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  "description": "Virgin’s West Coast debut gives San Diego another signal of cruise growth as California ports compete for newer ships and more varied Pacific itineraries. ",
  "path": "/virgin-voyages-brilliant-lady-makes-first-san-diego-call/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-21T02:46:56.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.cruisenews.io",
  "textContent": "Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady made its first call at the Port of San Diego on April 10, 2026, during the cruise line’s first West Coast season. The call was part of a five-night Los Angeles round trip that also visited Santa Barbara and Ensenada before returning to the World Cruise Terminal.\n\nThe San Diego visit came four days after Brilliant Lady arrived at the Port of Los Angeles, where Virgin Voyages began its first California-based deployment. For San Diego, the call adds another new cruise line visit during a period when the port expects its cruise schedule to expand beyond the current season.\n\n## San Diego call follows Los Angeles launch\n\nSan Diego marked the inaugural visit with an onboard reception, a plaque exchange with local authorities and a tour that included technical areas of the ship. The call followed Brilliant Lady’s April 7 start of service from Los Angeles, after an April 6 preview event at the Port of Los Angeles that brought more than 2,000 invited guests onboard.\n\nPort of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka described Virgin Voyages as “a fresh, contemporary cruise for Los Angeles” as the line opened its California program. The Los Angeles season includes short Mexico and Baja California sailings, with six- and seven-night itineraries adding calls such as Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas.\n\nBrilliant Lady is Virgin Voyages’ newest ship. The fourth in the line’s fleet, it was built by Fincantieri in Italy and delivered in early 2024. The 110,000-gross-ton ship entered service in 2025 and carries about 2,770 passengers in roughly 1,408 cabins, with a crew of about 1,160.\n\nSan Diego is California’s third-busiest cruise port, behind Long Beach and Los Angeles. The Port of San Diego expected 107 voyages and 389,000 passengers in the 2025-26 cruise season, with about $56 million in local economic impact from those sailings. The port has said the following season could reach up to 190 ship calls and 800,000 passengers, driven by new homeport operations from Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line.\n\n## Alaska program follows spring Mexico sailings\n\nBrilliant Lady will continue weeklong Mexican Riviera cruises from Los Angeles before making its final spring departure in early May and repositioning to Vancouver, ahead of Virgin Voyages’ first Alaska and Canada season.\n\nFrom its summer homeport, the ship is scheduled to operate seven- to 12-night Alaska and Canada itineraries between mid-May and early September. The program includes calls at Prince Rupert, Victoria, Sitka, Ketchikan and Haines.\n\nAfter the Alaska season, Brilliant Lady is set to return to Los Angeles for additional West Coast and Mexican Riviera itineraries in the fall before moving on to its winter program. San Diego’s next scheduled Brilliant Lady calls are in mid-September and late October, followed by four additional visits between May and November 2027.",
  "title": "Virgin Voyages' Brilliant Lady Makes First San Diego Call",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-21T04:46:57.117Z"
}