AN ELDERLY passenger is missing at sea after falling overboard from the Disney Wonder cruise during a voyage to New Zealand.
The 73-year-old Melbourne man is understood to have fallen from the ship about 4.30am on Saturday as it travelled towards Auckland.
The vessel turned around in the Tasman Sea but was unable to find him.
Passengers first noticed the change in course around midday.
Crew spent roughly five hours searching the water – including with thermal imaging cameras – before announcing the man could not be located.
Passenger Mitch Talbot told 7News: “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.
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“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.”
The Disney Wonder has since returned its journey and is expected to reach New Zealand a day later than scheduled, arriving on Wednesday.
The five-night Melbourne-Auckland trip is among the final local cruises Disney will operate in Australia.
The ship carries up to 1,750 passengers across 11 decks.
Disney Cruise Line has announced it will not run voyages from Australia in the 2026/27 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.”
The last Disney cruise from Australia is set to depart Sydney on January 30, 2026.
It comes as tragic details continue to emerge relating to the Disney fanatic who plunged to her death at the resort.
Summer Equitz, 31, was found dead at Walt Disney World in OrlandoFlorida, last month.
Her body was discovered on October 14 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort hotel, where she died of multiple blunt force impact injuries.
The New York Post stated that she fell from a balcony on the complex’s 12th floor.
Court documents, seen by the outlet, also revealed what witnesses saw.
One couple told Orange County police that they heard a loud noise before noticing a woman on the ground.
Equitz, from Illinois, had allegedly flown to Florida and gone to Disney World without telling anyone.
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Rumours circulated she had been struck by a monorail, but they were later shut down by cops.
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How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: