Key Aspects:
- Virgin Voyages has cancelled Brilliant Lady’s October 30, 2027, Halloween cruise from Los Angeles after the ship was booked for a private charter.
- The ship’s following 7-night Mexican Riviera sailing is also being replaced with separate 3- and 4-night cruises as part of a West Coast schedule adjustment.
- Affected guests are being offered alternative sailings with onboard credit or a full refund of their voyage fare.
Halloween is the time for frights and surprises, though guests booked on the October 30, 2027 sailing aboard Brilliant Lady have gotten a scare they didn’t ask for. According to a notice shared by a guest on Reddit, Virgin Voyages has cancelled the cruise after the ship was booked for a private charter.
“Due to a private charter, this voyage has been canceled,” said the notice. “We’re sorry for the disruption. We know how much planning goes into a vacation like this, and we certainly don’t take this lightly.”
The 2,770-guest ship’s special Halloween cruise from Los Angeles was originally set to visit San Diego, Ensenada, and Cabo San Lucas. It was then scheduled to return to the Southern California port on November 6.
Details surrounding the charter and who booked it have not been publicly disclosed. The original Halloween sailing is still listed as available on Virgin Voyages’ website at the time of writing, though the booking link leads to an error page.
Cruise Hive readers will be aware that Virgin Voyages has cancelled cruises for charters in the past. For example, in August 2025, the cruise line cancelled Scarlet Lady’s April 19, 2026 7-night Caribbean sailing aboard Scarlet Lady in favor of a charter by Summit at Sea.
Charters can often be more lucrative to cruise lines than a traditional sailing, as they usually involve buying out every cabin onboard. By comparison, there is no guarantee that every cabin will be filled on a typical sailing.
The Following Sailing Has Also Been Replaced
Guests booked on the following Brilliant Lady sailing are also facing a disruption. As part of a West Coast schedule adjustment, Virgin Voyages has replaced the sailing with two shorter cruises.
The 7-night Mexican Riviera cruise was originally set to depart from Los Angeles on November 6, 2027 and visit San Diego and an overnight in Cabo San Lucas before returning to Los Angeles on November 13.
In place of the original weeklong itinerary, Virgin Voyages will offer separate 4-night and 3-night cruises. While the new voyages have not yet appeared on Virgin Voyages’ website, details provided to affected guests indicate that the 4-night sailing will visit Catalina Island and Ensenada, while the 3-night cruise will visit Ensenada.
What Options Do Affected Guests Have?
One guest got a double-whammy with the schedule changes, as they were booked on both the October 30 and the subsequent November 6 sailings back-to-back. In a post on Reddit, the guest expressed disappointment and concern over how promotional benefits would be handled.
“Kind of bummed out, was really looking forward to it,” the guest said. “Now to figure out where to cruise next but to add insult to injury I’ve got MNVV [My Next Virgin Voyage] on both sailings and took advantage of the pay in full discount that’s no longer an option.”
The guest further explained the options presented to them by the cruise line. For both sailings, the guest was offered the opportunity to transfer to any other 7-night voyage departing from Los Angeles between September 18 and November 13, 2027, with their original fare and promotions honored, plus $100 in onboard credit.
Alternatively, they were given the option of a full refund of the voyage fare paid to their original payment method. The guest added that there was no mention of their MNVV certificates also being refunded with this option.
A third option, presented only for the November 6 sailing, was to switch to one of the new 3- or 4-night itineraries instead. Payments already made by guests who choose this option will be automatically applied to the new sailing, and guests will also receive the aforementioned $100 onboard credit.
Cruise cancellations due to charters and schedule adjustments are not uncommon, though they present difficulties for guests with limited travel flexibility. With both affected Brilliant Lady sailings still a year out, guests will have some time to decide what alternate option best suits their needs.
