United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Disney crew member charged with molesting teenage passenger
A Disney Cruise Line crew member has been arrested and charged with molesting a 13-year-old female passenger.
The alleged incident took place on the Disney Dream and an arrest was made on Thursday when the ship docked in Port Canaveral in Florida.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office named the accused as Ahmed Sofyan, aged 36, from Jakarta, Indonesia.
Disney confirmed Sofyan has been dismissed.
Police say he has been charged with two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation and false imprisonment of a 13-year-old girl.
Sofyan will make his first court appearance later today to answer the charges.
A statement from Disney said: "We have no tolerance whatsoever for the behaviour alleged in this incident, and we are sorry that anything of this nature could have occurred on one of our ships."
Disney said it immediately notified the Port Canaveral Police Department, the FBI and the Coast Guard and it will continue to offer assistance in the police investigation.
In February, another cruise ship worker was arrested and charged with sexual assault and attempted murder of a female passenger after an incident on the Holland America ship MS Nieuw Amsterdam.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel