Key Aspects:
- Virgin Voyages has confirmed a complete reroute of Brilliant Lady’s October 17, 2026 Mexican Riviera sailing due to Hurricane Trudy.
- Guests will visit San Francisco, San Diego, and Ensenada instead of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta, with Virgin excursions automatically refunded as onboard credit.
- This officially marks the fourth consecutive Brilliant Lady sailing disrupted by tropical weather.
Just one day before departure, the October 17, 2026 sailing of Brilliant Lady has been completely rerouted. Virgin Voyages posted a notice on October 16, confirming that the three originally scheduled ports have been cancelled and replaced due to the projected path of Hurricane Trudy.
As Cruise Hive detailed in its October 15 coverage, the latest sailing had already been facing the possibility of disruption before Virgin Voyages confirmed the revised itinerary. The cruise line issued a notice on October 14, warning guests that the storm may impact the ship’s route.
The 7-night sailing was originally scheduled to visit Cabo San Lucas on October 19, Mazatlan on October 20, and Puerto Vallarta on October 21 before returning to Los Angeles on October 24. However, the hurricane’s strengthening and projected path have made it necessary to replace those ports.
Hurricane Trudy, which is currently around 200 miles southwest of Acapulco, briefly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane on October 16 before weakening to a Category 1 later in the day. According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is projected to move further north near Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta in the coming days.
“Following the guidance of the National Hurricane Center, heading south could put the ship on the stronger, more dangerous side of the storm,” said the cruise line’s notice. “That’s too much of a safety risk and a gamble we’re not willing to take.”
Instead, Brilliant Lady will visit San Francisco on October 19, followed by San Diego on October 21, and Ensenada on October 22. The scheduled return to Los Angeles on October 24 remains unchanged.
What Passengers Need to Know
In its October 16 notice, Virgin Voyages reiterated the advice from its previous warning to guests to pack warmer clothing. The replacement California ports are expected to experience much cooler temperatures than the original Mexican ports, particularly during mornings and evenings.
Guests who booked shore excursions through Virgin Voyages for the cancelled ports will be automatically refunded as credit to their onboard folio. The cruise line did not confirm whether any unused credit will be refunded to the guests’ original payment method.
For excursions not booked through Virgin, the cruise line recommends contacting the third-party operator directly. Shore excursions for the replacement ports will be made available to guests once onboard, through the cruise line’s app.
Storms Disrupt Fourth Sailing in a Row
With this itinerary change, the October 17 cruise officially becomes the fourth consecutive Brilliant Lady sailing to be impacted by tropical weather. Three previous sailings also saw major itinerary adjustments due to Hurricanes Polo and Rachel as well as Tropical Storm Simon.
Like the October 17 sailing, the September 26 and October 10 voyages both replaced Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta with alternative ports in California and Mexico. The September 26 sailing saw the same swaps, replacing the ports with San Francisco, San Diego, and Ensenada due to Hurricane Polo.
Due to Tropical Storms Rachel and Simon at the time, the October 10 voyage replaced the ports with Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Ensenada. The October 3 sailing, meanwhile, substituted Ensenada for Cabo San Lucas due to residual swells from Hurricane Rachel.
