Virgin Voyages Cancels All Tracy Arm Visits For its Inaugural Alaska Season

Brilliant Lady is just a few short months away from becoming the first-ever Virgin Voyages cruise ship to visit Alaska, but her inaugural itineraries will look a little different from what was expected.

Due to ongoing geological instability in the famous Tracy Arm Fjord, the adults-only cruise line has opted to remove the scenic cruising destination from all of its 2026 Alaska itineraries.

Unfortunately, the area within the fjord remains unstable and at an increased risk for landslides following a landslide and tsunami that occurred near the South Sawyer Glacier on August 10, 2025.

Even the 2,770-guest ship’s MerMaiden voyage to Alaska, which embarks in Seattle on May 21, 2026, has been changed.

As a safer alternative, the 110,000-gross ton ship will sail into Endicott Arm, which is very close to Tracy Arm but doesn’t suffer from the same landslide risk. Both fjords have the same entrance point at Holkham Bay, located roughly 50 miles south of Juneau, Alaska.

“We wanted to inform you about a change to your Sailor’s upcoming voyage,” Virgin Voyages wrote in a letter to impacted guests and First Mates.

“Your Sailor’s Brilliant Lady voyage will now visit Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier in place of Tracy Arm Fjord due to ongoing landslide risk in the area,” the notice continued.

It’s also worth noting that Virgin Voyages is not the first cruise line to make this decision. In March, Cruise Hive reported that Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line announced that they would also be replacing Tracy Arm with Endicott Arm.

A Historic First Alaska Season

It’s clear that even with the itinerary change, Brilliant Lady’s inaugural season in Alaska will still be one to remember.

As the first Lady ship to be Panama Canal compliant, she is the one and only ship in the Virgin Voyages fleet that can be deployed to the West Coast and Alaska.

After completing the cruise line’s first season in Los Angeles, the 2025-launched ship will arrive in Seattle, Washington, on May 21, 2026, which is the same day her final of four MerMaiden voyages sets sail.

For context, the mid-sized vessel also operated MerMaiden voyages in New York and Miami in 2025, and will embark on her Los Angeles MerMaiden sailing on April 7, 2026.

The ship will primarily operate 7-night sailings to Alaska, with a few longer voyages and one embarkation in Vancouver thrown into the mix. No other tweaks to the itineraries have been made aside from replacing Tracy Arm.

“The voyage length, ship, and overall experience remain unchanged, and we look forward to delivering an incredible time in Alaska,” Virgin Voyages confirmed.

In addition to Endicott Arm, guests will get to visit Ketchikan, Sitka, and Prince Rupert in British Columbia, Canada.

Endicott Arm Excursion in the Works

Making this itinerary change especially exciting, Virgin Voyages indicated that a special tour is in the works to make the most of the scenic cruising in Endicott Arm.

“We’ll be adding an exclusive new shore thing at Endicott that you can book once you’re onboard,” the cruise line stated.

Details about what this experience may look like are still under wraps, but cruise guests hope that it will be a boat ride that will give them a closer look at the famous blue ice and the stunning Dawes Glacier.

“If they offer a small boat excursion that day take it, it is worth it,” one cruiser asserted.

“Maybe a ride out on a zodiac from the ship for a closer look at the glaciers? Would be fun if so,” another chimed in.

Typically, Virgin Voyages allows guests to book Shore Things (or shore excursions) starting 135 days ahead of embarkation for RockStar suite guests or 120 days for other passengers.

In this case, the mystery excursion will only be sold onboard. Interested guests will want to make their way to the shore excursion deck on Deck 7 as soon as possible, as availability may be limited.