Key Aspects:
- Virgin Voyages has dropped Brilliant Lady’s October 5 call to Cabo San Lucas due to residual swell left behind by Hurricane Rachel.
- The cruise line says conditions would make tendering in Cabo unsafe, even though the hurricane has moved away from the ship’s route.
- Ensenada will replace Cabo on the 7-night October 3 sailing from Los Angeles, while the remainder of the Mexican Riviera itinerary remains unchanged.
Virgin Voyages has confirmed an itinerary change for Brilliant Lady’s October 3 departure from Los Angeles. A scheduled port call in Cabo San Lucas has been dropped due to lingering ocean conditions from Hurricane Rachel.
The 7-night Mexican Riviera itinerary from the California port was originally scheduled to visit Cabo San Lucas on October 5, Mazatlan on October 6, and Puerto Vallarta on October 7. The 2,770-guest ship is set to return to Los Angeles on October 10.
The port of Cabo San Lucas has been closed since September 30 due to rough sea conditions, with no reopening date specified. Virgin Voyages subsequently cancelled the scheduled call in the Mexican port, citing unsafe residual swell.
Unlike many cruise ports, Cabo San Lucas does not have a cruise terminal where ships can dock directly. Cruise ships instead anchor offshore and use smaller tender boats to transport guests between the vessel and shore, making rough sea conditions particularly important for safety.
The cruise line confirmed the cancellation in an email to guests and in an update on its website. After receiving the email, a booked guest shared it on Reddit.
“Hurricane Rachel has safely moved away from our route, but it’s left behind residual swell strong enough that tendering into Cabo San Lucas wouldn’t be safe or comfortable,” the email reads.
Brilliant Lady’s call in Cabo will be replaced by a sea day with a visit to Ensenada added on October 4, meaning guests will still get three days ashore in Mexico. The remainder of the itinerary remains unchanged.
This is the second consecutive sailing aboard Brilliant Lady to be affected by a hurricane. The September 26 sailing from Los Angeles was substantially rerouted because of Hurricane Polo.
Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta were all cancelled, with Brilliant Lady instead visiting San Francisco, San Diego, and Ensenada. That cruise returns to Los Angeles on October 3, the same day this newly affected sailing departs.
Guests Were Warned of Potential Itinerary Changes
The reroute to Ensenada came as a disappointment to some guests, with one passenger commenting on Reddit that it is a “major downgrade from Cabo”. Nonetheless, the change did not come as a surprise.
Cruise Hive reported on September 30 that Virgin had already warned guests on this sailing that Rachel could force changes. At that point, Virgin said the planned path would bring Brilliant Lady near Baja California Sunday night into Monday morning and that an alternate itinerary was being prepared.
Virgin Voyages was considering alternatives such as Astoria, Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, and San Francisco, depending on how the storm progressed. One guest commenting on Reddit was relieved to see how minimal the reroute ended up being.
“I was a bit disappointed to see this, but compared to the possibility of re-routing to San Francisco, I’ll take it!” the guest said.
With no clear reopening date for the port of Cabo San Lucas, it is not yet known whether the disruption could affect the next sailing as well. The October 10 departure of Brilliant Lady from Los Angeles is currently scheduled to visit the Mexican port on October 12.
