Egyptian authorities have denied entry to the Virgin Voyages vessel Scarlet Lady, marking the second time a planned port of call was canceled for an LGBTQ-themed charter cruise. The ship, operated by Virgin Voyages and chartered for a ten-day “Athens to Venice” voyage by US-based Atlantis Events, was barred from docking in Alexandria after previously being blocked by Turkish officials.
Turkish Authorities Cite Moral Values for Initial Ban
The Scarlet Lady departed on July 5 carrying around 2,000 passengers. The itinerary originally included stops in Istanbul and the port city of Kusadasi. However, Turkish authorities blocked these calls before the ship reached the country.
On June 28, the official X account of Aydin Province announced the cancellation of the Kusadasi visit. Officials stated the charter group was “known for behaviors that do not align with the structure of our society and our moral values,” adding that the planned visit had “sparked significant public concern.”
Rich Campbell, CEO of Atlantis Events, noted that this is the first time in Atlantis Events’ 36-year history that one of its chartered cruises had been denied entry by a country. Campbell stated that the company had operated 13 cruises to Türkiye over the past 25 years without incident. He further noted that efforts involving the US Embassy failed to reverse the decision.
Egypt Withdraws Permission for Alexandria Stop
Following the Turkish ban, organizers added Alexandria, Egypt, to the itinerary. This stop was intended to include excursions to Cairo and the Egyptian Museum. However, passengers were informed early Thursday that this visit was also canceled.
Campbell described the move by Egyptian authorities as “really unheard of” and “strange and sad,” reporting that permission to dock was withdrawn at the last minute. The sudden cancellation affected around 1,200 shore excursions that had already been booked through local operators.
The Egyptian authorities had not publicly explained the decision at the time of writing.
Rerouting and Passenger Reaction
The Scarlet Lady has been rerouted to Chania on the Greek island of Crete for a Friday port call before continuing to Montenegro on Sunday.
