Our Disney cruise nightmare: My daughter, 3, woke up screaming in agony before shock diagnosis and grueling five-day ordeal... it didn't have to end like this

Rae spent over a year saving up and counting down the days until her Disney cruise with her husband and two kids. 

It was supposed to be perfect. 

Ten days of sailing the Hawaiian islands before docking in Vancouver, Canada, then flying home to San Diego. 

But the dream quickly turned into the trip from hell when, four days in, her three-year-old daughter woke up screaming in the middle of the night. 

What came next left the family outraged and demanding answers. 

It was 2am on February 20 when the girl, who Daily Mail is not naming, woke up in agony. 

She'd taken a tumble at the kids' club earlier in the day, and told her mother that her face hurt. 

Rae departed on a Disney cruise with her husband and two kids last month, but their dream trip turned into a nightmare

Rae departed on a Disney cruise with her husband and two kids last month, but their dream trip turned into a nightmare

Four days into the trip, the couple's adorable three-year-old daughter, who the Daily Mail is not naming, woke up screaming in agony and asking to see a doctor

Four days into the trip, the couple's adorable three-year-old daughter, who the Daily Mail is not naming, woke up screaming in agony and asking to see a doctor

Rae was stunned. She had seemed 'fine' after the initial fall. 

'She seemed fine. There wasn't a [bruise], no visible injury, scar, nothing,' she said.

Nonetheless, she called for the duty doctor when her daughter woke up. 

That's when everything started to unravel.  

'The doctor who was on call comes in, she seemed a little tired and irritated,' Rae recalled. 

'It's two in the morning so I completely understand [being tired], but I felt like she had an air of dismissal towards my family and daughter... it was extremely unprofessional,' she said. 

She said the doctor looked in her daughter's mouth, checked the glands on her neck, listened to her heart and breathing and did a quick examination of her stomach. 

She did not do any swabs or formal tests, Rae said, but quickly diagnosed the child with mumps. 

'Then she said, "OK I think she has something viral, give her Motrin and Tylenol for the pain and I'm gonna prescribe antibiotics,"' Rae said. 

Perplexed, the family returned to their room to rest. Rae told the Daily Mail the toddler had received the first two doses of her MMR vaccine, and did not show symptoms to suggest she'd been infected. 

Hours later, Rae received a startling call from the medical center. 

'The doctor then tells us that our daughter is suspected of having mumps and that we need to leave the cruise ship and fly home,' Rae said.  

Rae (seen with her daughter at Disneyland) said she was stunned by the on-board doctor's response

Rae (seen with her daughter at Disneyland) said she was stunned by the on-board doctor's response

Rae said that when she asked the doctor how she came up with the diagnosis, she was told that they had done 'contact tracing' but 'couldn't give them further information.'

Rae added that the doctor also said that there was swelling on the side of her daughter's face which gave her 'reason to believe' that the youngster had been exposed to mumps and had caught it. 

The family started to look into flights home to San Diego. 

They quickly found that it would cost them close to $10,000 - an exorbitant expense on top of an already pricey vacation, with tickets costing upwards of $2,000 per person.

They were then told that they could stay on board but would have to be quarantined in their room for the remaining five days of the cruise.

When Rae asked if they could at least get off at the port to get her daughter tested for mumps, she claimed that she was told they would not be allowed back on.

'It was extremely disappointing for everyone in my family,' she said. 'I felt like she was unfairly diagnosed. 

'My daughter deserved to go to the doctor and be assessed [correctly] and she wasn't. 

'Instead of treating her like a human being and assessing her and talking to her about what had happened at the kids club or her symptoms, they called us and told us, "Leave the ship, your daughter's sick."'

The family ultimately decided to stay on board, quarantined to their room. 

When they were finally able to disembark, she immediately sought testing for mumps. 

The test came back negative. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control, a negative mumps test 'does not rule out mumps' because a series of factors can affect the results. The organization says that testing should take place within three days of symptoms onset for the most accurate results.

But Rae insists: 'My daughter was not sick. She was healthy. I have pictures and videos of her dancing around, laughing and playing the night of her suspected diagnosis. 

The doctor prescribed antibiotics, without performing any kind of swab test

The doctor prescribed antibiotics, without performing any kind of swab test 

The family was forced to quarantine for five days, despite not receiving confirmation that their daughter was infected with any kind of virus

The family was forced to quarantine for five days, despite not receiving confirmation that their daughter was infected with any kind of virus 

Rae with her two young children inside their state room. The rooms can cost up to $20,000 for a ten-day trip

Rae with her two young children inside their state room. The rooms can cost up to $20,000 for a ten-day trip

'Somebody who's sick would not be doing anything she was doing. She wasn't showing any signs of [being sick],' she said. 

The family is also furious about being told the child did not fall at the kids' club, as claimed. 

The head of security on the boat told them that they reviewed the footage from the kids club that day and concluded that 'there was no fall' and suggested they 'reach out to headquarters if they wanted to follow up.' 

'That's what I'm in the process of doing now,' Rae shared. 'My daughter has no reason to lie. 

'She told crew members that she fell. She told the doctor that she fell. She told us, her parents, that she fell. 

'We have no reason to believe she's not telling the truth. How severe the fall was, how it happened, I don't know. But I do believe she fell and that [caused the pain in her face].'

While reflecting on the ordeal, the mother-of-two said she doesn't blame Disney as a company since the medical staff on board are independent contractors hired by the ships (seen with her daughter before the ordeal)

While reflecting on the ordeal, the mother-of-two said she doesn't blame Disney as a company since the medical staff on board are independent contractors hired by the ships (seen with her daughter before the ordeal)

Rae said she doesn't blame Disney as a company but strongly believes 'there should be a different protocol in place' when it comes to handling unconfirmed diagnoses (stock image)

Rae said she doesn't blame Disney as a company but strongly believes 'there should be a different protocol in place' when it comes to handling unconfirmed diagnoses (stock image)

The Daily Mail reached out to Disney Cruise Line for comment but did not hear back.

While reflecting on the ordeal, the mother-of-two said she doesn't blame Disney as a company since the medical staff on board are independent contractors hired by the ships.

Disney's website states that the medical personnel on their ships 'are employed by an outside independent company' adding that they 'specialize in family and internal medicine as well as emergency care.'

But Rae strongly believes 'there should be a different protocol in place' when it comes to handling unconfirmed diagnoses. 

'I really do love Disney. I don't believe this is a reflection on Disney as a company,' she concluded. 

'I think this was completely related to the way the doctors on the Disney Cruise Line are taught to handle the protocol for infectious diseases. 

'That should be looked at more. I think there should be a different protocol in place.'