Gay Cruise Refused Docking in Mediterranean

[PeterRS2]

I have never been on a gay cruise and would not now wish to go on one - too old! But I know they are popular and you can even get them here in Asia. Last week the 2,000 passenger Virgin Voyages ship Scarlet Lady on a 10-day chartered gay cruise around the Mediterranean from Athens to Venice was denied docking at the ports of Istanbul and Alexandria in Egypt. Alexandria had been added at the last minute after Turkey denied access when authorities published a statement online saying the cruise was chartered “by groups known for behaviours that do not align with the structure of our society and our moral values”. 

The ship then turned around and docked in Crete. The Broadway Tony Award winner Patti Lupone is taking part in the cruise entertainment. She wrote on Instagram -

“I am furious, but I am sailing, as the ship will make other ports of call. I am ready to perform for all the wonderful men on this Atlantis cruise, who deserve so much better than this.”

The Scarlet Lady outside Marseilles

[unicorn]

11 hours ago, PeterRS2 said:

I have never been on a gay cruise and would not now wish to go on one - too old! ...

I was a little concerned about that prior to our Atlantis sailing in the Caribbean last winter. I was afraid of being met with Fire Island Pines snootiness and cool behavior. I was happily surprised that even very younger men were very friendly (albeit aware of my marital status), and some downright physically welcoming (i.e. kisses on the cheeks or even lips--in my husband's presence). I'm solidly in my 60s. If you try it out, you may be pleasantly surprised. I suppose you can increase your odds of meeting other  hot men by bringing a hot guy with you.😁 Good luck!

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, unicorn said:

 I suppose you can increase your odds of meeting other  hot men by bringing a hot guy with you.

which may also make an economic sense because way most of cruises are priced  if you travel alone you still pay  for doble cabin so only single saving is on not paying second airfare

[PeterRS2]

21 minutes ago, vinapu said:

which may also make an economic sense because way most of cruises are priced  if you travel alone you still pay  for doble cabin so only single saving is on not paying second airfare

As the guest of a friend who lectured on top-of-the-line cruise liners, I did a 17 day regular cruise around the Caribbean and up the Amazon to Manaus. This was in early 2003 when there was some kind of financial recession. A couple we met from New York booked 3 months on that cruise as prices had dropped considerably and they said it was cheaper than living at home! I would probably have gone mad as 17 days was too much for me.

[unicorn]

6 hours ago, vinapu said:

which may also make an economic sense because way most of cruises are priced  if you travel alone you still pay  for doble cabin so only single saving is on not paying second airfare

Yes, that, and I also suspect that most escorts wouldn't ask for their full price if they know they're going on a luxury cruise. Unfortunately, getting a suite on an Atlantis cruise seems to be almost impossible, but one can book a decent-sized balcony cabin easily enough.

[Pete1111]

On 7/12/2026 at 5:22 AM, PeterRS2 said:

I have never been on a gay cruise and would not now wish to go on one - too old! But I know they are popular and you can even get them here in Asia. Last week the 2,000 passenger Virgin Voyages ship Scarlet Lady on a 10-day chartered gay cruise around the Mediterranean from Athens to Venice was denied docking at the ports of Istanbul and Alexandria in Egypt. Alexandria had been added at the last minute after Turkey denied access when authorities published a statement online saying the cruise was chartered “by groups known for behaviours that do not align with the structure of our society and our moral values”. 

The ship then turned around and docked in Crete. The Broadway Tony Award winner Patti Lupone is taking part in the cruise entertainment. She wrote on Instagram -

“I am furious, but I am sailing, as the ship will make other ports of call. I am ready to perform for all the wonderful men on this Atlantis cruise, who deserve so much better than this.”

The Scarlet Lady outside Marseilles

 

 

I have no interest in a cruise, gay or not gay.   

Family members recently took the Queen Mary 2 crossing from NYC to Southampton and loved it.  But a cruise is not for me.  

I worry how the political climate has changed in Turkey, Egypt and elsewhere.  Can one be surprised, the way that LGBTQ rights have languished around the world in recent years, such as in the States?

That said, perhaps the passengers took advantage of an extra lounge act on board.

