EXCLUSIVE
P&O Cruise passengers were shocked when the ship's crew appeared to dress up as members of the white supremacist Klu Klux Klan at a Christmas-themed event.
According to the cruise ship, the ugly incident on the Pacific Explorer during a Christmas trip was a staff day missed.
Video and photos show crew members dressed in what one female passenger described as “offensive KKK costumes.”
The crew was believed to have been part of the ship's domestic staff, with one member proudly holding a housekeeping sign.
Dressed in white cloaks and white pointed hats with masks, the crew took part in a fun Christmas-themed 'sports battle day', which was 'advertised throughout the ship in the run-up to the event'.
Passenger Terri, who did not want to reveal her surname, told Daily Mail Australia there was a lot of “excitement” about the event.
But all went 'quiet' when the cleaning team arrived at the ship's outdoor area, 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 pictures, which she sent to P&O asking for an 'explain'.
P&O Cruise passengers were shocked when the ship's crew appeared to dress up as members of the white supremacist Klu Klux Klan at a Christmas-themed event (pictured)
“I asked for an explanation but received no response,” Terri said.
“In my personal opinion, this will not be tolerated in the current environment and education is desperately needed.”
The incident occurred as the ship returned to Melbourne at the 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 call it the 'KKK cruise,'” she said.
'There was a lot of excitement and then it all went quiet… the lack of judgment was astonishing.
'Everyone was there, everyone gathered, it was advertised, there was a lot of noise and it became dead quiet, just quiet.
'I think everyone was in shock, my husband said “get the camera”…
'A lady sitting in front of me, her jaw dropped and she said “what the heck”, everyone said OMG, they called it the “KKK cruise”.
According to an HR spokesperson, a man dressed as Santa Claus is seen alongside other staff dressed as 'upside-down snow cones'
The Pacific Explorer is a popular experience for families and other vacationers (pictured)
“They had gone all the way through this ship dressed as the KKK and paraded through the Lido deck in front of virtually every passenger, but it wasn't until the senior crew saw them and took their hats off.
'I spoke … to one of the (domestic) workers – they were all men – and he told me “we didn't think we had done anything wrong”.
“They didn't say they weren't dressed as the Klu Klux Klan when I asked them, but I honestly believe it was an innocent mistake.
'It would be horrifying to think it was done out of malice, but I don't think it was. The staff all seemed nice.'
Terri said she waited for the senior ship crew to offer an apology or explanation, but none was given.
Klu Klux Klan is a racist organization first founded in the 19th century by American Protestant fanatics and infamous for its white-hooded lynch mobs.
Gangs of Klan members notoriously hunted down black people to hang them from trees, leaving burning crosses in the front yards of black families' homes.
A spokesperson for P&O Cruises Australia claimed the crew were dressed as 'inverted snow cones' and not as the Klu Klux Klan.
“We regret if a recent incident on a Pacific Explorer cruise has offended guests,” the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
'Several crew members dressed up as snow cones for a family event at Christmas, but didn't understand how their costumes could be misinterpreted.
'They were only seen in public for a short time before management acted quickly and had them remove the costumes.
'The crew members were shocked and extremely apologetic when they learned the suffering their outfits could cause.'
