Ports, Passengers, and the Drake Debate

Today's Cruise News covers three stories shaping where cruisers can go and how they get there. Egypt and Turkey denied port calls to Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady during a 10-night Atlantis Events charter, prompting a revised Eastern Mediterranean itinerary for roughly 1,900 guests. The U.S. Department of State kept Turks and Caicos at a Level 2 advisory, urging increased caution at the busy Grand Turk cruise port over crime, vendor scams, and strict firearms laws that have led to tourist prosecutions over stray ammunition. And Atlas Ocean Voyages added six fly-cruise departures for the 2027-28 Antarctica season, letting travelers trade the roughly two-day Drake Passage crossing for a two-hour charter flight from Punta Arenas, Chile to King George Island.