- Sunday's incident took place after the 4-year old child fell off the cruise's fourth floor deck.
- The father jumped overboard immediately after his daughter fell.
- According to one report, the ship's crew performed the rescue in 20 minutes.
Avoiding a tragedy, the crew at the Disney Dream cruise promptly rescued a father and daughter who had gone overboard on Sunday off the Florida coast.
The dad jumped in immediately to save his 4-year-old daughter after she had fallen off from the fourth-floor deck.
According to the latest by NBC News, fellow passenger Gar Frantz, who was on the fourth-floor deck at the time of the incident, said the child was sitting on the rail while the father was taking a picture. Then, the child fell overboard.
“We heard on the loud speaker MOB Port side!!,” passenger Kevin Furuta wrote on a Facebook group for the Disney Dream Cruise ship.
Rapid response by the crew
The Disney Dream crew threw three life preserver rings, slowed down the ship, descended a rescue boat, and turned around within minutes, according to the account of one passenger who posted on TikTok.
Meanwhile, the father treaded water. The rescue took about 20 minutes, some witnesses said.
Videos circulating in social media show the rescue team returning to the ship with the dad and daughter.
Fellow travelers cheering and clapping can be heard in the videos after the crew members had pulled father and daughter into safety.
The Disney Dream ship was on its way back to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after a four-night cruise in the Bahamas when the incident happened.
Similar to other major cruise operators, Disney ships are equipped with overboard detection systems that immediately alert the crew to such incidents, USA Today reported.
“We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols,” the official statement by Disney concluded.