Thursday marked a major milestone for Virgin Voyages as the popular brand celebrated its inaugural Panama Canal crossing.
The "adult-by-design cruise line" live-streamed Brilliant Lady's trip through the historic waterway during a "Sea It Live!" eight-hour YouTube broadcast.
Launched in New York late last year, Brilliant Lady is heading west through the Panama Canal to begin her debut season in Los Angeles, before becoming the first Virgin ship to sail to Alaska this summer.
Since Brilliant Lady's three sister ships were never able to transit the Panama Canal due to its strict dimensional limits, Virgin Voyages' naval architects redesigned the ship with a custom davit system that pulls the lifeboats further inboard.
The aft overhang on Deck 7 was also removed entirely and select mid-ship balconies on Deck 8 were reconfigured into a new cabin category: the Slightly Smaller Sea Terrace.
"Bringing Brilliant Lady through the Panama Canal is a defining moment for our fleet and for our crew. This is one of the most technically demanding passages in the world, and it requires absolute precision from our marine and technical team," Frank Weber, SVP of Fleet Operations, said in a statement.
"From propulsion to bridge operations, every element of the ship has been carefully configured and planned to navigate environments like this while maintaining the seamless experience our sailors expect," added Weber.
Virgin Voyages' next Panama Canal crossing aboard Brilliant Lady will sail from Los Angeles to Miami on a 17-night voyage departing October 29, 2026.
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