Turkey and Egypt Deny Docking to Scarlet Lady Cruise Ship Carrying Nearly 2,000 Passengers

The Scarlet Lady, a Virgin Voyages cruise ship chartered by Atlantis Events for a 10-day Athens to Venice itinerary, was denied entry to Turkey and subsequently refused docking in Egypt. Turkish authorities stated the cruise was chartered by groups whose behaviors do not align with the structure of Turkish society and moral values.

They said the planned arrival had sparked significant public concern and declared there was no possibility of the group visiting for an event of this nature.

The ship had made 13 calls to Turkey over the prior 25 years without incident, according to Atlantis Events chief executive Rich Campbell. Egyptian authorities denied the Scarlet Lady entry into Egyptian waters, canceling the scheduled stop in Alexandria. No official reason was provided by the Egyptian government.

Passengers learned of the change through a note placed under cabin doors on Thursday morning. Campbell told passengers the decision came as a surprise after the Egypt stop had been added following the Turkey refusal. He wrote that both Atlantis Events and Virgin Voyages teams had worked to secure the Alexandria call and expressed disappointment on behalf of the company and passengers.

The ship was rerouted to dock in Chania, Crete, on Friday and in Montenegro on Sunday. Campbell described Turkey’s decision as stunning and noted that calls involving the U.S. embassy in Turkey had not reversed the ban.

Patti LuPone, the 77-year-old Tony Award winner performing on the cruise, posted on Instagram that the ship had been banned from Turkey simply because of who was onboard. She said she was furious but would continue sailing and perform for the passengers.