Disney Wonder cruise delay leaves Auckland family frustrated over lost time

Cruisegoers on the Disney Wonder are disappointed by delays that mean the ship will depart in the early hours of the morning. Photo / Daniel Knighton, Getty Images

A Kiwi family cruising on the Disney Wonder later this week were disappointed to discover they will be losing half a day of their trip to delays.

Auckland woman Jan was booked to sail on Thursday at 6pm before she received an email from the cruise company delaying the vessel’s departure out of port.

The ship will now set off at 2am the next day and return to Auckland at the same time three days later.

Travelling with her husband, two children and three grandchildren, the trip was meant to be a magical affair for the whole family.

“It’s just incredibly disappointing because one of the things that is listed in the things to do for the kids that’s really exciting is that they have this wave-off party or something when the boat leaves the dock.”

Disney characters Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Donald are listed as attendees at the Sail-A-Wave party on the company’s website.

It is unclear whether the experience will go ahead at the newly scheduled departure time.

“Well, no one’s going to see that at two in the morning. I doubt that there’ll even be any adults up,” Jan said.

In an email back to the family, the cruise line apologised for the inconvenience caused but defended the change in scheduling.

“The adjusted departure time is necessary to support essential crew operations and ensure the highest level of safety and service throughout your voyage.

“While the ship will remain in port overnight, we want to assure you that all onboard entertainment, dining, and activities will proceed as planned, so you can begin enjoying your vacation right away.”

Having spent about $18,000 for the family holiday, Jan said they are gutted to be losing nearly half a day at sea with little explanation.

“We’re just a bit concerned that a lot of the stuff that we were going to do that the kids were so excited about, we’re not going to see now, and no one’s giving us any real information and saying, well, you know, we’re sorry about this, maybe we can do this instead.

“It’s just incredibly disappointing and to get an email just to say, well, look, we’re concerned about the safety of the passengers, and you can get on and do what you’ve paid for anyway, but we’re just going to be sitting on a dock in Auckland.”

Disney Cruise Line has been approached for comment by the Herald.

Last month, a Disney Wonder voyage headed for Auckland was delayed by five hours after an Australian passenger went overboard.

The ship turned around to search for the 73-year-old but was unable to locate him after circling the Tasman Sea to scan the waters with thermal imaging cameras.