The Atlantis Events Turkey cruise ban has forced a last-minute reroute for passengers aboard Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, after Turkish authorities blocked the LGBTQ+-chartered vessel from docking at two scheduled ports on its current 10-night Mediterranean sailing. Atlantis Events CEO Rich Campbell told CNN it was the first time in the company’s 36-year history that one of its cruises had been explicitly rejected because of the travellers on board.
The sailing departed Athens on 5 July, organised by Atlantis Events aboard Virgin Voyages‘ adults-only ship. The original itinerary included a port call at Kuşadası on 7 July, followed by an overnight stop in Istanbul, before the cruise was due to conclude in Trieste, Italy, on 15 July. Both Turkish calls have now been cancelled.
Turkish authorities cite moral standards in blocking the Atlantis Events Turkey cruise ban
The Aydın Governor’s Office, which oversees Kuşadası, posted a Turkish-language statement on X confirming the decision. According to an English translation, the office stated the ship had been chartered by groups ‘known for behavior inconsistent with our society’s structure and moral values.’ It added that the planned 7 July visit had ‘sparked significant public concern’ and declared there was ‘absolutely no possibility of the group in question visiting our province for an event of this nature.’
Campbell told USA Today that efforts involving the US Embassy were unsuccessful in persuading Turkish officials to reverse the decision. ‘If your business is tourism, you cannot pick and choose who your guests are going to be, because the minute you do that, you instill fear in people who might belong to that group. It seemed to be like an extremely short-sighted move, but that is what has happened,’ he said. The Washington Post reported that Turkish government and tourism representatives did not respond to its inquiries on the matter, leaving the official rationale beyond the governor’s statement unaddressed.
The ban sits within a broader pattern of Turkish restrictions on LGBTQ+ events
Although same-sex relationships are legal in Turkey, LGBTQ+ events have faced growing restrictions. Istanbul’s Pride parade has been banned since 2015, when police used rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse participants. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared 2025 Turkey’s ‘Year of the Family’ and announced financial incentives to encourage marriage and raise the country’s birth rate, according to The Associated Press. He has also stated that LGBTQ+ movements are foreign influences threatening children, families and Turkish society.
‘It is our common responsibility to protect our children and youth from harmful trends and perverse ideologies. Neoliberal cultural trends are crossing borders and penetrating all corners of the world. They also lead to LGBT and other movements gaining ground,’ Erdoğan said during a speech in Ankara.
Further restrictions could follow. Human Rights Watch reported last month that proposed legal changes had resurfaced after failing to reach parliament the previous year. The proposal could punish those accused of behaviours considered to go against ‘biological sex and public morality,’ with those promoting such behaviours potentially facing up to three years in prison. In June, the US Department of State maintained its Level 2 travel advisory for Turkey, citing terrorism, armed conflict, and arbitrary detentions.
Revised itinerary replaces Turkish ports with Egypt and Crete stops
Atlantis has replaced the two cancelled Turkish calls with a full day in Cairo (Alexandria), Egypt, and a stop in Heraklion, Crete. In a passenger notice obtained by The Washington Post, the company acknowledged the disruption: ‘Despite exhaustive efforts on our part to reverse this decision, our calls to Istanbul and Kusadasi have been canceled by the Turkish Authorities. We know that this change is disappointing and truly wish that we could have kept our visits to Turkey as planned… They have always been a highlight of our voyages, and we look forward to returning soon.’
Passenger reaction on Reddit was less conciliatory. Several travellers said they would prefer to avoid Turkish ports altogether going forward, with one writing: ‘There’s a huge difference between going to a country that is “unfriendly” and a country that won’t let your ship dock because of the number of gays on it.’ Another, posting from aboard Scarlet Lady at the time, wrote: ‘Just feels like society and the world really [are] regressing backwards and there’s less and less places to feel safe.’
Whether future Virgin Voyages sailings organised by Atlantis will attempt Turkish port calls remains an open question, with Campbell’s message to passengers noting a hope to return but offering no firm timeline for when that might be tested again.
