Turkey has reportedly barred an American LGBTQ+ cruise from docking at its ports, citing the country’s moral standards.

The voyage is an Atlantis Events sailing aboard Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, and it was supposed to include Turkish stops in Kuşadası and Istanbul.

Now those stops are out.

The cruise is being rerouted after Turkish authorities refused the planned port calls.

The New York Post reported that Turkey blocked the cruise from two ports, with officials pointing to moral values as the reason.

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The sailing is organized by Atlantis Events and operated aboard Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, a cruise ship scheduled for a 10-day Mediterranean route from Athens to Venice.

The planned Turkish stops were Kuşadası and Istanbul, but the route is now being changed to avoid Turkey. The Post reported that replacement stops include Cairo, Egypt, and Crete, Greece.

The outlet also noted that the cruise was carrying roughly 1,900 passengers, including travelers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. About 1,100 passengers were reportedly from the United States.

Rich Campbell, the CEO of Atlantis Events, said the company had never before been denied entry because of the identity of its passengers. He also pushed back on the idea that the cruise had a political purpose, framing the trip as tourism, spending money, tours, and respect for the cultures being visited.

Atlantis Events has an official update on the cruise page saying Turkish authorities informed the company that Atlantis would not be permitted to dock in Kuşadası or Istanbul during the voyage.

The organizer says it had to alter the sailing itinerary as a result. The same page identifies the trip as the Athens-to-Venice Mediterranean cruise aboard Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady.

The official Atlantis page lists the voyage dates as July 5-15, 2026, which means the decision landed right as passengers were preparing to sail. The site also describes the trip as a major Mediterranean cruise with entertainment, parties, and destination stops built around the Atlantis audience.

That official update confirms the port problem from the organizer’s side, separate from outside reporting. Atlantis is telling its own passengers that the Turkish stops are gone because Turkish authorities would not allow the docking.

Turkish Minute reported that the Aydın governor’s office addressed the Kuşadası stop directly.

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According to that report, the governor’s office said the Scarlet Lady would not be permitted to stop at the Aegean port on July 7 because the ship had been leased by groups described as incompatible with the province’s social fabric and moral values.

The same report said the governor’s office insisted there was no possibility of allowing the group into the province for an event of that nature. It also said the cancellation applied only to this voyage and would not affect other cruise traffic to Kuşadası.

Turkish Minute added that the Istanbul stop was also removed, forcing Atlantis to substitute other destinations. It also noted that Turkey has restricted LGBTQ+ public events for years, including bans on Pride marches in Istanbul since 2015.

That larger context explains why the story exploded beyond a simple cruise scheduling dispute.

Broadway star Patti LuPone is also part of the story because she was scheduled to perform on the cruise.

People reported that LuPone was angry after learning the cruise she was set to perform on had been blocked from entering Turkey.

She still planned to sail and perform for the passengers, even after the itinerary change.

At the center of it all is a blunt collision between a private American travel company, a cruise ship full of paying passengers, and a foreign government deciding what it will allow at its own ports.

Turkey made its decision. Atlantis is sailing elsewhere.

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This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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