A 73-year-old passenger is missing at sea after falling overboard from the Disney Wonder cruise. The Melbourne man is understood to have fallen from the ship about 4.30am on Saturday while on its journey to New Zealand.
In an effort to find the pensioner, the huge cruiseliner made a U-turn in the Tasman Sea and began a search lasting around five hours for the fallen passenger. The teams used thermal imaging cameras to scan the choppy water, but eventually called the rescue mission off after being unable to locate him.
Speaking to 7News, Mitch Talbot, a passenger on the Disney cruise, said: “The captain came on and updated the boat and basically stated that there was someone, a passenger had fallen overboard … (but) that they were unable to find them.”
“It was quite sombre and it was just a bit eerie for the rest of the day. A lot of the staff kind of took some time.”
Passengers started to notice something was wrong on the Disney Wonder at around midday when they were far off schedule.
The ship that carries up to 1,750 passengers eventually arrived in New Zealand on Wednesday, a day later than scheduled.
This trip from Melbourne to Auckland is one of the last Disney Cruise Line will run in the region after it announced it will scrap its journeys in the region for the 2026 season.
The company said in August: “While Disney Wonder will not return to Australia and New Zealand for the 2026-27 season, we want to reassure you that sailings from this region remain a strong consideration for future itineraries.
“The response from guests during our local seasons has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are looking forward to a fantastic upcoming season starting on 19 October 2025.”
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