October 27, 2026 — Virgin Voyages has cancelled a 2027 Mexican Riviera sailing on Brilliant Lady because the ship has been taken for a private charter, and booked guests are being offered a move to another week or a full refund.
What happened
The cancelled voyage is the seven-night round trip from Los Angeles departing October 30, 2027, which was scheduled to call at San Diego, Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada. Virgin told booked guests the sailing will not go ahead because of a private charter.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Ship | Brilliant Lady |
| Cancelled sailing | 7 nights, Los Angeles round trip, departing October 30, 2027 |
| Rebooking window | Any other 7-night Los Angeles departure from September 18 to November 13, 2027 (those sailings visit Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta) |
| If you rebook | Original fare and promotions reportedly honored, plus $100 onboard credit |
| If you cancel | Full refund to the original form of payment |
| Deadline to choose | TBA |
In its note to guests, Virgin acknowledged “how much planning goes into a vacation like this.”
What it means for airline travelers
- If you have already booked flights to Los Angeles for October 30, 2027, check your airline’s change rules before choosing a new week. With a year to go, most travelers will have time to shift dates.
- Flying standby is the easiest case: nothing is ticketed yet, so pick the replacement week that has the best flight options to LAX for you. Long Beach (LGB), Burbank (BUR), Orange County (SNA) and Ontario (ONT) are alternatives if LAX loads are heavy.
- The replacement weeks fall in a different port mix (Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta rather than San Diego and Ensenada), so review the itinerary before you switch.
- The source did not mention any effect on travel-industry or interline rates; if you booked at one of those rates, confirm with your booking channel that it carries over to the new sailing.
Sources
- Cruise Industry News — Virgin Cancels 2027 Cruise on the West Coast
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