Disney Wonder cruise ship tragedy as Melbourne man disappears after going overboard on trip to Auckland
Hundreds of passengers caught in a cruise tragedy Melbourne man lost at sea on a Disney cruise to Auckland.
Victoria Police said the 73-year-old man, from the northern Melbourne suburb of Moonee Ponds, jumped overboard at 4.30am on Saturday morning as the Disney Wonder was sailing towards Auckland.
The ship circled the Tasman Sea in an attempt to find the passenger, but the man could not be located.
Passengers initially noticed that the Disney Wonder was returning around 12:00 pm on Saturday.
He returned and circled the waters about five hours ago before the captain announced to the ship that there was unfortunately no sign of him.
“The captain came and updated the boat and basically said there was someone, a passenger had gone overboard… (but) they couldn’t find him,” passenger Mitch Talbot said.
“It was pretty gloomy and the rest of the day was a bit spooky. Most of the staff took some time.”
There are various protocols the cruise industry must follow in the event of an ocean tragedy.
A passenger on the Disney Wonder said the crew manned the deck and scanned the water with thermal imaging cameras to find him.
The cruise ship continues on its way New Zealand and will arrive one day after its scheduled date of November 25.
The ship, with a capacity of 1750 passengers, has 11 decks.
The five-night Disney Wonder cruise from Melbourne to Auckland is one of the last trips operated by the company in 2010. Australia.
Disney Cruise Line announced earlier this year that it would “say a fond farewell to Australia for the 2025/26 season”.
“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 will continue to be a strong consideration for future itineraries,” Disney Cruise Line said in a statement in August.
“The response from our guests to our local seasons has been extremely positive and we look forward to a fantastic season starting October 19, 2025.”
Disney’s final domestic cruise will leave Sydney on January 30 next year, after which the ship will head to Honolulu.
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