Brilliant Lady drops Mexico ports for a California week after Polo
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Brilliant Lady’s 26 Sep 2026 Los Angeles week is now a California coast cruise. Virgin Voyages pulled the ship off the Mexican Riviera because of Hurricane Polo. Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta are off. San Francisco, San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada are on. VV Insider published the revised schedule on 25 Sep 2026, from a letter signed by Chief Operating Officer Michelle Bentubo. Cruise Hive’s Polo roundup, dated 26 Sep 2026, confirms the three cancelled Mexico calls and three of the replacement ports. No Virgin Voyages newsroom page for this sailing was located. The day-by-day clocks below come from VV Insider.
Carnival Panorama, Grand Princess, and Navigator of the Seas already have their own Polo posts. Keep those port lists on those ships.
What came off
Cruise Hive dates the lost calls. Cabo San Lucas was Monday 28 Sep. Mazatlán was Tuesday 29 Sep. Puerto Vallarta was Wednesday 30 Sep. VV Insider names the same three ports and does not print those dates. Use Cruise Hive for the dates, then match them to the email in your account.
Bentubo’s letter, as VV Insider quotes it, says the line had been watching Polo. Sailing south on the original route was not an option. The teams had been working to lock San Francisco, and the letter says that call is confirmed. You are hearing this close to embarkation.
The new week
VV Insider prints this schedule. Departure and return dates stay put.
- Saturday 26 Sep: depart Los Angeles at 5pm
- Sunday 27 Sep: sea day
- Monday 28 Sep: San Francisco, 8am to 8pm
- Tuesday 29 Sep: sea day
- Wednesday 30 Sep: San Diego, 8am to 6pm
- Thursday 1 Oct: Catalina Island, 8am to 6pm, by tender
- Friday 2 Oct: Ensenada, 8am to 5pm
- Saturday 3 Oct: arrive Los Angeles at 6:30am
That is four port calls and two sea days, plus the departure day and the arrival day. Ensenada is the only Mexico port left. San Francisco is a 12-hour call.
Cruise Hive lists San Francisco on 28 Sep, San Diego on 30 Sep, and Ensenada on 2 Oct, with a Los Angeles return on 3 Oct. Its Brilliant Lady section does not mention Catalina Island, the tender, or these hours. Cruise Hive says booked sailors confirmed the change. VV Insider is the one with Bentubo’s letter. If the app disagrees with VV Insider, the app wins.
Refunds and what to pack
VV Insider says Shore Things you booked for the removed ports refund in full to the original form of payment. The refund is automatic. Shore Things for the new ports were due in the Virgin Voyages app soon after the 25 Sep letter. Check the app before you count on a tour.
Excursions you booked on your own need a call to that operator. Virgin’s note does not cover those bookings.
Neither write-up lists a cruise-fare refund or an extra onboard credit for the port swap. Budget the Shore Things refund unless a newer Virgin email adds more.
Virgin also told you to pack for a cooler California coast than the Mexico week you booked. Mornings and evenings at sea are the cold part. Bring warmer layers and a light jacket to the terminal.
Cruise Hive’s 26 Sep roundup cites National Hurricane Center Advisory 24, issued at 8:00am. In that citation Polo had maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, sat 480 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, and was moving west-northwest at 9 mph. Those figures are the storm status in that article. They are not a line in Bentubo’s 25 Sep letter. They are not a live forecast for the rest of your week.
What you should do
If you are on the 26 Sep 2026 Brilliant Lady sailing, clear plans that needed Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, or Puerto Vallarta. Use the VV Insider clocks above, then confirm San Francisco, San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada in the app. Catalina is a tender call. Confirm the Shore Things refund hit the original payment. Pack a jacket. Facts above follow VV Insider on 25 Sep 2026 and Cruise Hive on 26 Sep 2026.
Ship pages
Cruise news for September 28, 2026
Sources
Tier 1 = the cruise line’s own published material · Tier 2 = an established cruise-news outlet- TIER 2VV Insider, Rob Sammons, 25 Sep 2026: Virgin Voyages confirmed a revised itinerary for Brilliant Lady's 26 Sep 2026 Los Angeles sailing because of Hurricane Polo; the seven-night voyage visits San Francisco, San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada instead of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta; the update is signed by Chief Operating Officer Michelle Bentubo; Bentubo says the line had been monitoring Polo, sailing south as originally scheduled is not an option, the change is close to embarkation, and San Francisco is now confirmed; schedule is depart Los Angeles 5pm Saturday 26 Sep, sea day Sunday 27 Sep, San Francisco Monday 28 Sep 8am to 8pm, sea day Tuesday 29 Sep, San Diego Wednesday 30 Sep 8am to 6pm, Catalina Island Thursday 1 Oct 8am to 6pm by tender, Ensenada Friday 2 Oct 8am to 5pm, arrive Los Angeles Saturday 3 Oct at 6:30am; four port calls and two sea days; departure and return dates unchanged; Shore Things for removed ports receive an automatic full refund to the original form of payment; independent excursions are the guest's call to the operator; Shore Things for replacement ports would be available to book soon in the Virgin Voyages app; sailors should pack warmer layers and a light jacket for cooler California mornings and evenings, especially at sea
VV Insider, checked 25 Sep 2026 · Primary Tier 2 write-up of Virgin's letter. Catalina Island, the tender, the hour-by-hour clocks, the Shore Things refund to the original payment, and the packing note are in this report. - TIER 2Cruise Hive, Emrys Thakkar, 26 Sep 2026 Polo roundup: as of 26 Sep, four ships had confirmed itinerary changes; for Brilliant Lady's 26 Sep Los Angeles sailing, Virgin cancelled Cabo San Lucas on 28 Sep, Mazatlán on 29 Sep, and Puerto Vallarta on 30 Sep; replacements listed are San Francisco on 28 Sep, San Diego on 30 Sep, and Ensenada on 2 Oct, with Ensenada the only Mexican port and a Los Angeles return on 3 Oct as normal; the Brilliant Lady section says the change was confirmed by booked guests; the same article cites National Hurricane Center 8:00am Advisory 24, with Polo at maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, 480 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, moving west-northwest at 9 mph
Cruise Hive, checked 26 Sep 2026 · Corroborates the three cancelled Mexico calls and the San Francisco, San Diego, and Ensenada replacements. This Brilliant Lady section does not list Catalina Island, a tender, port hours, or a Shore Things refund. The 155 mph Advisory 24 figures are Cruise Hive's 26 Sep storm status, not a line in the 25 Sep Virgin letter.
Prices and policies move. This page was last checked on Sep 28, 2026, 9:16 AM ET.