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The Scarlet Lady cruise ship changed its itinerary for the second time this week, after Turkey and now Egypt denied it access to their ports.
The ship, owned by Virgin Voyages and chartered by 2SLGBTQ+ tour company Atlantis Events, is carrying 1,900 passengers, including Broadway star Patti LuPone.
Passengers learned Thursday that the trip will not be heading to Alexandria, Egypt, to replace previously scheduled stops. Kuşadası and Istanbul in Turkey. Earlier this week, Turkish authorities canceled the planned port calls, saying the trip was being conducted by groups “known for behavior that is incompatible with the structure of our society and our moral values.”
The itinerary was then revised to replace the stops in Turkey with calls in Alexandria, Egypt and Crete, Greece.
But just before the ship arrived in Alexandria, passengers were notified via the Virgin Voyages app that the ship was prohibited from entering Egyptian waters.
“We are incredibly disappointed to share that The Scarlet Lady he has just been denied entry into Egyptian waters and will no longer be able to call Alexandria,” said a statement distributed to passengers.
Virgin Voyages and Atlantis Events said they were working to secure another port.
The journey has been reviewed
Officials from Egypt, Virgin Voyages or Atlantis Events have not publicly explained why the Alexandria call was rejected. Unlike Turkey, Egypt did not publicly disclose the reason for denying the vessel entry.
Although homosexuality is illegal in Turkey, the country has taken a strong stance towards 2SLGBTQ+ rights under the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Last year, human rights groups reacted with fear to a leaked draft law that would have condemned same-sex marriage ceremonies and expanded “public indecency” provisions.
According to Virgin Voyages Insider, the cruise line has been revised again. The ship will now visit Santorini and Chania in Greece, Kotor, Montenegro, and Dubrovnik and Zadar in Croatia before arriving in Trieste, Italy, on July 15.
In an interview with CNN about Turkey’s decision to deny the Scarlet Lady access to its ports, Rich Campbell, president and CEO of Atlantis Events, called this decision unprecedented.
“It’s amazing, to be honest,” Campbell told CNN. “The reason for that is that it’s a gay club.”
He added that he is concerned “if a country decides that it can pick and choose which visitors are allowed in and which are not.”
Patti LuPone is ‘furious’
In an Instagram post, LuPone also criticized the situation in Turkey.
“A ship – a very good ship – full of gays. And me. I was denied entry to Turkey just because of who was on board. I’m angry,” LuPone wrote. “I’m ready to play for all the wonderful men on this Atlantis cruise, who deserve better than this.”
Comedian Zach Noe Towers, who is also on the ship, posted a video on Instagram on Thursday with news that the Egyptians were denied entry.
“It bothers me,” Noah Towers said. “We will [have a great time] – That’s the gay experience, having fun in the face of adversity, but it’s like: are we too gay to come spend a lot of money in your country?”
Afterward, referring to LuPone’s reaction to the Turkey news, he said, “I’m really scared when he wakes up and finds out about this.”
The Scarlet Lady he left Athens on July 5 for a 10-night cruise through the Mediterranean.
About 1,900 passengers boarded, and 1,100 were from the United States, according to Campbell. Other travelers are from countries including Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
