Hurricane Trudy Reroutes Brilliant Lady Cruise to California Ports

Virgin Voyages has cancelled all three Mexican Riviera calls on Brilliant Lady’s October 17, 2026, departure from Los Angeles because of Hurricane Trudy. The seven-night voyage has been redirected to California and Ensenada, Mexico, without changing its scheduled return.

This is the fourth consecutive Los Angeles sailing disrupted by tropical weather for Brilliant Lady. Virgin confirmed the revised itinerary on October 16, one day before embarkation, after warning passengers on October 14 that a diversion might be necessary.

The cancelled destinations are Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Brilliant Lady will instead call at San Francisco on October 19, San Diego on October 21 and Ensenada on October 22, before returning to Los Angeles on October 24.

“Following the guidance of the National Hurricane Center, heading south could put the ship on the stronger, more dangerous side of the storm,” Virgin wrote in its letter to guests. “That’s too much of a safety risk and a gamble we’re not willing to take,” the company added.

Trudy briefly reached Category 3 strength on October 16 before weakening to Category 1 later that day. The National Hurricane Center projected a northward track near the originally scheduled destinations. Virgin told passengers that forecasts for Trudy had varied considerably, while the remnants of Simon were less concerning.

The cruise line acknowledged the late notification, saying it had waited for greater confidence in the forecast and confirmation of replacement ports before contacting guests. It also cautioned that securing alternative calls at short notice limited the options available.

Excursions refunded, jackets recommended

Shore excursions purchased through Virgin for the cancelled calls will be refunded automatically to passengers’ onboard accounts. The company did not specify whether any unused credit would be returned to the original payment method.

Passengers with independently booked tours were advised to contact their operators directly. Refund eligibility for those arrangements depends on the terms of each booking.

Excursions at the replacement destinations will become available through the Virgin Voyages app once guests are onboard. The line also advised passengers to bring additional layers and a light jacket. The California calls are expected to be considerably cooler than the Mexican Riviera, particularly in the mornings and evenings.

Three earlier departures also lost planned calls

Hurricane Polo forced the September 26 voyage to drop its entire Mexican Riviera schedule. That sailing visited the same three replacement destinations assigned to the latest cruise.

On the October 3 departure, residual swells from Hurricane Rachel made the approach to Cabo San Lucas unsafe, and Ensenada replaced the call. That voyage retained its other planned calls.

The October 10 departure then lost all three Mexican Riviera stops because of conditions associated with Rachel and Simon. Its revised route included Santa Barbara, San Diego and Ensenada.

Brilliant Lady is scheduled to begin a five-night Baja Mexico Halloween cruise on its return to Los Angeles. Its final scheduled Los Angeles sailing of the year is a 17-night repositioning voyage to Miami departing October 29.

See current Brilliant Lady fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.