No one wants to book a cruise only to have it canceled a few weeks later. But the reality is that there are a few reasons a cruise line might cancel a booking and send that dreaded letter to impacted guests—or “would-be” guests.
Sometimes it’s a scheduling thing, it can be a maintenance issue, and sometimes it’s an individual or company with deep pockets that decides they want the entire ship to themselves.
An upcoming cruise on the Virgin Voyages vessel Brilliant Lady was recently canceled—actually, two sailings were canceled. But one in particular impacted a Reddit user who took to the platform to describe their surprise at how this could happen.
User ProfAGriffin, who booked a Rockstar status cruise departing from PortMiami on January 15, 2026, shared their disappointment on the r/VirginVoyages subreddit after being informed their sailing was canceled because the entire ship had been booked for a private event.
“Last Thursday, we were notified that the entire ship was booked for a private event and that our reservations had to be changed or cancelled all together,” ProfAGriffin stated in the post.
“We were stunned. We assumed that reservations made meant reservations kept. But apparently, if you have enough $$$, you can take the entire ship and make everyone already booked, move.”
While Virgin Voyages offered to rebook them on the same itinerary a month later with $100 in onboard credit, the experience left them less than thrilled.
Not Uncommon in the Cruise World
Unfortunately, this situation isn’t unique to Virgin Voyages. As several commenters on the Reddit thread pointed out, entire ship charters are a known practice across the cruise industry.
“This happens all the time, not just on Virgin,” commented one user. They explained that if a cruise ship has lower-than-expected booking numbers, the guaranteed income from a full-ship charter can be more appealing to the cruise line.
Another user noted a perceived increase in these kinds of cancelations across various cruise lines.
Why Charter a Whole Ship?
Chartering an entire cruise ship can serve different purposes. Companies might book a vessel for large-scale corporate events like conferences or employee rewards. Some groups might also charter a ship to create unique, themed experiences for their members.
I booked a cruise before that was only partially chartered by a music group. I didn’t know it at the time of the booking, but it did make for a different experience as some lounges and amenities were unavailable because of the large group on board.
Confirmed: Brilliant Lady Sailing Chartered by Atlantis Events
Further investigation confirmed the Reddit user’s experience. According to a report by VV Insider, the January 15, 2026, sailing of the Brilliant Lady has indeed been canceled due to a private charter. The VV Insider article states that the charter was booked by Atlantis Events, a company known for organizing themed cruises.
The report also indicates that a following sailing on January 23, 2026, has also been canceled for the same reason. I confirmed that both of these sailings are no longer available for booking on the Virgin Voyages website.
Compensation Offered to Affected Passengers
Virgin Voyages is offering affected passengers two options, as detailed by VV Insider:
- Rebooking with Price Guarantee: Passengers can rebook on a different Miami sailing between December 2025 and April 2026 (with some exclusions) and retain their original fare and promotions. They will also receive $100 in onboard credit per cabin.
- Future Credit or Refund: Passengers can opt for a full refund or a future cruise credit.
Disappointment During Inaugural Season
The cancelation is particularly interesting because Brilliant Lady is Virgin Voyages’ brand-new ship that is set to debut in September 2025. The January sailings that were canceled would have only been a few short months after the ship’s inaugural voyage.
While it’s never fun to have a cruise sailing canceled, it’s important for cruisers to remain flexible, especially when booking a cruise more than 6 months out. It’s more common for changes to take place for sailings a year and a half to two years out, but this does happen from time to time.
Cruise lines like full-ship charters for guaranteed income, particularly during slower seasons. If you’re booking a cruise, especially far ahead, it’s smart to check the cancelation rules and think about travel insurance to protect your plans
