P&O Cruises Australia passengers left reeling as Pacific Explorer holiday voyage turns into ‘KKK cruise’

EXCLUSIVE 

P&O Cruise passengers were horrified when ship crew appeared to dress up as white supremacist Klu Klux Klan members during a Christmas-themed event.

According to the cruise liner, the ugly incident on the Pacific Explorer during a Christmas voyage was a staff fun day gone wrong. 

Video and photos show crew members dressed in what one female passenger described as ‘offensive KKK costumes’.

The crew were believed to be part of the ship’s housekeeping staff with one member pictured proudly holding a housekeeping sign.

Dressed in white cloaks and white pointed masked hats, the crew members were competing in a Christmas-themed fun ‘sports battle day’ which was ‘advertised throughout the ship in the lead-up to the event’. 

Passenger Terri, who did not wish to reveal her surname, told Daily Mail Australia there was a lot of ‘excitement’ about the event.

But everything went ‘quiet’ when the housekeeping team arrived on the outdoor area of the ship known as the Lido deck. 

Terri, who was on the eight-day trip with her husband, said he urged her to ‘get the camera’ to take photos, which she sent to P&O seeking a ‘please explain’. 

‘I (requested) a please explain and have received no response,’ Terri said.

‘In my personal opinion this is not tolerated in this current environment and education is desperately needed.’

The incident occurred as the ship made its way back to Melbourne at the tail-end of an eight-day voyage to Hobart and other islands.  

Terri has since shown the video to others and shared it on a Facebook group. 

‘People are calling it the “KKK Cruise”,’ she said. 

‘There was a lot excitement then it all went quiet… the lack of judgement was astounding.

‘Everyone was there, everyone gathered, it was advertised, there was a lot of noise and it went dead quiet, just silent.

‘I think everyone was in shock, my husband said “get the camera”…

‘A lady sitting in front of me, her jaw dropped she was like “what the hell”, everyone was like OMG they were calling it the “KKK cruise”. 

A man dressed as Santa Claus is seen walking beside other staff members dressed as ‘upside-down snow cones’ according to a P&O spokesperson

‘They’d gone the whole way through this ship dressed as the KKK and paraded through the Lido deck in front of basically every passenger but it was only then when senior crew saw them and they took their hats off.

‘I spoke … to one of the (housekeeping) staff – they were all male – and he told me “we didn’t think we didn’t anything wrong”. 

‘They didn’t say they weren’t dressed as the Klu Klux Klan when I asked them but I truly believe it was an innocent mistake.

‘To think it was done in malice would be horrifying but I don’t think it was, the staff all seemed lovely.’

Terri said she waited for senior ship crew to offer an apology or explanation but none was given. 

Klu Klux Klan is a racist organisation first established in the 19th century by American Protestant zealots which was infamous for its white-hooded lynchmobs.

Gangs of Klan members notoriously hunted down black people to hang them from trees, and left burning crosses in the front yards of the homes of black families.

A P&O Cruises Australia spokesperson claimed the crew were dressed as ‘upside-down snow cones’ and not as the Klu Klux Klan.  

‘We regret if a recent incident on a Pacific Explorer cruise offended any guests,’ the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘Several crew members dressed up as snow cones for a Christmas family event, not understanding how their costumes could be misconstrued. 

‘They were only in public view for a short time before management acted quickly and had them remove the costumes.

‘The crew members were horrified and extremely apologetic when they learned of the distress their outfits could cause.’