Turkey and Egypt refused entry to the Scarlet Lady, a cruise ship chartered for an LGBTQ+ holiday, forcing major last-minute changes to its Mediterranean itinerary. The episode matters because it highlights the practical and political risks faced by LGBTQ+ travellers in destinations where official attitudes towards homosexuality remain restrictive.

The Atlantis Events voyage carried roughly 1,900–2,000 passengers, predominantly gay men, on a ten-day or eleven-day trip from Athens. Planned calls at Kuşadası and Istanbul were cancelled after Turkish authorities cited conduct allegedly incompatible with social and moral values; Alexandria, added as a replacement, was then also refused by Egypt. The ship instead spent additional time at sea and continued to other scheduled destinations, including Crete and ports in Croatia and Italy.