A cruise ship carrying LGBTQ+ passengers was denied entry into Egypt. The 2,000 passengers aboard the Scarlet Lady discovered a note placed under their cabin door advising them that the vessel was urgently seeking alternative ports of call. Rich Campbell, executive director at Atlantis Events, the tour group that chartered the Virgin Voyages ship, stated, “Early this morning, we were notified that the Scarlet Lady was denied entry into Egyptian waters.”
The planned visit to Egypt represented a deviation from the original itinerary, which had been quickly reorganized after the ship was previously blocked from entering Turkey.
To date, the Egyptian government has not issued an official reason for the denial of entry. The voyage was scheduled as a 10-day cruise traveling from Athens to Venice. The initial segment of the journey was curtailed when Turkish authorities published a statement online indicating the blockage.
The denial of entry into Egypt adds another unexpected change to the itinerary. The incident has prompted the tour operators to adjust plans for the thousands of passengers onboard.
Topics: #egypt #entry #passengers
