen after his wife alerted him to the situation.


After the girl’s mother alerted her husband, who didn’t see the incident, he jumped into the ocean to save his daughter,' the Sheriff's Office said.

Onlookers said they heard the mother screaming in terror and saying 'she's five and can't swim,' and alerting her husband.

Fellow passenger Monica Shannon told the Daily Mail that, 'the parents were playing shuffleboard and the girl was climbing on the railings... and as she went to climb up again she flew off.'

She said that it was a very windy day and the small child could have easily been blown from the ship with a large gust of wind.

 

[lonetraveler]

Police reveal how girl fell from cruise ship before father saved her

The Florida Sheriff's Office has revealed just how a young girl managed to fall from a Disney cruise ship and into the ocean during a family vacation.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The Florida Sheriff's Office has revealed just how a young girl managed to fall from a Disney cruise ship and into the ocean during a family vacation.

The officials have stated that during the June 29 incident, the five-year-old had been sitting on a railing when she lost her balance and fell into the ocean from the fourth deck of the ship.

According to their investigation, the father didn't see the incident that Sunday at all, and only learned that his daughter had fallen after his wife alerted him to the situation.


After the girl’s mother alerted her husband, who didn’t see the incident, he jumped into the ocean to save his daughter,' the Sheriff's Office said.

Onlookers said they heard the mother screaming in terror and saying 'she's five and can't swim,' and alerting her husband.

Fellow passenger Monica Shannon told the Daily Mail that, 'the parents were playing shuffleboard and the girl was climbing on the railings... and as she went to climb up again she flew off.'

She said that it was a very windy day and the small child could have easily been blown from the ship with a large gust of wind.

This version makes more sense than any of the others. IMO

 

[lonetraveler]

Hey, The Mom not the Dad was with the girl when that happened. Dad did a Usain Bolt type sprint to the area and jumped overboard.

She was with the father but saw the girl go over the side and alerted the father. It appears no one was actually with the girl.

 

[LadyL]

I wonder how he managed to rescue her. Like was she floating or did he have to dive under the water. She couldn't swim so I'm not sure she would be able to float either. I know I can't.

 

[TIGER0822]

I wonder how he managed to rescue her. Like was she floating or did he have to dive under the water. She couldn't swim so I'm not sure she would be able to float either. I know I can't.

The odds of finding her, never mind that it was a windy day was next to impossible. I have often thought about that. What a heroic Dad. He very nearly gave his life for his daughter. He looked barely alive on the rescue boat.