A father and his 5-year-old daughter were rescued from the water after they went overboard a Disney Cruise Line ship Sunday afternoon, officials confirmed.
Passenger Gar Frantz said he was on the fourth-floor deck when he saw a child sitting on the rail of the Disney Dream cruise ship while a man was taking a picture.
Then the child fell overboard.
“We watched it, you could see two little things. … It was crazy, it was horrific,” Frantz said about seeing the man and the child in the water.
Passenger Gail Merrick told NBC News she was playing bingo aboard the ship, which was traveling from Florida to the Bahamas and back, when she noticed a commotion on deck.
She said she saw a yellow boat with crew members on it attempting what she was told was a rescue.
“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,” she added.
Merrick said that the ship turned around after the incident and that the crew seemed to quickly find the man and the child, prompting an announcement of the rescue.
Veda Coleman-Wright, from the sheriff’s office in Broward County, Florida, said in a statement that there didn’t “appear to be anything suspicious,” but detectives were “investigating the circumstances that led up to the child falling overboard.”
“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,” she said.
Disney said in a statement that the crew “swiftly rescued two guests from the water.”
“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,” it said. “We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols
Disney did not share any details about the incident or identifying information about the two people who went overboard. It is not clear where the ship was when they went overboard or how many days the cruise had been traveling.
The Coast Guard did not respond to a request for comment.
James Tackett said he felt the ship make a really sharp turn and was told by someone that a girl fell off the boat and her father jumped in to save her.
“When they did officially get the people, everyone cheered,” Tackett said. “It was a good moment.”
Brenda Tackett, James’ mother, said she was on the deck with her sister when she heard an announcement saying, “Mr. Mob, Mr. Mob, port side, port side,” before she saw crew members run in that direction with life jackets and float rings.
When she learned that two people had fallen overboard, she texted her two children who were on the cruise to get in touch with her. The ship’s crew handled the incident very well, she said.
“The Disney Cruise Line staff were phenomenal, the crew, everybody was on it,” Brenda Tackett said. “You could tell they’ve practiced this, hopefully have never used it before, but they were great. The whole thing was maybe 10, 15 minutes, and they safely got back on board.”
Merrick said the cruise continued after the rescue.
“Thankfully it turned out positive, and we were able to enjoy the rest of the cruise,” she said
