A Hurricane Missed the Ship but Still Cancelled Cabo

Hurricane Rachel has moved away from the route of Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady, but the sea it left behind has still rewritten the itinerary. The 2,770-passenger ship left Los Angeles on October 3 on a Mexican Riviera sailing, and the line has now confirmed that Cabo San Lucas is off the schedule.

The reason is swell, not wind. Cabo is a tender port, meaning passengers ride small boats between ship and shore, and Virgin said tendering there would not be safe or comfortable in the residual conditions. Ensenada, which the ship visited on October 4, was added in its place.

The knock-on changes are small but real. Arrival and departure times in Mazatlán shifted by roughly two hours, to an 11 a.m. arrival and an 8 p.m. departure. Virgin automatically cancelled the Cabo shore excursions that guests had booked and said it would refund them in full.

For anyone sailing the Pacific coast of Mexico this month, the lesson is that a storm does not have to hit a ship to change its plans. Ports that rely on tenders are the first to go when the water stays rough, so it is worth checking your line’s updates in the days before boarding.

Sources: Cruise Industry News