Disney no longer Wondering in Australia

IN A blow to the Australian cruise industry Disney Corporation will withdraw Disney Wonder from the local market after the 2025-26 season. 

In a move that appears to enable focus on the deployment of the new, 6,000-pax, 208,000 GT Disney Adventure year-round from Singapore from December this year, Disney Wonder will be located to an as-yet undisclosed region. 

It is due to spend the 2026 northern summer in Alaska but won’t return to ANZ after what will have been three reportedly successful seasons. 

“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,” Disney Cruise Line said. 

“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.” 

For its farewell season the 1,750-pax Disney Wonder will offer short cruises from Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland and includes three- to five-night itineraries to Eden, Hobart, Wellington and Christchurch. 

In December, there’s also a special ten-night cruise that sails from Sydney to Auckland and features visits to Fjordland National Park, Napier, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch. 

The final local cruise will be a cruise-to-nowhere from Sydney departing 30 January 2026, after which the ship will sail to Honolulu enroute to Vancouver.

Meanwhile, taking over the company’s operations in the Asia-Pacific region, Disney Adventure will offer short cruises to nowhere in South East Asia, with first departure from Singapore’s Marina Bay Cruise Terminal on 15 December 2025. 

Disney Adventure was acquired from liquidators in a partially-completed state after the 2022 collapse of the Genting Group, for whom it had been ordered as Global Dream. It is being completed at Germany’s MV Werften yard in Wismar – which was also part of the failed Genting - to Disney specifications under the supervision of regular Disney builder Meyer Werft.