Guests aboard Disney Wish experienced a scare Tuesday evening when the ship’s man overboard alarm was triggered approximately an hour after departing Nassau, Bahamas.
The incident, which occurred around 8 p.m. ship time on August 26, prompted immediate search and rescue efforts before being confirmed as a false alarm.
According to multiple eyewitness accounts and cruise news outlets, the ship reversed course and slowed down shortly after the alarm sounded.
Crew members were seen throwing life rings over the port side and deploying at least two rescue boats as part of the search effort. Overhead spotlights were also used to scan the surrounding water.
Enroute to Castaway Cay
The cruise ship, en route to Disney’s private island Castaway Cay, was roughly 15 miles north of Nassau when the operation began. Passengers were called to muster stations around 9:45 p.m. Eastern time for a full headcount and to identify any potential witnesses.
By late Tuesday evening, guests onboard reported that all passengers and crew had been accounted for, and no one was missing. The incident likely stemmed from an object mistaken for a person in the water.
This marks the fifth man overboard alarm in the cruise industry so far in 2025.
Earlier this year, a father made headlines after jumping off a Disney Cruise Line ship to rescue his daughter.
Cruise ships are equipped with complex man overboard detection systems, but false positives do occur.
At the time of publication, Disney has not released a statement.
