A terrifying moment turned into a heroic act on a Disney cruise ship when a man jumped overboard to rescue a child who had fallen into the water.
A Father’s Instincts Kick In
According to passengers, the child was sitting on the ship’s rail while the man was taking a picture. In a split second, the child fell overboard, and the man jumped in to save them.
Passengers described the scene as “horrific” and “crazy” as they watched the two struggle to stay afloat in the water.
Rapid Response from Disney Crew
The Disney Dream cruise ship’s crew sprang into action, quickly deploying a rescue boat to pluck the pair from the water.
Passenger Gail Merrick, who was playing bingo at the time, described the tense moments as the crew worked to rescue the two.
“We came to find out that it was a child and then the father had gone in after the child, so we were watching with bated breath basically waiting for what would happen,” Merrick said.
A Successful Rescue
Thanks to the swift actions of the Disney crew, the man and child were rescued within minutes and returned to the ship safely.
The crew’s response was praised by passengers, with Brenda Tackett saying, “The Disney Cruise Line staff were phenomenal, the crew, everybody was on it.
You could tell they’ve practiced this, hopefully have never used it before, but they were great.”
Cruise Continues After Dramatic Incident
After the successful rescue, the cruise continued on its route from Florida to the Bahamas and back. Passengers breathed a collective sigh of relief, grateful for the happy ending.
As Merrick put it, “Thankfully it turned out positive, and we were able to enjoy the rest of the cruise.”