There are two quite distinct groups in the so-called KKK fancy dress affair on board P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Explorer.
For those who don’t give total attention to social media groups on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok and who don’t read The Daily Mail Australia, the crew of the Explorer joined in the fun of a themed fancy dress party on a Christmas cruise using cones and white clothes.
They maintained they were dressed as “snow cones”. But someone among the guests had other ideas, and posted that they looked like members of the Ku Klux Klan, the racist group in America. It caused a storm.
Which brings me back to the two tribes involved in this affair.
Those who have cruised and have first hand knowledge of the wonderful people who provide the care and service and what we often referred to as “affordable luxury”.
Cruise Passenger’s followers are in this first group and have made it plain on the site’s social platforms and comments they won’t cop unfair criticism of the crew who clean the cabins, serve the meals and pour the drinks.
The second group is comprised of people who don’t cruise, and have amazing telepathic skills where they can read the minds and motives of seafarers and find anti-cruise stories a momentary diversion. At least until the next clickbait sensation appears.
Needless to say, I’m in the first category.
Being insensitive or rude is not in the DNA of cruise crew members. Quite the opposite. There is no doubt in my mind none of the crew depicted in the video this week had any understanding of the alleged KKK connection. Indeed, as one of two Cruise Passenger readers’ pointed out, many would have been Filippino or people of colour.
Let me tell you who I am most disappointed with. It’s the passengers — small in number no doubt — who couldn’t wait to send their “breaking news” video into the social media sewer.
Yet, on the same day that they disgracefully set out to embarrass the crew, they were happy to have waiters, room stewards and bar staff wait on them hand and foot. How can they look the crew in the eye?
All the time knowing they had trashed the collective reputation of people who live to provide service, spend long periods away from home and family but cannot defend themselves.
And it’s tragic that in the closing days of P&O’s stellar role in Australian shipping and cruising, this affair will be fresh in everyone’s mind.
It will certainly temper what should have been a heartfelt send off to a brand that did so much to put Australian cruising on the world map.
P&O put out an interesting statement as the media storm was at its height. “P&O Cruises Australia acknowledges an incident of inappropriate dress onboard Pacific Explorer has caused distress and wish to be clear this was not the intention of crew.
Despite this, we sincerely apologise for any offence this caused passengers and the broader community. Staff have been counselled around this incident and we will ensure this does not happen again.”
If the crew were counselled, as the statement suggests, I would like to hope they were also comforted. They are the innocents in this affair, and would be shocked and embarrassed by the huge furore that greeted their attempt to entertain their guests.
They were cleaners and housekeepers. So going above and beyond to give the guests a good time.
Speaking on Sydney radio station 2GB, communications director for P&O Cruises Australia Lynne Scrivens did her best to defend the crew in the face of a media storm when she said:
“They were taking part in a Christmas family fun day on the ship as part of our Christmas crew. It was a tug-of-war event where the crew dress up, and our housekeeping crew decided to dress up as snow cones.”
And she added: “They live and work on a cruise ship. They’re not going to Spotlight to buy a bunch of materials for fancy dress. They’ve got to make do with what they’ve got. 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.”
In the words of Cruise Passenger reader Lisa Nic: “Oh my gosh the world’s gone mad! This is called FUN just in case anyone has forgotten!”
David Jones is former corporate communications manager at Carnival Australia.
Who can believe that Cruise staff would deliberately dress as Koo Clux Clan members on board a ship. What is this world coming to when those thinking this was what they were doing are so deranged in the head. They need to grow up and stop being so stupid. Every cruise we have been on the staff have been absolutely amazing.
Unintelligent and boring has nothing to do with it. If they were going to be “sno cones”, cut an opening in the bottom and wear the cones right side up (as it should have been). Intentional or not, it is insensitive. In this age and culture, all who are “intelligent and exciting” know what this look stands for. P.o.c. have gone through and still go through a lot. Yet today, such insensitivity still exists. This was stupidity at it’s best, and what was intended, backfired! Period….end of story.
This reflects the state of our world. Lefty, woke, useful idiots, far, far right .. right fighters! DO NOT BRING THIS POISON onto cruise ships folks .. leave it at the GANGPLANK .. Dressing up as ANYTHING but “funny or amusing” is the furtherest thing from the minds of these LOVING and Helpful and thoughtful hospitality staff.. PASSENGERS : leave your ugly conclusions at home .. there is enough pollution in the oceans without THIS UGLINESS ..
Who really believes a multi-cultural crew would impersonate the KKK! Get over yourselves.
Better policy…keep unintelligent and boring passengers off the ships.
The “woke” passenger(s) who posted this need to be banned from cruising. They’re ready to pounce on anything they can claim is offensive. These wankers need to be put in their box and, preferably, never cruise again. The poor crew who work their hearts out to ensure the passengers have a fantastic time don’t deserve the these put them through!
It is ,once again, the mentality of people of the present day,not having the experience of a few years breathing. They think their “thing’ is it, all the time. No sense and bullshit knowledge of that too!GeoffAllen
So anything goes… if you call A KKK lookalike s snow cones ,, If innocent ,,,some person is stupid for organising allowing such mockery Did this not get vettered checked by people ….An insult to all Who allowed it as well
The passengers who caused all the fuss should hang their heads in shame!
And the people who believe their rubbish, likewise! I’m disgusted with them.
The crew members would never set out to cause any hurt to anyone and have probably never heard or seen anything of the KKK.
Typical !
Attention seeking passengers who want some notoriety. Get a life and grow up . …no that’s impossible as you are so spoilt and self-centered
I really wonder how many Americans were on said cruise or was it just a Facebook hipe up?
Those poor staff would have had no idea about the KKK!!!
It certainly wasn’t their intention however the were naive to think that it would not have looked like KKK outfits, and I am a long time cruiser. Remember, the woke world we live in today will always pick up something like this and broadcast it as far afield as they can. Sad but unfortunate.
There is no excuse for a huge corporation like this to be ignorant of the KKK and what it represents. i don’t blame the people in the suits, i blame the company for not preventing this from happening.