Passengers aboard the Regal Princess cruise ship heading to St. Thomas yesterday got a bit of excitement as they became part of a rescue operation after a small plane went down in the sea.

Just after noon, they were alerted via a verbal page of a "man overboard" incident. The ship confirmed coordinates with the San Juan Coast Guard and it was determined they were only 40 minutes away and the closest ship to the scene.

The cruise ship changed course to reach the site of the airplane crash. The vessel’s crew deployed a rescue boat and retrieved a life raft and two people from the plane.

Passenger Tim Taylor sent TravelPulse Canada video showing the rescue of two occupants who were then brought to the ship's infirmary in good condition.

"The Captain was excellent in communicating with passengers, giving us precise info, keeping us calm and letting us know what to expect," said Taylor. "It was very calm ... if you didn't know it was real, you would've assumed it was a well practiced drill."

The ship is resuming course to St.Thomas for Wednesday morning arrival.