Cruise Line Says Staff Dressed Up as ‘Snow Cones’ During Holiday Event After Passengers Likened Outfits to Ku Klux Klan

Mar. 15, 2025

A generic image of a cruise ship.Photo:Getty

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An Australian cruise line is clarifying its position after passengers suggested crew members had worn costumes resembling the racist group Ku Klux Klan.

Videos and photos surfaced online of eight cruise workers wearing all-white jumpsuits with matching white cone-shaped hoods over their faces as they walked in a line on the deck of the ship, according toThe Sydney Morning Herald.

The staffers had been taking part in a Christmas-themed event during a week-long holiday cruise on the Pacific Explorer, which set sail from Melbourne, Australia to Tasmania and Kangaroo Island on Dec. 19, the outlet reported.

One passenger recalled the incident toDaily Mail Australia. “There was a lot excitement [for the competition] then it all went quiet [when they walked out]," she said. “The lack of judgment was astounding.” She added that one passenger dubbed it the “KKK cruise.”

However, a P&O Cruises Australia spokesperson denied any bad intentions in an interview on Sydney radio station 2GB, according toMorning Herald.

“They were taking part in a Christmas family fun day on the ship as part of our Christmas crew,” the spokesperson, Lynne Scrivens, said. “It was a tug-of-war event where the crew dress up, and our housekeeping crew decided to dress up as snow cones.”

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“Our crew are from different cultures all over the world. They’re young, and they had just never heard of that organization or what their outfits could symbolize,” Scrivens said on 2GB.

“They live and work on a cruise ship. They’re not going to [Australian craft suppliers] Spotlight to buy a bunch of materials for fancy dress. They’ve got to make do with what they’ve got,” she said. “And they were wearing their cleaning uniforms, and they’ve put something on their head that looks like a snow cone — [an] upside-down snow cone, at that.”

P&O Cruises Australia did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the incident.

But the company echoed Scrivens’ sentiments in a statement to theMorning Heraldand theAFP, saying that the staffers were “only in public view for a short time before management … had them remove the costumes.” The company also noted that it was not the “intention” of the crew to cause passengers “distress.”

“We sincerely apologize for any offense this caused passengers and the broader community,” the company said. “Staff have been counseled around this incident and we will ensure this does not happen again.”

source: people.com