How did she fall? Mystery after child goes overboard on Disney cruise

• A Disney cruise sailing out of Florida took a sudden turn when two passengers, believed to be a daughter and her father went overboard.
• They were rescued swiftly by Disney’s emergency rescue crew.
• Cruise ship railings are designed specifically to prevent accidental falls or children climbing them.

A miraculous rescue of what is believed to be a daughter and her father who went overboard on a Disney ship is sweeping the internet today, but much of what happens still remains a mystery.

Reportedly, a small child fell off the ship sailing out Florida, and a man, who is believed to be her father, dived off the ship right after her in an attempt to save her. The ship was not docked and was moving at the time the two passengers fell from deck four of the ship.

Disney’s rescue crews then quickly went into action and managed to locate the passengers and complete a swift and safe rescue.

The man was reportedly treading water for about 10 minutes as he waited for the rescue team to arrive.

Emergency alarms sounded throughout the ship, with crew members tossing life preservers in the water.

A passenger told CBS: “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.”

While the amazing rescue team is rightly being commended, it’s still unclear how the young girl fell off the ship. 

🚨 DISNEY CRUISE LINE RESCUE 📰
A little girl fell from the 4th floor of a Disney Cruise Line today and her father jumped overboard to save her. Heroic staff saved father and daughter! The railings have plexiglass, but passengers claim dad put the girl on the railing for a photo. pic.twitter.com/9MERWFcZnO

— Free the World 🇺🇲🌏🦅 (@PatriotVerity) June 30, 2025

The internet rumour mill is of course swirling, with many on social media claiming that the father placed the daughter on the railing to take photos, from which she then fell. 

However, this is unconfirmed, and contradicted by other reports that claim they saw someone climbing up the railings.

The balcony railings have plexiglass, which makes it almost impossible to climb up them and get a foothold, to childproof them from kids who try to climb them. 

The railings are generally about a metre high, which also stops young children from being able to scale them.

@cmd.91

Today while on the Disney Dream, we witnessed nothing short of a miracle. We were in our stateroom when we heard “Mr MOB, Mr MOB, Mr MOB… port side”. My husband ran to the balcony because he understood that meant there was a man overboard. Immediately, my heart started racing and I began a constant prayer. Disney acted quick as they tossed out multiple life preserver rings and slowed the ship and began turning as they prepared the small boat to go out for a rescue. As we watched the whole thing go down and I zoomed in, I realized there wasn’t one… but two people in the water. We watched as the boat got to them and I was even more surprised when I saw them pull up a little girl (we heard she was only 5 years old) onto the boat. Followed by who we assume is her father. This man jumped in after her and helped her stay afloat for at least 20 minutes while the rescue team pulled off a rescue I will never forget. God was in this story from the beginning. It happened during the day, while we were cruising very slowly, in very calm seas. I’m so thankful both the man and little girl are safe. And for anyone who wants to judge how something like this happens, it can happen in the blink of an eye. There is zero judgement from me, just so much relief and praise. I cant imagine how exhausted and in shock both of these people are. If you do go on a cruise in the future and have a balcony, please don’t let your kids unattended outside and keep the furniture away from the edge. #disneydream #rescue #overboard #godisinthisstory #praise #cruise

♬ Goodness of God (Instrumental) – The Worship Initiative Instrumentals & The Worship Initiative

Cruise ships are designed so that it’s almost impossible that these incidents can happen by accident, for example due to someone simply stumbling or being near a balcony when a ship hits a wave. 

When adults go overboard on cruise ships that reality is that it’s generally on purpose, or involves drunken and reckless behaviour. 

It is possible that a taller child would be able to climb the barriers, or stack items near the railings, but so far there are no reliable eyewitness accounts to give any insight into how the incident came about.

Perhaps the most notorious case was that of a grandfather whose 18-month-old granddaughter fell from a Royal Caribbean ship in port. She died when she she fell 45 metres from a window.

Many social media users have noted that Disney has cameras all over deck four, and the incident would likely have been filmed.

It is possible that Disney will release further details of the incident and confirm what happened, but this could be obstructed by privacy or legal concerns. Disney said in a statement: “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.”