Key Aspects:
- Hours after departing from Port Canaveral, Disney Wish returned to its homeport to disembark a guest in crisis.
- Another guest, who experienced cardiac symptoms, had to be rescued by the US Coast Guard the following day.
- The Disney ship was forced to skip its visit to Nassau on July 28, but is still expected to make its call to Castaway Cay on July 29.
Medical emergencies sometimes occur when cruise guests least expect them, even while sailing onboard the most magical ships at sea.
Cruise Hive has learned that Disney Wish has experienced two medical emergencies in two days, the second of which required an urgent rescue from the US Coast Guard.
The Wish-class flagship embarked on a 4-night sailing in Port Canaveral, Florida, on July 27, 2026.
That evening, everything appeared to be smooth sailing as the 144,000-gross ton ship began to make its way to Nassau, Bahamas. This was the scheduled port call for July 28, 2026.
But according to current passengers, the first medical emergency occurred during the early dinner seating. The Disney ship was forced to return to Port Canaveral just hours after departing as a result.
“On this boat right now. They did a few Bright Star calls on the PA during first seating dinner. They then announced we’d be heading back to port due to an emergency and would not have enough time to stop at Nassau, so our trip is now two sea days + Castaway Cay,” one current guest said on Reddit.
For context, “Bright Star” (or “Operation Bright Star”) is the code name used to alert the onboard medical staff to a severe or life-threatening emergency without alarming other passengers.
“When we got back to port the individual was transferred into an ambulance. We’re now hanging out right off the shore of FL,” the guest continued.
Because of the diversion, the cruise line decided to skip the visit to Nassau and head straight to its second and final port call, Castaway Cay. The cruise ship is expected to arrive at Disney’s original private island on July 29.
A Coast Guard Rescue on Disney Wish
In a stroke of bad luck, another guest experienced a medical emergency on July 28, just one day after embarkation and less than 24 hours after the first evacuation.
“As an update, there’s been a 2nd injury/emergency. Instead of returning to port again, a boat is going to come evac them,” the cruise guest wrote in a Reddit update.
In this case, a 53-year-old male passenger was exhibiting cardiac symptoms. The onboard medical team decided that the passenger needed to be urgently evacuated and sent to a hospital.
This time, the US Coast Guard met Disney Wish at sea so that the DCL ship didn’t need to make a second unplanned stop in Florida.
“A Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet boat crew medically evacuated a 53-year-old man suffering cardiac symptoms aboard a cruise ship approximately 3 miles off Lake Worth Inlet on Tuesday. The boat crew transferred the man to EMS for further care,” US Coast Guard Southeast posted on Facebook.
The rescue occurred while the 4,000-guest ship was approximately 3 miles away from the Lake Worth Inlet, which is an artificial cut in Palm Beach County, Florida, that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Lake Worth Lagoon.
At this time, there have been no reported changes to the upcoming visit to Castaway Cay as a result of the second rescue.
However, Disney Cruise Line has not commented publicly on this situation. Cruise Hive will issue an update if additional information comes to light.
