A cruise ship catering to the LGBTQ+ community, which was denied entry to Turkish waters this week, has also been barred from entering Egyptian waters.
2,000 passengers aboard the ship The Scarlet Lady, including Broadway performer Patti LuPone, awoke Thursday morning to find a note under their cabin doors. The note informed them that the ship was urgently seeking alternative ports.
Denial of entry to Egypt
“Early this morning, we were informed that The Scarlet Lady was denied entry to Egyptian waters and, as a result, would no longer be able to dock in Alexandria today,” said Rich Campbell, CEO of Atlantis Events, the travel group that chartered the Virgin Voyages ship, in a message to passengers. He added: “I know how much this visit meant to many of you. We successfully completed a similar itinerary last year without any issues. So we were surprised by this unfortunate decision.”
The note also stated that teams from Atlantis and Virgin Voyages “have been working tirelessly to secure the ship’s entry into Alexandria. This news came as a surprise to all of us, and we are as disappointed as you are.” The visit to Egypt was already a change to the planned tour, hastily arranged after the ship was denied entry to Turkish waters. No official reason for the Egyptian government’s decision has been provided yet.
Blocked by Turkey
The 10-day cruise along the Athens-Venice route was blocked by Turkey after authorities issued an online statement saying the cruise was chartered by “groups known for their behavior that does not conform to the structure of our society and our moral values.” They added that the ship’s arrival was canceled after it “caused significant public concern.” “There is absolutely no possibility for this group to visit our province for an event of this nature.”
Randy Slovacek, one of the cruise passengers, wrote in his blog: “In the 36-year history of Atlantis, no ship has ever been denied entry to a port. And now it has happened in two countries in one week.”
Source: The Guardian
