An illness aboard the Disney Dream has developed into a police investigation after a crew member accused one of her co-workers of poisoning her.
The unusual incident happened during a Disney Cruise Line voyage through Europe. The employee became sick while aboard the ship and later required hospital treatment when the Disney Dream reached Vigo, Spain.
After leaving the hospital, she went to police with a much more serious allegation.
She claimed her water bottle had been tampered with and identified another crew member as a suspect.
Spanish authorities subsequently boarded the Disney Dream and collected potential evidence as they began investigating what happened.
Medical Situation Develops Aboard Disney Dream
The Disney Dream was sailing on a seven-night Western Europe itinerary when the situation unfolded.
The cruise left Barcelona on July 20 for a one-way voyage to Southampton. The sailing was scheduled to conclude on July 27.
On July 24, the ship stopped in Vigo.
Around that time, an Argentinian crew member became ill and received medical treatment aboard the Disney Dream. She was later taken to Fátima Hospital in Vigo for further care.
The situation could have remained a medical incident, but the crew member raised concerns about what she believed caused her illness.
She reportedly told medical personnel that someone had tampered with her water bottle.
After she received treatment and was discharged from the hospital, she decided to take the allegation to police.
Spanish Authorities Get Involved
The employee filed a complaint with Spain's National Police alleging that she had been poisoned.
She didn't simply report an unknown person, either. According to the original report, the employee identified another crew member as the person she suspected.
That allegation prompted an investigation.
Spain's Civil Guard boarded the Disney Dream and took the water bottle for examination.
Sources familiar with the situation reportedly raised chlorine as a possible substance involved in the incident. Still, that remains unconfirmed.
Authorities have not publicly announced laboratory results establishing what was inside the bottle. They also haven't confirmed that the employee's illness resulted from intentional poisoning.
Those are important details as the investigation moves forward.
No Reported Interruption to Disney Dream Sailing
While an investigation involving police boarding a Disney Cruise Line ship could sound like something that might disrupt an entire voyage, that apparently didn't happen here.
The Disney Dream continued sailing as scheduled.
There is also no indication that the situation involved any passengers or created a wider threat aboard the ship.
Instead, the available information points to an allegation involving two employees.
Many details surrounding the case remain unclear. There has been no reported arrest, and authorities have not announced charges against the employee identified by the woman.
Investigators have also not publicly revealed a possible motive or explained why she suspected that particular co-worker.
For now, the water bottle could be one of the most important pieces of evidence in determining what happened. Testing could potentially establish whether it contained chlorine or another unexpected substance.
Until investigators provide those answers, the situation remains an allegation under investigation rather than a confirmed case of intentional poisoning.
