Conflicting Accounts Surround 5-Year-Old’s Fall from Disney Cruise Ship: Investigation Underway into How Child Ended Up in Atlantic Waters

Mystery shrouds the circumstances under which a 5-year-old girl fell from Disney’s cruise ship into the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday (June 29, 2025), before her father dove in to rescue her in front of horrified passengers. The incident occurred as the $900 million cruise liner, Disney Dream, was sailing from the Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale. The child reportedly fell from the 4th deck of the ship, prompting a dramatic rescue effort that lasted nearly 20 minutes before crew members could intervene. Hundreds of passengers witnessed the harrowing ordeal unfold. However, no eyewitness has officially spoken about exactly what happened, leaving room for conflicting testimonies and rampant speculation regarding the fall. On social media, one widely circulated version claims the father lifted his daughter onto a 1.08-meter-high railing to take a photo, and she fell backward into the water. Passenger Gar Frantz, who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, said he heard this story from others who witnessed the rescue. ‘They said the father picked up the child and put her on the rail, and she fell off. Then he jumped too,’ Frantz told reporters. ‘You could hear people shouting “the child is in the water, the child is in the water,” and then “the father jumped too.”’ However, other passengers offer an entirely different account. Monica Shannon, who was aboard the ship with her husband and young child, said a crew member told her the parents were playing shuffleboard while their daughter climbed the rails. ‘As she tried to climb back up, she slipped over the railings,’ the crew member reportedly told her. According to Shannon, the area is known for strong winds, and a sudden gust might have contributed to the accident. She herself was in her cabin directly below the area and saw something pass quickly by her window. ‘I didn’t think much of it — certainly not someone falling,’ she said. Minutes later, her husband revealed what had happened, and she rushed to the deck immediately. Another anonymous passenger, who claimed to be near the family when the child fell, categorically denied the photo theory. ‘I was there. It didn’t happen like that. I heard the screams and ran to help. The girl wasn’t sitting on the rail,’ he wrote on Facebook. ‘We were among the first to arrive when we heard the splash and the yelling.’ Many passengers described the girl’s mother as being in a state of complete hysteria. ‘The mother was screaming, “She’s five years old and can’t swim!”’ said passenger Shannon Lindholm. Monica Shannon added that crew members removed the mother from the edge of the deck and tried to calm her down, as she remained in shock throughout the rescue. The incident remains under investigation, and Disney has not yet issued an official statement detailing the exact timeline of events. Fortunately, both the little girl and her father were rescued and are now out of danger.