The Scarlet Lady, a Virgin Voyages ship chartered by Atlantis Events, was refused entry into Egyptian waters days after being blocked from Turkey. The cancellations led to the rerouting of the cruise, which carries 2,000 passengers.

Passengers received a note under their cabin doors on Thursday morning stating that the ship was seeking alternative ports. Rich Campbell, chief executive of Atlantis Events, informed passengers: "Early this morning, we were informed that Scarlet Lady has been denied entry into Egyptian waters, and, as a result, will no longer be able to call in Alexandria today." Campbell added that the visit to Egypt was an alternative arranged after the ship was refused entry to Turkey. He stated: "I know how much this visit meant to so many of you. We successfully sailed a similar itinerary last year without issue. So we were surprised by this unfortunate decision." Campbell also wrote: "Please know that both the Atlantis and Virgin Voyages teams worked tirelessly to make this call in Alexandria a possibility. This news came as a surprise to all of us, and we're just as disappointed as you are." No official reason was provided for Egypt's decision.

Turkish authorities blocked the Scarlet Lady after publishing an online statement indicating the cruise was chartered by groups known for behaviors that do not align with the structure of their society and moral values. Authorities stated the ship's arrival was canceled after generating public concern, saying: "There is absolutely no possibility of the group in question visiting our province for an event of this nature." Calls involving the U.S. embassy in Turkey failed to reverse the ban. Campbell told CNN: "The reasoning behind it is that it's a gay group." Atlantis had previously chartered cruises to Turkey 13 times over 25 years without incident.

Broadway performer Patti LuPone shared her reaction on Instagram: "The Atlantis cruise I am performing on next week has been banned from entering Turkey." She added: "A ship – a magnificent ship – full of gay men. And me. Denied entry to Turkey simply because of who is onboard." Passenger Randy Slovacek wrote on his blog: "In the company's 36-year history, Atlantis had never had a ship denied entry to dock. And now it's happened in two countries in one week." He continued: "Trust and believe, me and my fellow passengers will be fine: if they don't want our tourism, we will sparkle and spend elsewhere."

Kyle Olsen, owner of LGBTQ+ tour company Hermes Holidays, said he believed that if Turkey had not refused entry, Egypt would not have issued its ban. "I worry that other countries are going to be emboldened in turn to ban gay cruises from their ports as well," Olsen said. He noted passengers had paid for private tours and rose early to prepare for the day. "This was literally a last-minute call by the Egyptian government," Olsen said. "The night before, everything was fine." The Scarlet Lady has been rerouted to dock in Chania, Crete, on Friday and Montenegro on Sunday.