Monday, 24 November 2025

Passenger on NZ-bound cruise ship presumed dead after going overboard

    1. Canterbury
    2. National

    Disney cruises will stop travelling to Australia and New Zealand at the end of the current cruise...
    Disney cruises will stop travelling to Australia and New Zealand at the end of the current cruise season. Photo: Port Taranaki / supplied
    A Disney cruise on its way to New Zealand has been delayed after a man went overboard.

    The 73-year-old Melbourne man is presumed dead after going overboard from the Disney Wonder cruise ship at around 4:30am on Saturday.

    Victoria Police said the man's body had yet to be recovered and they were preparing a report for the coroner.

    The cruise ship, which was heading to Auckland, initially turned around and circled the waters for about five hours as they tried to find the man, 7 News reported.

    "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," passenger Mitch Talbot told 7News.

    A spokesperson for the Port of Auckland told RNZ the Disney Wonder ship was due to arrive in Auckland early tomorrow morning but would be delayed until about noon.

    It comes after Disney Cruise Line confirmed it would stop travelling to Australia and New Zealand at the end of the current cruise season.

    RNZ

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