Egypt Denies LGBTQ+ Charter Cruise Just Days After Turkey’s Rejection

Just days after Turkey denied entry to an LGBTQ+ charter cruise, Egypt has done the same.

Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady was refused entry into Egyptian waters on July 9, 2026, forcing the Atlantis Events charter to cancel its scheduled call in Alexandria and make another last-minute itinerary change.

The charter had been scheduled to visit Alexandria after Turkey barred the ship from calling at Istanbul and Kuşadası earlier in the voyage. Instead, guests were told that Egyptian authorities had denied the vessel permission to enter the country’s waters, removing another major destination from the itinerary.

“It is with tremendous disappointment that I’m writing to share an important update about today’s scheduled visit to Alexandria,” Atlantis Events President Rich Campbell wrote in a letter delivered to guests.

Campbell went on to explain that Scarlet Lady had been denied entry. He said the news came as a surprise because Atlantis had successfully operated the same itinerary in 2025.

“We successfully sailed a similar itinerary last year without issue, so we were surprised by this unfortunate decision,” he said.

He added that both Atlantis and Virgin Voyages worked “tirelessly” to make the call in Alexandria a possibility. “We’re just as disappointed as you are,” Campbell explained.

All shore excursions booked for Alexandria were automatically cancelled and refunded to guests’ onboard accounts. Passport collection, which had been planned during the Egypt call, was also postponed because the ship would no longer be entering the country.

Scarlet Lady will now call in Chania, Crete, on July 10, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The scheduled stop in Heraklion, Crete, the following day has been replaced with a sea day.

Kotor, Montenegro, remains on the itinerary as a tender port. The remainder of the voyage, including calls in Dubrovnik and Zadar, Croatia, will operate as originally planned.

Did Turkey’s Decision Set the Stage?

The Egyptian cancellation came two days after Turkish authorities barred the same charter from calling at two scheduled ports. Originally, Scarlet Lady was scheduled to visit Kuşadası on July 7 before continuing to Istanbul.

Instead, Turkish officials informed Virgin Voyages that the vessel carrying 1,900 passengers, including the multi-award-winning Broadway performer Patti LuPone, would not be permitted to call at either destination.

A statement issued by officials in Turkey’s Aydin Province, where Kuşadası is located, said the cruise had been chartered by “groups known for behaviors that do not align with the structure of our society and our moral values.”

Officials also said the planned visit had caused “great discomfort” and concluded that “there is absolutely no possibility of the group in question visiting our province for an event of this nature.”

The announcement marked the first time the company had been denied entry to a country because of the identity of its charter, according to Campbell.

He told media outlets the decision was based on concerns over “moral standards” and “family values,” although the company had operated cruises to Turkey for approximately 25 years, including 13 previous visits, without incident.

Following Turkey’s decision, Virgin Voyages quickly replaced the cancelled port calls with stops in Alexandria and Crete to preserve the itinerary. However, that revised plan lasted only a matter of days before Egyptian authorities also denied the ship entry.

Unlike Turkey, Egyptian authorities have not publicly explained why Scarlet Lady was not allowed to dock.