First Türkiye, now Egypt: gay cruise aboard Virgin Voyages ship denied again

This story was updated on July 9 at 10:31 p.m. EST.

A cruise ship carrying about 2,000 predominantly gay men has reportedly been denied entry for a second time.

After Turkish authorities refused the all-gay Atlantis Events charter aboard Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady, Egyptian authorities have also denied the ship permission to enter the country's waters, forcing the cancellation of its scheduled call in Alexandria, according to a notification sent to passengers on board.

“We're incredibly disappointed to share that Scarlet Lady has just been denied entry into Egyptian waters and will no longer be able to call in Alexandria,” reads the notice, which was posted to an Atlantis Events Facebook group early Thursday (July 9). “We're working hard to secure an alternative port.”

The notice goes on to call the situation "unfortunate news." 

Egyptian authorities have not publicly stated why the ship was turned away.

A second rejection

Egypt was meant to be the backup plan. 

As previously reported, the Atlantis event aboard Scarlet Lady departed Athens on July 5 for a 10-day Mediterranean cruise and was originally scheduled to visit Kuşadası, Türkiye.

That stop was scrapped after Turkish authorities barred the ship from docking, saying the voyage conflicted with the country's moral and social values

In a statement, authorities said the ship had been booked by groups "known for behaviours incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values," adding that the planned visit did not align with the country's emphasis on family values.

Following the decision, Atlantis revised the itinerary to include stops in Cairo, Egypt, and the Greek island of Crete instead.

Regarding Türkiye’s decision, Rich Campbell, president and CEO of Atlantis Events, which organizes all-gay cruises, told CNN "it’s very concerning to me when a country decides they can pick and choose which tourists are allowed in and which are not.”

Campbell added it was the first time in 36 years that Atlantis has been “actively told we may not berth here because of who we are.”

Approximately 1,100 of the 1,900 expected guests on the voyage are from the United States, while the remaining guests are from the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, among other nations.

Iconic Broadway actress Patti LuPone, who is booked to perform on this week’s voyage, previously criticized Türkiye’s decision on her social media, saying she was shocked the ship had been barred “simply because of who is on board.”

Back-to-back denials

Both Türkiye and Egypt have restrictive environments for LGBT+ people, and the back-to-back denials raise concerns among advocates. 

Türkiye’s stance, in particular, reflects the government's increasingly hardline position toward LGBTQ+ rights under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ruling AK Party.

Over the past decade, officials have intensified anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, while Pride marches in Istanbul have been banned since 2015, with authorities citing security and public safety concerns.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized those policies.

“We were incredibly disappointed to learn that Scarlet Lady was denied entry hours before our planned call," Virgin Voyages said in a statement that was shared with the Washington Post on Thursday. 

"We successfully operated a similar itinerary last year without issue and will continue to do everything possible to ensure the charter guests and Crew complete an incredible vacation, now calling on Kotor, Montenegro as an alternative."

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