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Gay cruise blocked twice
An LGBTQ+ chartered cruise on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, chartered by Atlantis Events, was denied port access in Turkey and then blocked again when the ship was rerouted to Alexandria, Egypt.
“called the move “really unheard of” and “strange and sad””
The Washington Post reported that Atlantis Events CEO Rich Campbell said the approval to dock in Alexandria was pulled at the last minute, calling the move “really unheard of” and “strange and sad.”
The Guardian said the 2,000 passengers woke to a note under their cabin doors informing them that “Scarlet Lady has been denied entry into Egyptian waters, and, as a result, will no longer be able to call in Alexandria today.”
The Guardian also reported that the ship had been blocked from Turkish waters after authorities published a statement online saying the cruise was chartered “by groups known for behaviours that do not align with the structure of our society and our moral values.”
Passengers, officials, and performers
The Guardian quoted Atlantis Events CEO Rich Campbell telling passengers that he was “surprised by this unfortunate decision” after the ship had “successfully sailed a similar itinerary last year without issue.”
Randy Slovacek, described as being on the cruise, wrote on his blog that “In the company’s 36-year history, Atlantis had never had a ship denied entry to dock. And now it’s happened in two countries in one week.”
The Guardian reported that Broadway performer Patti LuPone shared her shock on Instagram, writing, “The Atlantis cruise I am performing on next week has been banned from entering Turkey,” and adding, “A ship – a magnificent ship – full of gay men. And me.”
In a separate account, WPLG Local 10 quoted South Florida passenger Joshua New saying the decision came after backlash over a planned LGBTQ+ event in Istanbul, with New describing how “one of the gay bars in Istanbul was going to have a party for us.”
Rerouting and what’s at risk
After the Egypt denial, the Guardian reported that the ship was rerouted again and would be docking in Chania, Crete, on Friday and Montenegro on Sunday.
“other countries are going to be emboldened in turn to ban gay cruises”
The Guardian also quoted Kyle Olsen, owner of Hermes Holidays, saying he worried that “other countries are going to be emboldened in turn to ban gay cruises from their ports as well,” and he added, “This is a sad representation of the way the world is going.”
The Washington Post described Rich Campbell as saying the move in Alexandria was “really unheard of” and that the approval was pulled at the last minute, while Cruise Law News said passengers “may understandably be upset when a promised itinerary changes.”
Cruise Law News further stated that “foreign governments generally have broad authority to control access to their ports and territorial waters,” and it said passengers “will have little to no legal recourse for the canceled stops.”