 

[Suckrates]

I wouldnt be able to "Dock" anyway because I am circumcised, therefore NO foreskin !   😢

[Olddaddy]

On 7/12/2026 at 10:22 PM, PeterRS2 said:

gay cruise and would not now wish to go on one - too old

Your never too old !

I'm 82 and still going to Bangkok's biggest Nightclubs 🕺🕺

 

[PeterRS2]

6 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

Your never too old !

I'm 82 and still going to Bangkok's biggest Nightclubs 🕺🕺

Wow! So you suddenly aged about 20 years? 😃

[Mavica]

6 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

Your never too old !

I'm 82 and still going to Bangkok's biggest Nightclubs 🕺🕺

 

[Keithambrose]

5 hours ago, PeterRS2 said:

Wow! So you suddenly aged about 20 years? 😃

It depends on which personality he is using

[floridarob]

21 hours ago, PeterRS2 said:

Wow! So you suddenly aged about 20 years? 😃

He looked in the mirror...

[Suckrates]

On 7/19/2026 at 2:21 PM, Suckrates said:

I wouldnt be able to "Dock" anyway because I am circumcised, therefore NO foreskin !   😢

@unicorn, you "claim" to be a physician, and a GAY one at that, so I am surprised you are NOT familiar with the term "docking" as it relates to sexual practice?

Or are you simply confused by my COMMENT for this thread?    If so, its something called "sarcasm",  and as a GAY man, you should be aware of THAT too.    

So many common things seem to "confuse" you,  or is it ONLY in my threads ?  

 

[floridarob]

2 minutes ago, Suckrates said:

or is it ONLY in my threads ? 

You and Peter.... a match made in heaven 😝

[Suckrates]

6 minutes ago, floridarob said:

You and Peter.... a match made in heaven 😝

Oh, HIS name is Peter ?        You seem to be closer to him than I ?    

[floridarob]

Just now, Suckrates said:

Oh, HIS name is Peter ?

Not Unicorn, PeterRS2..... Focus!

[Suckrates]

10 minutes ago, floridarob said:

Not Unicorn, PeterRS2..... Focus!

Now I'm confused.  My comment you quote was in reference to Unicorn's confused emoji on MY post.   

So not sure WHY Peter comes in the picture,  although I am perplexed by HIM too !  

But thanks for reminding me to take my Ginko Biloba.....

[mauRICE]

18 hours ago, floridarob said:

He looked in the mirror...

And the mirror cracked?

Out flew the web and floated wide—
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me,"

 cried The Lady of Shalott.

Oh for heaven's sake, go look it up. 🙄

[floridarob]

34 minutes ago, Suckrates said:

Now I'm confused.  My comment you quote was in reference to Unicorn's confused emoji on MY post.   

So not sure WHY Peter comes in the picture,  although I am perplexed by HIM too !  

But thanks for reminding me to take my Ginko Biloba.....

or is it ONLY in my threads ? 

You and Peter.... a match made in heaven 😝

[floridarob]

30 minutes ago, mauRICE said:

Oh for heaven's sake, go look it up. 🙄

Is that last part a reflection on his multiple personalities chiming in at the same time?

[Riobard]

On 7/19/2026 at 2:21 PM, Suckrates said:

I wouldnt be able to "Dock" anyway because I am circumcised, therefore NO foreskin !   😢

You could be half-docked, snuggling up into a single lone turtleneck that suffices at port of call. Less negotiation over which one’s elasticity limits would give yoga instructors performance anxiety. 

[Suckrates]

4 hours ago, floridarob said:

or is it ONLY in my threads ? 

You and Peter.... a match made in heaven 😝

Somehow I think you are insulting me ?     But you would NEVER be a bitch...   WOULD YOU ?   

[unicorn]

7 hours ago, Suckrates said:

@unicorn, you "claim" to be a physician, and a GAY one at that, so I am surprised you are NOT familiar with the term "docking" as it relates to sexual practice?

...

Not a term used in either medicine or gay slang in California. My husband (who's in his 30s) never heard of the term either. Probably more common in the UK, where circumcisions are far less commonly performed. No need to be haughty about it. I may know some regional slang with which you're not familiar. 

