Girl falls overboard from Disney Cruise as dad jumps in after her

A girl who fell overboard a Disney Cruise was saved by her dad, who jumped in after her

The Disney Dream cruise left Port Everglades in Florida for a four-day cruise to the Bahamas, but on Sunday (29 June), a young girl fell overboard while the ship sailed between the Caribbean islands and Florida.

According to CBS News, it is not yet clear what led to the child falling overboard, as the cruise ship is protected by plexiglass safety barriers on its decks.

When she fell into the sea, her father bravely jumped in after her. Other passengers witnessed how he swam out to her and started treading water as an emergency alert was sounded. A rescue boat was immediately dispatched to get the pair back to the cruise ship.

The dad was seen handing his daughter over to crew members in the rescue boat before being helped onto the boat himself as they were safely brought back to the ship.

A spokesperson for Disney Cruises told USA Today: "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."

An investigation is underway to determine how the girl was able to fall overboard the cruise ship, per 7 News.

Cruise ships have a strict policy when the 'man overboard' call is sounded out, with the ship's bridge immediately being alerted to the emergency.

Some cruise ships will sound out the phrase 'Code Oscar' to avoid causing fear amongst the passengers too much. However, it's not much of a secret anymore.

The crew will make sure to log the exact coordinates the vessel is at when the 'man overboard' call is sounded out, as in some cases, the unfortunate individuals are more difficult to locate than the father and daughter duo in this case.