Scarlet Lady cruise denied entry at planned Mediterranean stops
The Scarlet Lady, operating a 10-day cruise in the Mediterranean Sea, was denied permission to enter the Turkish ports of Kuşadası and Istanbul, followed by the Egyptian port of Alexandria. The vessel was carrying about 2,000 passengers on a cruise organised for the LGBTQ+ community.
The ship, decorated with rainbow flags, did not enter the Turkish ports on 5 July and was subsequently refused permission to dock in Alexandria, where it had planned to arrive on 9 July. The vessel had been chartered by Atlantis Events, a company specialising in cruises for the LGBTQ+ community.
Turkish authorities cite public concern and moral values
In late June, the authorities in Turkey contacted the travel company to say that the planned arrival had caused public anger and that the Scarlet Lady cruise would not be allowed into the country’s ports. A statement issued by Aydın Province referred to an event scheduled at Kuşadası port for 7 July 2026.
“The event planned for 7 July 2026 at Aydın-Kuşadası port by a cruise ship chartered by groups known for behaviour incompatible with the structure of our society and our moral values, and which has caused concern among various sections of the public, has been cancelled. The arrival of this group in our city for such an event is absolutely out of the question,” the official statement said.
The Turkish authorities stressed that the restriction applied only to the privately chartered Scarlet Lady and had no connection with other ships calling at the port. They added that tourism activities in the city were continuing as normal.
Egypt withdraws approval hours before arrival
After receiving advance notice that it would not be admitted to Turkey, the crew decided to sail to Alexandria. According to Atlantis Events head Rich Campbell, the arrival had been approved for 9 July, but the Egyptian authorities unexpectedly withdrew permission just four hours before the scheduled entry.
“We had been fully approved to arrive in Egypt, but just four hours before we were due to take the pilot and customs officers on board, we were informed that the ship would not be allowed to enter the harbour,” Campbell told journalists.
He said no explanation had been provided and described the decision as deeply disappointing, after which the vessel headed instead to Kotor, Montenegro.
Representatives of Atlantis Events said the company had encountered no similar resistance when its ships visited ports in Muslim-majority countries the previous year. US blogger Randy Slovacek, who was on board, said the operator had never been denied entry to a port during its 36 years in business, while Campbell said he was “shocked” by the decisions taken by Egypt and Turkey.
Passengers had hoped that the attention generated through social media and LGBTQ+ friendly media outlets would persuade Cairo to reverse its decision, Slovacek said. The report framed the authorities’ refusal as a defence of Muslim moral values against pressure from LGBTQ+ campaigners, and the ship ultimately sailed past Egypt.
