P&O Oceana captain in deep water over 'Germanic' comments last month over sunbed war

**Ally** · 03-09-2008, 05:07 AM

Quote:

It is a phenomenon that millions of British holidaymakers have witnessed at first hand – the German tradition of "reserving" sun loungers early in the morning with a strategically placed towel.

Indeed, the practice is so widespread it has become the basis of a long-standing national joke.

But some cruise ship passengers didn't see the funny side when the British captain came over the Tannoy to lambast such "Germanic behaviour".

They accused Christopher Wells of racism and reported him to human rights watchdogs.

Now the Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched an inquiry into claims that he insulted the German nation, while the 52-year-old has been forced to apologise for causing offence with his light-hearted comments.

The storm blew up after passengers became angry at the lack of available sunbeds on P&O's 77,000-ton Oceana liner during a 15-day cruise of the Caribbean last month.

Amid complaints that holidaymakers were hogging loungers by using towels, books, bags and clothes to reserve their place, Capt Wells put a 20-minute limit on sunbeds being left unoccupied.

He made several announcements to try to end the so-called "sunbed wars" but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

Eventually the captain – who has a German wife, Hedda – told the ship's 2,000 passengers: “We don't want that kind of Germanic behaviour here!”

One female holidaymaker said: “There were enough loungers for everyone, provided they were not reserved when not in use. But this made no difference.

"Crew members did their best, sometimes removing the towels, which were P&O property. But then passengers reserved the sunbeds with their own items.”

The passenger said some frustrated holidaymakers began moving items from sunbeds when 20 minutes were up.

"This led to heated arguments and complaints,” she said. "Some people nearly came to blows.”

The captain asked passengers several times not to reserve sunbeds, but was ignored.

“We were shocked to hear him say over the ship's speakers, 'We don't want that kind of Germanic behaviour here!'

"I reckon that kind of racist remark is illegal. Capt Wells clearly belongs to the Prince Philip school of diplomacy.”

She said Capt Wells – since promoted to command the Queen Mary 2 – was dubbed "Mr Bean" by the ship's comedian over his similarities to Rowan Atkinson, and the name had stuck.

Most of the passengers on the trip to Barbados, Antigua, Mexico and Grand Cayman were British and none was believed to be German.

But the captain's remarks are said to have upset the ship's German-born receptionist Maren Reichel.

She told one passenger: “He was wrong to call it 'Germanic behaviour', since it is clearly British behaviour as well. He doesn't seem to like Germans.”

In an attempt to defuse the row, P&O issued a statement from Ms Reichel: “I did not take any offence. The remark was said in jest and I and other passengers found it amusing.”

A spokesman for P&O said: “Captain Wells apologises unreservedly for any offence caused.”

Racism row as captain attacks 'Germanic' antics of cruise passengers vying for sunbeds | the Daily Mail

**Ally** · 03-09-2008, 05:49 AM

I would have loved to have been on the ship when the captain finally lost his patience over the sunbeds....it is true though, people who try to save sunbeds by leaving towels on them is downright annoying...I hate it when people do it, there is no need for it

And yes, there is a tradition..standing joke..about the Germans leaving towels on sunbeds, it's been a part of holidaymaking for donkeys years...I cannot see why anyone would be offended by it cos the Germans I have seen on holiday have invariably laughed at the joke too.....some people take life way too seriously sometimes.

swan · 03-09-2008, 06:20 AM

Sounds like a fraught holiday, goodness me ,I bet those that reported him are whiter than white ,Oh Gosh !!!! ,another wrong word.

**Ally** · 03-10-2008, 12:58 PM

The German take on all this....

Quote:

Passengers on a two-week cruise of the Caribbean in February who should have been quaffing cocktails and bonding by the poolside ended up drawing lines in the sand instead.

There's always going to be trouble in paradise. Despite the glorious trappings, passengers on board P&O's 77,000-ton Oceana liner were getting royally fed up with the lack of available deck chairs, accusing certain errant holidaymakers of using towels, books and bags to reserve places.

In the British mind, this could mean one thing -- and one thing only: Germans were at work, seeking as ever to expand their Lebensraum.

Brilliantly witty -- or culturally backward?

Over in Blighty, the deck chair prejudice is a cultural stereotype that simply refuses to die. It might mean nothing to Germans themselves, but it's embedded in mainstream British culture, and there it will remain, a source of much unreconstructed hilarity.

Several years ago, for example, the Spitfire beer company ran an advertisement with the slogan "Have the sun beds, we're off to the bar." Not long after, another British beer brand, Carling Black Label, launched a similar ad featuring an English bloke on holiday foiling Germans trying to steal the deck chairs early in the morning.

So perhaps Captain Christopher Wells can be forgiven for making the obvious reference when he used the ship loudspeaker to tell passengers in no uncertain terms not to reserve loungers. And as a sailor, he's allowed to have a colorful turn of phrase.

"We don't want that kind of Germanic behavior here!" he joked.

But not all the passengers were amused.

"Captain Wells apologizes unreservedly for any offence caused," said a spokesman for P&O, but it was too late.

The captain now faces an inquiry by the Equality and Human Rights Commission over whether his remarks were racist.

Bed-bagging

One female passenger said the crew had tried unsuccessfully to stop the "bed bagging."

"There were enough loungers for everyone, provided they were not reserved when not in use," she told British daily The Telegraph. "Crew members did their best, sometimes removing the towels, but then passengers reserved the sun beds with their own items."

Initially, the captain tried allowing passengers to reclaim chairs which had remained unused for 20 minutes.

However, that only led to more confrontation when some holidaymakers used stopwatches to monitor occupancy. So much for a relaxing holiday in the sun.

"This led to heated arguments and complaints -- some people nearly came to blows," said the anonymous female passenger.

Sunbed Slur Almost Causes International Incident | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 10.03.2008

**alphakitty** · 03-10-2008, 02:12 PM

Here's an ad ...guess they should be held accountable for this?

http://www.play.com/Product.aspx?r=G...02&source=9593

**Ally** · 03-10-2008, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alphakitty

Here's an ad ...guess they should be held accountable for this?

http://www.play.com/Product.aspx?r=G...02&source=9593

Oh now that is funny...I like that.

Apparently the deputy admin manager aboard Oceana is German and he laughed about it, wasn't a bit offended cos he knows it is a standing joke that has been around for decades.

Like I said, there are some people who take life way too seriously.

wavesandrays · 03-10-2008, 02:19 PM

Oh for goodness sake. I rather think its funny myself. Getting bent out of shape over a well known stereotype is just asking for trouble. Its like making fun of the British for spelling things "funny" compared to Americans. That poor man was trying to make things better for his passengers and ends up in the pot instead. I do hope he gets out alright.

**Ally** · 03-10-2008, 02:24 PM

This is the advert for Carling Black Label lager, the one with the Brit determined to outfox the Germans to get his towel on a sunbed....

YouTube - Carling sunbeds

I think it epitomises the sunbed argument perfectly...what do you think?

aliq · 03-10-2008, 03:20 PM

That is soooo funny, first time I have seen that advert. We have made friends with German people on holiday and they laugh at this long-standing joke but I must say they were always up before us in the morning! This is PC gone mad.

**Ally** · 03-10-2008, 03:23 PM

I wouldn't mind betting that it was someone who had been hogging sunbeds that had complained