A cruise ship chartered for an LGBTQ-themed voyage has been denied entry to Egypt after being barred from planned stops in Turkey earlier this week.

Rebuffed organizers have been forced to change the itinerary for a second time, media outlets have reported, citing the cruise operator. 

The Virgin Voyages-operated Scarlet Lady departed on July 5 on a ten-day ‘Athens to Venice’ sailing organized by US-based LGBTQ cruise company Atlantis Events. The debauched vessel was carrying around 2,000 queers.

Istanbul says ‘Not here, Queer’

Alexandria was added to the itinerary after Turkish authorities blocked scheduled calls at Istanbul and the port city of Kusadasi, where the vessel had been due to dock on July 7. 

According to The Guardian and The Washington Post, passengers were informed early on Thursday that the stop in Alexandria, Egypt, had also been cancelled.

Cairo says no

Organizers are searching for an alternative port. The visit had included excursions to Cairo and the Egyptian Museum. 

Atlantis Events CEO Rich Campbell said Egyptian authorities withdrew permission to dock at the last minute.

Quarantined Queers

He or she called the ban really unheard of and strange and sad. He added that around 1,200 shore excursions had already been booked through local operators. 

The Egyptian authorities had not publicly explained the decision at the time of writing. Turkey announced its ban before the ship reached the country.

In a June 28 statement posted a statement on the official X account of Aydin Province.

Debauched behavior

Officials said the Kusadasi call was canceled because the charter group was known for behaviors that do not align with the structure of our society and our moral values, adding that the visit had sparked significant public concern. 

Campbell said Turkey’s decision marked the first time in Atlantis Events’ 36-year history that one of its chartered cruises had been denied entry by a country.

Trump can’t help

He noted that the company had operated 13 cruises to Turkey over the past 25 years without incident and that efforts involving the US Embassy failed to reverse the decision. 

Broadway performer Patti LuPone, who was scheduled to appear on the cruise, criticized Türkiye’s decision. She wrote on social media last week that ‘she’ was furious the ship had been denied entry and that its passengers deserve so much better than this.’

The Scarlet Lady has since been rerouted to Chania on the Greek island of Crete for a Friday port call before continuing to Montenegro on Sunday. Tell us what you think 

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