[macaroni21]

Back to the original topic about ncreasing homophobia in Islamic countries (maybe other countries too), here's a news story about Indonesia from Channel News Asia, dated yesterday:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/lgbtq-indonesia-defence-policy-national-security-threat-6255191

How a national security threat label has reignited Indonesia's LGBTQ debate

Indonesia last October classified the "spread of LGBTQ culture" as one of the country's non-military threats. A series of developments thrust the provision into the public eye this month, sparking a debate.

For more than eight months, a provision tucked away in an Indonesian presidential regulation on national defence drew little public attention.

In an appendix to Presidential Regulation No. 111/2025 on the General National Defence Policy signed in October last year, the government classified the "spread of LGBTQ culture" as one of the country's non-military threats. 

The clause, referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and queer culture, appeared alongside a range of other threats deemed capable of affecting national resilience. They included illegal trafficking, natural resource theft, terrorism, atheism and radicalism.

A presidential regulation is a legally binding regulation published in the State Gazette, while General National Defence Policy documents are highly technical and usually attract little public attention outside government and defence circles.

But a series of developments thrust the provision into the public eye this month, sparking a debate on the place of LGBTQ issues in state policy and the extent to which social issues should be framed within Indonesia's defence strategy.

The issue quickly spread beyond social media into mainstream Indonesian media with national outlets including Antara, Kumparan, and Tempo examining the regulation and prompting public responses from senior government officials.

Some observers and activists say the clause could heighten discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in society, even as Indonesian ministers have defended the regulation while saying the government has no intention of curtailing the fundamental rights of citizens.

"As Indonesian citizens, LGBTQ people are entitled to education, employment, healthcare and other public services without restrictions, segregation or discrimination," Indonesia's Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai told CNA in a phone interview.

But he added that Indonesian society is not ready to accept the LGBTQ community, even as the state remains obliged to respect, protect and fulfil every citizen's rights to education, employment, healthcare and public services.

"The time has not yet come to formally recognise them as an official group because society is not yet ready to accept them," he said.

--- read more via the link; there's no paywall. It's a long article.

 

[PeterRS2]

2 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

In an appendix to Presidential Regulation No. 111/2025 on the General National Defence Policy signed in October last year, the government classified the "spread of LGBTQ culture" as one of the country's non-military threats. 

The clause, referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and queer culture, appeared alongside a range of other threats deemed capable of affecting national resilience. They included illegal trafficking, natural resource theft, terrorism, atheism and radicalism.

The 'tightening' up of pro-Islamic cultural issues really started in Asia at the time of the Iranian Revolution which kicked out the Shah in January 1979. This led to a noticeable increase in the power and political activism of Islamic authorities in both Indonesia and Malaysia - and I assume also in Brunei. In fact it spread worldwide. And that, as I have written before, stemmed directly from the actions of the CIA and Britain in deposing the duly elected Prime Minister of Iran in 1953 in favour of returning the megalomaniacal, self-serving unelected Shah, the man who accepted billions in cash and armaments from the USA and would later turn against it.

With Trump, aided by the crook Netanyahu who manages to escape justice by continually resorting to war, steering the USA back to war with Iran, the Islamic forces there have been given a new lease of life. While we cannot undo what was done in 1979, hopefully this time the world will not be engulfed by yet more Islamic activism.

As for the Indonesian Human Rights Minister stating that the nation is not ready to accept LGBTQ rights, this reminds me of Hong Kong. The British colonial government had for decades refused to move on any form of acceptance because, it claimed, Chinese society (which made up well over 85% of the population) would never accept it. That was total b/s. After homosexuality was brought to the front pages of newspapers following a number of scandals in the late 1970s/early 1980s, the government accepted its own Law Reform Commission Report to finally do away with the 19th century English law mandating punishment for sodomy. It took until 1991 to consign that law to the trash can. Was there a peep out of the Chinese media (Hong Kong had 4 English newspapers/journals and more than 50 in Chinese)? Nothing! It was accepted without any fuss or any demonstration. Chinese society did not care.