Virgin Voyages Eyes Reroute as Hurricane Rachel Nears

Virgin Voyages is looking ahead to the next sailing of Brilliant Lady and alerting guests to the possibility of an itinerary shift to northern climates rather than the planned Mexican Riviera cruise.

While there are no confirmed changes to the ship’s 7-night itinerary yet, the cruise line has been keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Rachel and planning contingencies for the safest, most comfortable cruise.

In a notification posted to their website on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, Virgin Voyages discusses the possibility of an itinerary change for the Saturday, October 3 departure from Los Angeles.

“Rachel is expected to continue tracking northwest, and some forecasts have it developing into a hurricane as soon as tomorrow,” the notification reads.

Rachel was indeed upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane with the 2 a.m. (ET) Wednesday morning update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

“Our current planned track for Brilliant Lady would bring us near Baja California around Sunday night into Monday morning, while we’re on our way to Cabo San Lucas, close enough to the storm’s path that we’re taking it seriously and planning ahead,” the notice said. “It’s genuinely too early to say which way the storm goes, so we wanted to be proactive in sharing that we’re watching it.”

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Virgin Voyages is firm that no decision has been made for changing the ship’s itinerary. The weeklong cruise is scheduled for port visits to Cabo San Lucas on Monday, October 5 from 1-8 p.m.; Mazatlan on Tuesday, October 6 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday, October 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. before returning to Los Angeles on Saturday, October 10.

Where Could Brilliant Lady Go?

The cruise line does note that they are “planning ahead” and that they have “prepared an alternative itinerary in case we need to reroute” but has not disclosed what destinations that alternative itinerary may include.

One clue is the precautionary statement about what to pack for the cruise.

“It’s worth tucking a few extra layers and a light jacket into your suitcase, just in case our voyage takes us to any destinations with cooler temperatures,” the notice said.

Because Brilliant Lady is sailing from Los Angeles, the only ports with cooler temperatures the ship could visit to steer clear of Hurricane Rachel are in the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

Destinations such as Astoria, Seattle, Vancouver, and Victoria might all be possible if the ship does need to reroute. Brilliant Lady could also spend time in San Francisco or even just south of Los Angeles in Ensenada or at Catalina Island, depending on exactly how an alternative itinerary might be planned.

Under the Passenger Vessel Services Act, the Bahamas-flagged Brilliant Lady will need to call at at least one foreign port, so Victoria, Vancouver, or Ensenada must be on any alternative itinerary if all her planned ports are cancelled.

Hurricane Rachel Update

As of the 8 a.m. (ET) update from the NHC, Hurricane Rachel is located 380 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. The center of the storm is moving northwest at 10 mph, but is expected to turn further west and could strengthen into a major hurricane.

Limited tropical storm watches and warnings are already in place on parts of Mexico’s southwestern Pacific coast.

“On the forecast track, the center of Rachel is expected to move away from mainland Mexico and south of the Baja California Peninsula through Thursday,” the advisory notes.

Hurricane-force winds extend up to 25 miles out from the storm’s center and tropical-storm-force winds extend out up to 160 miles. Those winds and the swells they create are what must be closely monitored to determine if Brilliant Lady needs to change her itinerary away from the rough weather.