Key Aspects:
- Virgin Voyages has warned guests booked on Brilliant Lady’s October 17, 2026 sailing that Hurricane Trudy could force itinerary changes.
- An alternate route is being prepared for the ship’s planned 7-night Mexican Riviera itinerary, which is scheduled to visit Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.
- Three consecutive sailings aboard the ship have already been affected by tropical storm systems.
Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady is potentially facing an itinerary adjustment for the fourth time in a row. The cruise line issued a notice on October 14, 2026 warning guests that the path of then Tropical Storm Trudy may threaten the ship’s October 17 departure.
The 7-night Mexican Riviera itinerary is set to depart from Los Angeles and call at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. It is set to return to Los Angeles on October 24.
However, the planned itinerary would bring the 2,770-guest ship near Baja California, close to the projected path of Hurricane Trudy, late on October 18 into the following morning. While an itinerary change has not been announced, the cruise line said in the notice that it is preparing an alternative route as a precaution.
“We’re currently tracking Tropical Storm Trudy’s path,” said the notice. “We’ve prepared an alternative itinerary in case we need to reroute.”
The cruise line emphasized that no decision regarding itinerary changes has been finalized yet, but promised an update on October 15. Virgin Voyages is also advising guests to pack extra layers and a light jacket, as the alternative itinerary could include destinations with cooler temperatures.
Hurricane Trudy developed quickly, first forming on Tuesday, October 13 as a tropical storm south of Acapulco. The storm rapidly progressed, intensifying into a Category 1 hurricane early on October 15.
According to the National Hurricane Center, sustained winds have intensified to 90 mph with higher gusts. Trudy is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane by Friday, with sustained winds up to 130 mph, gusts up to 160 mph, and large swells affecting parts of Mexico’s Pacific coast.
Storms Have Affected the Three Previous Sailings
If an itinerary change is confirmed, this will mark the fourth sailing of Brilliant Lady in a row to be impacted by tropical weather. Three previous itineraries, which departed from Los Angeles on September 26, October 3, and October 10, all saw major changes due to storms off Mexico’s Pacific coast.
Like the upcoming October 17 departure, all three were similar 7-night sailings, scheduled to call at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. The September 26, 2026 voyage saw all three ports replaced due to the development of Hurricane Polo.
The subsequent October 3, 2026 sailing was then impacted by residual swells from Hurricane Rachel. The swells created dangerous conditions approaching Cabo San Lucas, so the port call was replaced with Ensenada.
Tropical Storm Simon developed on October 7 off Mexico’s southwestern coast, one day before Rachel weakened to a tropical storm on October 8. Cruise Hive reported that the two storms greatly impacted the planned itinerary for the October 10, 2026 departure of Brilliant Lady.
As on September 26, all three ports were cancelled. Cabo San Lucas was replaced with Santa Barbara in California, Mazatlan with San Diego, and the call in Puerto Vallarta was replaced with Ensenada.
Brilliant Lady is scheduled for two more sailings from Los Angeles this year, a 5-night Baja Mexico Halloween cruise on October 24 and a 17-night repositioning cruise to Miami on October 29. With Hurricane Simon weakening, but Hurricane Trudy still active, it’s unknown what impact, if any, the storms will have on these final sailings.
