How Hero Dad Saved His Daughter - Here's What Really Happened On Disney Dream

Cruel social media reports have been shut down after a 5-year-old girl went overboard off a Disney Dream.
Her father jumped off deck four of the ship, grabbed his daughter, treading water until they were rescued.
The authorities have released a statement to shut down the rumours that the man had placed his daughter on a railing for photographs.

The true story of the father who jumped into the ocean to rescue his daughter after she fell off a Disney cruise ship has emerged.

The dramatic event, which ended up in a successful but rare rescue of both the father and the five-year-old girl, happened when Disney Dream was on a four-night sailing in the Bahamas from Fort Lauderdale.

The girl fell off the ship on Sunday, June 29, 2025, at roughly 11:30am. She had fallen from Deck 4, which has the ship’s walking/jogging track, public spaces and the shuffleboard courts.

There had been speculation on social media that the child could have fallen overboard, with some witnesses claiming that her father had placed her on a railing to take a photo.

But the Broward Sheriff’s Office told CBS News Miami that this was not the case.

Now many have praised the 37-year-old man’s brave actions and quick thinking as they considered just how courageous he would have been to dive off the ship’s side as it raced through the waters.

Father’s agonising dilemma

The percentage of people who survive falling from a ship is 17-25 per cent. As the frantic father peered over the ship’s side to see his daughter disappearing, he would not have thought about this.

But he may well have known his chances of survival were small, underscoring the agonising decision he was forced to make.

He would have known, too, that he could not hesitate for long as the ship’s three 12-cylinder engines can give it a top speed of 45 km an hour.

So what really happened on that fateful morning?

What really happened on that fateful morning on the Disney Dream?

A witness onboard the Disney Dream spoke with a crew member who said the girl had climbed the railing and slipped.

Her parents were nearby playing shuffleboard when the toddler climbed the railings. And while the 37-year-old father did not see his daughter go overboard, her mother did and alerted the man who then jumped into the ocean after his daughter.

“The crew member who said that’s her station and she was on the fourth floor, she did say that she was climbing up and the parents were playing shuffleboard and the dad jumped in after her,” Monica Shannon told CBS News Miami.

Shannon was on a lower deck with her family waiting to meet Disney princesses when she saw “something really fast fly by,” she said.

“I just figured it was maybe a part of the show or just the experience, but about five minutes later we heard that someone flew overboard,” she continued.

Onboard, there are protective barriers that are in place on the deck, although there were “little divots and spaces that make it so that you can climb,” she added.

The heroic father was able to reach his daughter and treaded water until they were rescued 10 minutes later by the Disney Dream crew.

The parents’ account was verified by security footage from the Disney Dream and an investigation is continuing to ensure all safety protocols were in place.

“The little girl was not being held, as erroneously reported on some social media sites. Based on media reports I have read, the Disney crew was well prepared. Clearly, their training and readiness paid off because they executed a successful ocean rescue,” the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“While there doesn’t appear to be anything suspicious, Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives are investigating the circumstances that led up to the child falling overboard. This family is so blessed. It’s great to be able to respond to good news rather than what could have been a tragic outcome,” the statement continued.

At their own request, the family has not been identified in order to respect their privacy.