Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady has been denied entry to Egyptian waters, forcing an LGBTQ+ charter cruise operated by Atlantis Events to cancel its scheduled call in Alexandria on 9th July 2026.
The rejection came just two days after Turkish authorities barred the same sailing from visiting Istanbul and Kuşadası, marking the second major itinerary disruption for the charter cruise within a week.
The denial by Egyptian authorities represents an unprecedented challenge for Atlantis Events, which has operated charter cruises for more than two decades. Scarlet Lady, carrying approximately 1,900 passengers on the LGBTQ+ themed voyage, was scheduled to dock in Alexandria as part of a revised itinerary that had already been altered following Turkey’s rejection earlier in the week.
Atlantis Events President Rich Campbell confirmed the news in a letter delivered to guests aboard the vessel. He expressed disappointment whilst noting that the company had successfully operated a similar itinerary to Egypt in 2025 without incident.
“It is with tremendous disappointment that I’m writing to share an important update about today’s scheduled visit to Alexandria,” Campbell wrote. “We successfully sailed a similar itinerary last year without issue, so we were surprised by this unfortunate decision.”
The company and Virgin Voyages reportedly worked extensively to secure permission for the port call, but Egyptian authorities ultimately refused to grant the vessel entry into the country’s territorial waters. Unlike Turkish officials, Egyptian authorities have not issued a public statement explaining the rationale behind the decision.
Itinerary Reshuffled With Cretan Replacement
Following the denial, Virgin Voyages moved quickly to implement another itinerary change. Scarlet Lady was redirected to Chania, Crete, with a call scheduled for 10th July 2026 from 8 am to 5 pm local time.
The previously scheduled stop in Heraklion, Crete, on 11th July has been replaced with a sea day, giving passengers additional time to enjoy the ship’s amenities and entertainment offerings. The remainder of the cruise itinerary will – hopefully – proceed as originally planned, including calls in Kotor, Montenegro, as well as Dubrovnik and Zadar in Croatia.
All shore excursions that had been booked for Alexandria were automatically cancelled, with refunds processed to guests’ onboard accounts. Passport collection, which had been scheduled to take place during the Egyptian port call, was also postponed since the vessel would no longer be entering the country.
Turkey’s Initial Rejection Sparks Controversy
The Egyptian denial followed closely on the heels of Turkey’s decision to bar Scarlet Lady from two scheduled Turkish ports. Originally, the vessel was set to visit Kuşadası on 7th July before continuing to Istanbul, one of the Eastern Mediterranean’s most popular cruise destinations.
Turkish officials informed Virg
Leave a Reply