Call all cruise lovers! A new adults only cruise is now departing from the port of Los Angeles in Long Beach, California.
Virgin Voyages has brought their Brilliant Lady cruise ship to L.A. The first departure of the season left from its homeport of Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 7. The 110,000-ton vessel is 909 feet long and 125 feet wide with 1,408 cabins with a capacity of 2,770 passengers.
“This ship was specially built to go through the Panama Canal,” Billy Bohan Chinique, Vice President, Marketing & Digital Innovation, tells Secret Los Angeles. “That made it possible for us to have LA as a home port for part of the season.”
Angeleno tastes were in mind as Virgin Voyages curated the itinerary and restaurants on board.
“The experience itself lends it really nicely to the type of consumer that would come to LA to sail from. We have a connection to the outside, wellbeing is a core,” Bohan Chinique explains. “We care about the things that you all care about entertainment, great food, a vibe, and we do that well.”
Nathan Rosenberg, Virgin Voyages’ Chief Marketing Officer, agrees with the sentiment.
“My very first visit to the United States of America was to Los Angeles,” he says. “There’s a lovely relationship between people who are from Sydney and LA. We feel quite a lot of kinship because both of the cities have a very outdoor, healthy kind of lifestyle generally. Most of the year round the weather’s pretty decent compared to other parts of the United States. For me, it has always felt like a second home.
“I love the fact that we’re here and the brand has had a very strong history in Los Angeles from the megastore that used to be in Hollywood to Virgin Atlantic flying here and then obviously it was one of the main hubs for Virgin America. I feel like we’re kind of bringing the brand back here in a way that I think it’s the perfect combination of all the kinds of experiences the brand is in about.”
What’s special about Virgin Voyages?
No kids allowed! It’s an adults only cruise, and it certainly changes the vibes onboard.
No buffets! Guests will experience 20+ restaurant experience included in their cruise. Many restaurants and bars have “Treat Yourself” choices that guests can enjoy at an up-charge.
Rojo is the restaurant special to this boat only. The menu is Spanish inspired with tapas, pork ribs, cauliflower, and a delicious lobster paella.
The Gunbae restaruant onboard was also inspired by Frank Weber’s night out in L.A.’s Koreatown, Secret Los Angeles learned. The Senior Vice President of Fleet Operations stumbled into a local KBBQ spot and knew he needed to bring the experience onboard. Guests kick off their meal with soju and drinking games before dining communally over an electric grill Weber invented to be used at sea, with a menu by Sohui Kim.
L.A.’s Virgin Voyage cruise options:
SoCal and Ensenada: Halloween Edition
Los Angeles-Catalina Island-San Diego-Ensenada-Los Angeles
5 nights
Mexican Riviera Halloween Cruise
Los Angeles-Cabo San Lucas-Puerto Vallarta-Mazatlán-Los Angeles
7 nights
L.A. Lights and Vancouver Vistas
Los Angeles-Catalina Island-San Francisco-Astoria, Oregon-Victoria, British Columbia-Vancouver
8 nights
Coastal Pacific: From L.A. to Vancouver
Los Angeles-San Diego-San Francisco-Astoria, Oregon-Victoria, British Columbia-Vancouver
9 nights
Panama Canal: L.A. to Miami Halloween
Los Angeles-Cabo San Lucas-Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala-Puntarenas, Costa Rica-Panama City (including the Panama Canal)-Cartagena, Colombia-Miami
17 nights
According to KTLA, 2025 reported a record year for cruises at the port, “with 241 calls carrying a total of 1.6 million passengers and generating an estimated $300 million for the local economy.”
The cruiseline soon will soon expand to Seattle, with potential trips up to Alaska.