If you've been interested in Virgin Voyages' kid-free cruising but wanted to see some new itineraries, we've got great news. Today, Virgin has announced that their latest ship, Brilliant Lady, will be setting sail to destinations all around North and Central America, including quite a few surprises. The announcement came via a less-traditional and rather Virgin-esque video, but we'll share the highlights below.
New Virgin Voyages Itineraries
Brilliant Lady will be home-porting out of New York and LA, with additional sailings from Seattle and Miami. So where is she heading from those spots?
New York to Bermuda & Canada
Starting September 5, 2025, sailings ranging from five to 13 nights will sail from Manhattan in New York, and visit the pink sands of Bermuda, the charming walled city of Quebec, as well as Maine, Charleston, Boston, Halifax, and New Brunswick.
New Destination from Miami
From the unique Terminal V in Miami, Brilliant will sail to destinations including the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonnaire & Curacao), Jamaica and more. Starting October 17, 2025, there will be a total of 17 voyages ranging from seven to twelve nights - longer Caribbean sailings like Sailors (Virgin's term for guests) have asked for! Other destinations include Turks & Caicos, Antigua, Grand Cayman, Catagena, and of course The Beach Club at Bimini - Virgin's private party and relaxing spot in The Bahamas.
Panama Canal Experience
On March 21, 2025, Virgin's latest ship gets to flaunt some differences compared to her sister ships, which allow here to transit the Panama Canal. This means Sailors can enjoy a 16 night from Miami, sailing south towards Colombia and Panama before her eight-hour passage through the iconic Panama Canal. After a day at sea, Sailors can discover Costa Rica’s lush jungles before enjoying Antigua, Guatemala’s acclaimed Lake Atitlán, and then Los Cabos before arriving in Los Angeles on April 6.
Enjoy the Mexican Riviera & California with sailings from LA
With her LA MerMaiden on April 7, 2026, Brilliant Lady will set sail for 5-8 night sailings along California's West Coast, with calls in Baja California, Puerto Vallarta and San Diego.
The Last Frontier: Alaska
From May 2026 through September of 2026 Brilliant Lady will sail from Seattle to Alaska. Don't dismiss these as "cold cruises" as Alaska has become one of our favorite places to explore by ship. Watching wildlife from ship and shore, sitting out on your hammock spotting wales, and enjoying hikes and cultural sites when in port - we're excited for Virgin to release more details on these surely-popular Alaskan cruises, but we're pretty sure Astoria, Oregon will be on those itineraries - and that is a great gem in the Pacific Northwest that is often skipped on other AK sailings.
New Ways to Save Your Spot & Check Out ALL of the Homeports
Alaska Front(ier) of the Line Pass
Given the anticipated high demand for Alaskan voyages, starting May 8, 2024, Sailors can submit an early deposit to secure their priority window to book one of the limited Alaskan itineraries before they open to the public. Placeholders are $500 for Sea Terraces, $1,000 for RockStar Quarters and $2,500 for Mega RockStar Quarters.
Brilliant 4 You Pass
Virgin Voyages has seen impressive demand for special sailings, so they're introducing a “Brilliant 4 You Pass” with unprecedented access to all of Brilliant Lady’s MerMaiden voyages. RockStar Suite accommodations (Seriously Suite) are complemented by one Shore Thing per voyage, and we'd not be surprised to see these sell out very quickly.
Our recommendation to help you navigate these waters is to use a good travel agent to help with these - you can fill out the purple form on this page or at CruiseHabit.com/help to get help from the same experts that plan our travel. Guests previously scheduled to sail on Brilliant Lady, before she was delayed, will be given priority for MerMaiden voyages.
Billy's Thoughts
While we anticipated some West Coast announcements, the breadth of what is being offered, at least for Brilliant Lady's first season, is really impressive. We're already talking to our travel agent to see how many of these voyages we can enjoy. It's also worth mentioning that Virgin teased a few other things in today's announcement - including a new category of cabins on Brilliant Lady which include two hammocks on their sea terraces. Who wouldn't want this?! (Well, solo cruisers, I guess...but you get my point).
They also alluded to the opportunity for some to visit Brilliant Lady in her new ports of call to see what the dining, entertainment, and vibe is all about. They did something similar to this before the 2020 industry shut down scuttled initial plans, and this seems a fun way to show off the brand to the uninitiated - though we'd bet many of the local sailings will be sold out before these events even happen.
Let's hope guests - err, Sailors - love these sailings as much as we suspect we will so that we can see more of them in the future. Want to join us on Virgin? Check out our next Virgin Voyages Group Cruise where we host special events, help you get more for your money, and have a great time with friends new and old. You can find information at VirginVoyagesGroupCruise.com