LGBTQ+ cruise ship denied entry to Egypt without an official explanation
This is according to The Guardian.
On the morning of 9 July, passengers on the Scarlet Lady were informed that the ship would be unable to dock in Alexandria. The cruise ship is owned by Virgin Voyages, and the cruise was chartered by Atlantis Events, a company that organises trips for the LGBTQ+ community.
In a message to passengers, Rich Campbell, head of Atlantis Events, said the ship had been denied entry into Egyptian waters. As a result, the planned stop in Alexandria was cancelled.
Campbell noted that the organisers had already operated a similar itinerary last year without any issues, so Egypt’s decision came as a surprise to them.
Why Egypt refused entry to the ship
Egypt has not yet given an official reason for the refusal. According to The Guardian, the decision was announced at the last minute, even though passengers were already preparing for excursions.
The stop in Egypt was not the starting point of the itinerary, but a replacement after the ship was denied entry to Turkey.
Why was the cruise denied entry to Turkey?
The Turkish authorities had previously stated that the cruise had been chartered by groups whose behaviour allegedly did not conform to the country’s ‘social structure’ and ‘moral values’.
Turkey also claimed that the ship’s arrival had caused “significant public concern”. Following this, the Scarlet Lady was not permitted to call at Turkish ports.
Rich Campbell described the decision as shocking and told CNN that the real reason was that it was a gay cruise.
Who was on board
There were around 2,000 passengers on board the Scarlet Lady. Among them was Broadway actress and singer Patty Lupone, who was due to perform during the cruise.
Following Turkey’s ban, LePoon said she was outraged by the decision to refuse entry to the ship because of who was on board. At the same time, she confirmed that she would continue to take part in the cruise and perform for the passengers.
How the passengers reacted
One of the passengers, blogger Randy Slovacek, wrote that in Atlantis Events’ 36-year history, the company had never before been refused entry to a port. Now this had happened in two countries in the space of a single week.
He added that the passengers would cope with the situation, and if countries did not want their business, they would spend their money elsewhere.
Kyle Olsen, owner of the LGBTQ+ travel company Hermes Holidays, stated that the decisions by Turkey and Egypt could set a dangerous precedent. He said that other countries might feel they too could ban LGBTQ+ cruises from their ports.
The stopover in Egypt was to be one of the highlights of the itinerary. Passengers had planned trips to the pyramids, museums and other tourist attractions.
Some people had already paid for private tours. According to Kyle Olsen, many passengers woke up at 6 am to get ready for their excursions, only to find out that the ship would not be calling at Alexandria.
Where is the Scarlet Lady heading now?
Following the second cancellation, the cruise itinerary was changed again. The ship is due to call at Chania in Crete, and then Montenegro.
The original 10-day cruise was due to run from Athens to Venice. Due to decisions by Turkey and Egypt, the organisers had to find alternative ports twice.
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