‘All went quiet’: ‘KKK cruise’ stuns P&O passengers into silence

Passengers on a P&O cruise ship bound for Melbourne have been left speechless after staff dressed up as what appeared to be Ku Klux Klan members in a Christmas event gone horribly wrong.

Passengers onboard a recent P&O cruise have been left stunned after a staff dress-up Christmas contest went awry with unknowing members of the crew appearing to come dressed as KKK Klansmen.

The incident is said to have occurred on the Pacific Explorer as it was making its way back to Melbourne after an eight-day voyage to Tasmania and other Bass Strait sites.

Video has emerged that shows a group of around eight housekeeping staff dressed all in white with pointed hoods, led by another staff member in a Santa costume, walking across the deck.

The group was said to be taking part in a “sport battle day” and it appeared they were taking part in a form of opening ceremony for the event when the footage was captured.

A passenger reported that the sight of the procession sent quite a stir through those on board who witnessed it.

Passengers were left stunned by the display. Picture: Supplied

“There was a lot of excitement then it all went quiet,” the passenger said. “The lack of judgment 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’.”

It has been revealed the crew members, which are largely from India and the Philippines, don’t even know who the KKK are and it was all a misunderstanding.

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said the “lovely hardworking” crew involved “truly had no idea” what their outfits represented.

“We regret if a recent incident on a Pacific Explorer cruise offended any guests,” they said.

“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.”