The Disney Wonder has been forced to cancel a scheduled a call to the picturesque New South Wales town of Eden due to hull cleaning.
The guests on board were told it was due to unscheduled hull cleaning, and it is being speculated that scrubbing was necessary because the ship will visit New Zealand in a few weeks.
But cruise lines are hopeful the season will be smoother than in previous years, thanks to more consultation.
Over the past two cruise seasons, New Zealand has been enforcing strict biofouling laws, which involve a thorough inspection of the hull of cruise ships. Entry is only granted if certain environmental and cleanliness standards are met. This has resulted in several ships being turned away from New Zealand.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) of the New Zealand government has previously communicated to Cruise Passenger that it is in regular contact with cruise lines before they visit, to attempt to prevent the possibility of problems on arrival.
The MPI told Cruise Passenger that there was no direction from the department to the cruise line, but that Disney Wonder’s entrance to New Zealand is pending documentation that supports evidence of a clean hull.
Paul Hallett, Biosecurity New Zealand’s manager of implementation and approvals said: “There has been no direction from Biosecurity New Zealand and the vessel has seasonal approval to visit New Zealand, subject to providing documentation to support evidence of a clean hull. This vessel was extremely compliant last year, and we do not anticipate any issues when arrival documentation is submitted in the coming weeks.
“In terms of this season, Biosecurity New Zealand has worked closely with all cruise lines that come to New Zealand, to help them understand our biofouling rules and to enable them to be compliant. There is high awareness about New Zealand’s biofouling rules and a keenness to comply.”
Cruise passengers have reported that they were told this was the reason as they boarded, but this is yet to be confirmed with Disney.
Ben Lesczynski said: “Passengers found out when they arrived. But the ship needed a hull clean before she arrived in New Zealand. And her transpacific and recent Brisbane cruise was planned to be the best time. This voyage now may need more time to finish the job as the ship is expected to arrive in Melbourne late also.”
Disney wrote in a letter to guests: “Due to some unscheduled maintenance on the hull, it is necessary to replace your visit to Eden with a day at sea.”
Furthermore, the hull cleaning will lead to some further delays in reaching the port of Melbourne.
“In addition, we anticipate our arrival in Melbourne on Friday may be delayed with debarkation beginning at 12:00, noon.
“We will provide an announcement 24 hours before we arrive in Melbourne to confirm the final arrival time.”
However, guests will receive compensation for the interruptions, receiving $250 onboard credit each and a 20% future cruise discount that is valid for the next 24 months.
The port of Eden calculates that each visiting cruise passenger contributes $280 to the economy. Therefore, with Disney Wonder’s 2400-capacity, the town will miss out on up to a $672,000 injection into the economy.
Instead, the cruise will now be only sea days.
Due to the later disembarkation, some cruise passengers won’t make it in time for their flights afterward and have already put in travel insurance claims. However, passengers have written in online forums that they’ve had no problem getting their insurance to cover these changes.
Passengers set to arrive on Friday have not yet been told if they will need to embark later than originally planned.
Disney Wonder is scheduled to visit Eden on November 5.
Could ships be turned away from New Zealand this season?
Last season just one ship was denied entry to New Zealand and a further three had to sail on restricted itineraries. There is little compromise on the regulations, but cruise lines also know have had two seasons to adapt to the new rules, and plan their ship maintenance accordingly.
The MPI remains confident that the season ahead should be a successful one.
Before the start of this cruise season, they said: “The summer cruise season runs from October to April, and we expect to see 48 cruise vessels make journeys to New Zealand.
“If a vessel does not maintain its hull cleanliness, this can lead to cleaning costs to remove risk and harmful biofouling.
“Biosecurity New Zealand has started liaising with cruise lines leading up to the 2024/25 season.
“We continue to encourage industry to focus on providing early pre-arrival information, reporting, and continual hull maintenance instead of cleaning or inspection at the last port before arriving in New Zealand.
“We work closely with all cruise lines that come to New Zealand, to help them understand our biofouling rules and to enable them to be compliant.”
