A fun family adventure turned into a horrible accident as a child slipped off the Disney Cruise Line ship, followed by her father, who dived in to rescue her.
On Sunday, June 29, the incident occurred as the ship was cruising back to Fort Lauderdale from a four-night Bahamian sail that included a stop at Disney's private island, Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.
As reported by The Street, the passengers heard the onboard intercom blaring an emergency code, "Mr M.O.B." [man overboard], which alerted the crew and passengers.
A Disney Cruise Line rep shared in a statement, "The crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water."
The note further stated, "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."
One passenger, Kevin Furuta, turned to his Facebook account to recall the terrifying incident, sharing that a child had fallen from Deck 4, which had safety barriers, and right after that, her dad "went in after her."
During the incident, the ship was nowhere near port, and the rescue took place while the Disney Dream was moving through open water between the Bahamas and Florida.
Cruise ships like the Dream consist of overboard detection systems designed to immediately alert crew members when someone enters the water.
The systems and immediate response from the staff prevented a much more horrible incident, and the father-daughter duo are reportedly in stable condition.
