P&O Cruises Australia is facing backlash after staff wore controversial costumes at a Christmas-themed event aboard the Pacific Explorer in December 2024. The outfits, designed to look like snow cones, were quickly criticised by passengers for their striking resemblance to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) robes, sparking outrage and confusion both onboard and online.

Passengers on a P&O cruise were left shocked when members of the ship crew seemingly dressed up in KKK attire.

P&O Cruises Australia has said the costumes were meant to be snow cones and have been misconstrued. pic.twitter.com/pheHMl136E

— The Project (@theprojecttv) January 22, 2025

Initially marketed as a fun, family-friendly activity, the event quickly turned awkward when the housekeeping team appeared in their “snow cone” costumes. As reported by The Daily Mail Australia, one passenger on board noted, “Everything went quiet when the housekeeping team arrived” in their outfits.

One passenger took to Facebook, claiming she contacted the company but never received a response. Whereas another X user questioned: “Upside down snow cones? What the fu*k. Nha they knew exactly what that was.”

P&O pacific cruise staff dressed as “up side down snow cones”. What the fuck. Nah they knew exactly what that was. https://t.co/KueXBycpJF pic.twitter.com/bMFpbZhwLN

— L🖤🤍❤️💚 (@Dracopi) January 21, 2025

P&O Cruises issued a swift apology, claiming that the staff had no idea their costumes could be misinterpreted as something offensive. “We regret if a recent incident on a Pacific Explorer cruise offended any guests. Several crew members dressed up as snow cones for a Christmas family event, not understanding how their costumes could be misconstrued,” a company spokesperson said. “They were only in public view briefly before management acted quickly and had them remove the costumes.”

Despite the apology, the sheer misstep of the idea left many puzzled, and rightly so. To dress as snow cones for a Christmas event might seem innocent on paper, but the grossly misguided design of the costumes—complete with hoods and robes—tapped into a deeply unsettling history. It’s difficult to grasp how such a ridiculous idea made it past anyone’s judgment, especially considering the widespread knowledge of KKK symbolism. The fact that it was put into practice at all is, frankly, shocking.

However, P&O’s communications director, Lynne Scrivens, spoke to 2GB Radio, rejecting claims that the crew had any intention to mimic members of the KKK. Scrivens said: “Come on. No one can seriously think that was their intention. Our housekeeping crew were dressed as snow cones.”

Scrivens further explained that the costumes were part of a Christmas family fun day, featuring a tug-of-war competition. “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 dressed up, and our housekeeping crew decided to dress up as snow cones.”

She added that the crew made up of staff from diverse cultural backgrounds, was unaware of the historical significance of the costumes. “Our crew are from different cultures all over the world. They’re young, and they had just never heard of that organisation or what their outfits could symbolise.”

Now, unless you really have been living inside the magical realm of Avatar, it’s hard to believe that a group of young adults could be so out of touch, especially in today’s climate where conversations about race and history are so prevalent. If they truly had no idea, it underscores a failure of oversight on the part of P&O Cruises, whose staff should have been better educated about such sensitive topics.

In the aftermath of the incident, P&O is likely hoping the controversy will blow over, but given the magnitude of the mistake, they might want to stick to safer options, like Santa hats, for future events.