Virgin Voyages’ ship Scarlet Lady, chartered by Atlantis Events, embarked on a 10-night Mediterranean cruise from Athens to Venice on July 5, 2026, carrying approximately 1,900 passengers. The itinerary originally included scheduled port calls at Kusadası and Istanbul in Turkey, as well as Alexandria in Egypt, alongside stops in Crete, Greece, and final docking in Venice.
Turkish authorities cancelled the planned Kusadası and Istanbul calls, citing the cruise group’s failure to meet the country’s moral standards. The Aydın province government, which administers Kusadası port, stated there was “absolutely no possibility of the group in question visiting our province for an
event of this nature,” noting behaviors deemed incompatible with their societal fabric and moral values. Over the past 25 years, Atlantis Events has successfully chartered cruises to both Kusadası and Istanbul 13 times without prior incident.
Following the Turkish cancellations, Egyptian port officials denied Scarlet Lady entry to Alexandria just hours before the scheduled docking. Despite prior full approval by Egyptian authorities, no public explanation was issued for the sudden refusal. Atlantis Events had previously brought 2,500 guests to Alexandria in 2025 and 1,200 guests two years earlier without issues, underscoring the unusual nature of this denial.
To address the
denied ports, Atlantis Events added intermediate stops in Crete, Greece, and Kotor, Montenegro to maintain the cruise itinerary. These adjustments affected the experiences of nearly 1,900 passengers onboard, including approximately 1,100 U.S. citizens and additional travelers from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
Rich Campbell, president and CEO of Atlantis Events, described the Turkish and Egyptian denials as “pretty stunning” and expressed concern over selective tourist admission policies. He emphasized that Scarlet Lady’s presence was comparable to any other cruise ship’s, noting, “It’s not like we’re not a gay pride rally, we’re not a march, we’re not an organization, we’re
not a political statement in any way.” Campbell also reported multiple unsuccessful attempts to reverse Turkey’s decision and condemned how Egypt withdrew permission with no warning just hours before arrival.
Virgin Voyages issued a statement expressing they were “incredibly disappointed” by the port denials and affirmed their commitment to ensuring a strong experience for guests remaining on the voyage. Atlantis Events indicated hope that these enforcement actions were isolated and anticipated that future cruises would be welcomed without conditions in both Turkey and Egypt.
The denials during a Mediterranean sailing in summer 2026 highlight unusual restrictions faced by LGBTQ-themed cruises,
despite a long history of undisrupted calls at these ports by Atlantis Events. The situation affects both itinerary planning and passenger port access for approximately 1,900 travelers on the Scarlet Lady.
