A 73-year-old man from Australia is presumed dead after going overboard from the Disney Wonder in the early morning hours of November 22, 2025. The incident prompted a multi-hour search in the Tasman Sea before the Disney cruise ship resumed its sailing to New Zealand.
The overboard incident was first reported by 7 News Australia and later confirmed by People. According to reports, the man went overboard from Disney Wonder around 4:30 in the morning as it was sailing across the Tasman Sea. The Disney Cruise Line ship was sailing on a 5-night itinerary from Melbourne, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand when the 73-year-old went overboard.
Authorities told 7 News Australia that the man is believed to have jumped intentionally, though his full identity has not been released publicly. The cruise ship turned around and immediately started an emergency search response.
“It is understood the man died after he jumped from a cruise liner into the waters in the Tasman Sea,” a police spokeswoman said, as cited by People and 7 News Australia.
7 News Australia has identified the 73-year-old man as a resident of Moonee Ponds, which is a suburb in northern Melbourne.
Passenger Mitch Talbot, who spoke with 7 News Australia, described the moment guests onboard were informed about the overboard incident. Talbot 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.”
7 News Australia states that passengers first noticed the Disney Wonder had reversed its course around 12pm on Saturday. Data from CruiseMapper shows the Disney Wonder turning around in a remote stretch of the Tasman Sea, far from both the Australian coastline and New Zealand.
CruiseMapper's AIS data shows the Disney Wonder began its turnaround in a remote stretch of the Tasman Sea, roughly one-thirds of the way to New Zealand. The ship altered course far from any coastline in the open ocean.
The Tasman Sea can be quite harsh with choppy seas and steady winds this time of year. Moreover, the Tasman Sea is notorious for having rocky seas, and is often cited as having some of the roughest sea conditions.
The turnaround point sits roughly one-thirds of the way between Melbourne and Auckland, with AIS data showing the course change occurring around 11:11 A.M local time.
The crew aboard Disney Wonder initiated a rescue operation and turned the vessel around. One passenger on the Disney Wonder reported to 7 News Australia that crew members were seen scanning the water with thermal imaging cameras with hopes of finding the 73-year-old alive.
According to both People and 7 News Australia, the search lasted approximately five hours, but it was not successful. The 73-year-old man was not located and authorities confirmed that the investigation is not being treated as suspicious. A coroner’s report is now being prepared, as reported by People.
Following the news, guests onboard the Disney Wonder described the onboard atmosphere as noticeably heavy. “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,” shared Talbot.
Disney Wonder has continued sailing its 5-night itinerary, which will now arrive in Auckland, New Zealand, one day later than expected.
Originally, the Disney cruise ship was scheduled to arrive on November 25, 2025 in Auckland, New Zealand. Because of the overboard rescue operation, the ship is now behind schedule and will arrive on November 26, 2025. The vessel departed from Melbourne, Australia on November 20, 2025 for the 5-night sailing to New Zealand.
Overboard incidents are rare, and usually not successful
Although overboard incidents often draw significant media attention, they remain exceptionally rare. According to a Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) report examining a 10-year period, there were 212 reported overboard cases involving both passengers and crew across the entire global cruise industry from 2009 to 2019.
Most individuals are never recovered when going overboard, especially in the open ocean. It’s even more difficult to locate an overboard passenger in the darkness. Based on the CLIA report, less than 30% of these overboard passengers were rescued, making it exceedingly rare to survive a fall from a cruise ship.
While it seems as though overboard incidents are happening more often, CLIA reports that overboard cases declined more than 50% during the 10-year period.
Most overboard cases are caused by intentional actions from the passenger, although not every case can be definitely explained. The majority of overboard cases involve passengers while only one-third involved crew members, according to CLIA.
Disney Cruise Line had another overboard incident this summer involving a father and daughter
In June 2025, a 5-year-old girl fell 49 feet into the ocean from Deck 4 on Disney Dream. At the time of the overboard incident, the ship was returning to Fort Lauderdale at the end of a four-night Bahamas sailing.
According to reports, the 5-year-old girl had been posing for a photo near an open porthole. The child's mother allegedly encouraged her daughter to pose for the photo when she lost her balance and slipped through the opening.
Her father, who had been walking ahead of the family and didn’t witness the fall, turned around only after hearing his wife scream. He heroically jumped into the ocean 45 seconds after his daughter went overboard.
From his hospital bed, the father later told investigators that he initially lost sight of his daughter in the waves and described how the ocean’s movement made her difficult to spot. He called out to her repeatedly and instructed her to “keep yelling so he could find her” as he searched. After an undetermined amount of time, he located the child and kept both of them afloat until the ship’s rescue team arrived.
The Disney Dream launched an immediate emergency response by deploying flotation devices from above and sending a rescue boat into the water.
Both the father and daughter were ultimately recovered alive in the miraculous rescue. Medical records show the girl suffered mild hypothermia and lactic acidosis. In addition, the father was treated for hypothermia, lactic acidosis, and a spinal fracture, later confirmed by a local hospital.
The Broward County State Attorney’s Office later declined to pursue criminal negligence charges, citing insufficient grounds. Disney Cruise Line issued a statement praising its crew for their “exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes.”
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising, and adventure. She's sailed on 50+ cruises and visited more than 60 countries. Hubers even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
She has contributed her travel and cruise expertise to numerous publications, including Business Insider, US News & World Report, and Travel Lemming. Hubers earned her MBA in Data Analytics and works as a senior strategy analyst.
