A man from Melbourne has gone missing at sea after going overboard on a Disney cruise headed to Auckland.

The 73-year-old man, from Moonee Ponds, is understood to have jumped over the side of the boat about 4.30am on Saturday.

The ship, the Disney Wonder, was headed to Auckland, New Zealand, from Melbourne, but turned around in the Tasman Sea to search for the man.

He was unable to be located.

The roughly 600 passengers aboard first noticed the cruise had turned around about midday on Saturday.

It’s understood the crew spent roughly five hours searching the water, including with thermal imaging cameras, for the Melbourne man before announcing he could not be found. 

‘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.

‘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 will continue to New Zealand and is expected to arrive a day later than expected on Wednesday, November 26.

The initial itinerary was a five-day trip to Auckland, one of the last cruises offered in Australia by Disney.

The large vessel has capacity for 1,750 passengers across 11 decks.

Disney Cruise Line earlier this year announced it would not operate voyages from Australia in the 2026-27 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 remain a strong consideration for future itineraries,’ it said in August.

‘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 final local Disney cruise will depart Sydney on January 30, 2026.

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