Virgin Voyages issues wild apology for changing Bermuda route—To Canada

A Virgin Voyages cruise passenger says their long-planned trip to Bermuda was abruptly rerouted to Canada just days before departure—a change that sparked backlash online and prompted the cruise line to issue a public apology.

The moment was captured in a video shared on Instagram by user @indiajadephoto, which has since racked up more than 960,000 views, showing the couple reading the itinerary change email in real time.

Newsweek reached out to @indiajadephoto via email for comment.

What To Know

In the video, the couple explains they were set to board a Virgin Voyages cruise within days, traveling with family to celebrate an anniversary in Bermuda. Their luggage had already been sent ahead with relatives traveling earlier.

“We leave in what—two days? We just got an email,” the couple said in the clip.

The email, which is read aloud in the video, states that due to forecasted weather, Virgin Voyages decided to change the itinerary for safety reasons.

“Instead of Bermuda, we’ll be heading to Northern Canada and St. John, New Brunswick,” the couple read from the email, now laughing: “We’re going to the Arctic.”

Virgin Voyages acknowledged in the email that the change was not what sailors originally planned, adding that St. John would offer “crisp coastal air and a completely new backdrop to explore” and suggesting passengers “bring a few extra layers.”

The company also added a $100 onboard credit to affected accounts—something the couple in the video clearly found inadequate, joking that they had planned excursions like swimming with dolphins and had already packed for warm weather.

“This is my favorite line of the whole email,” @indiajadephoto said in the video. “‘St. John will feel a little bit different from Bermuda.’ Yeah, no doubt.”

Virgin Voyages’ Response

A few days later as the video continued to circulate online, Virgin Voyages issued a public apology on its Instagram page. 

“Welp, that ‘Bermuda → Canada’ email really wasn’t it,” the company wrote.

“We’ve seen your messages, and we get it. That one’s on us.”

Virgin Voyages acknowledged that while itinerary changes can be necessary for safety reasons, its communication missed the mark.

“This wasn’t the trip you were planning for—and we should have spoken to that reality,” the post continued. “We understand why you’re disappointed.”

The company added that it needs to “do better” and pledged to improve its approach moving forward, writing: “Itineraries can change for safety, but you deserve us to be real about it when they do.”

Virgin Voyages told Newsweek that Valiant Lady was originally scheduled to sail from New York City to Bermuda from April 6 to April 11, but was rerouted to Saint John, New Brunswick, after forecast conditions made continuing to Bermuda unsafe.

“Safety guides every decision we make, and continuing to Bermuda would have presented genuinely unsafe conditions for our Sailors and Crew,” the company said, acknowledging the change disappointed guests who booked with a tropical destination in mind.

What Happens Next

In a follow-up video posted on April 15, the couple shared how they were sent a follow-up email to again apologize for the change in destination. 

“Would you still go on this? Are we nuts for doing this?” India said in the follow-up video. “Lets go see what Canada has to offer I guess.” 

Virgin Voyages also shared a follow-up post on its Instagram grid, repurposing a recent NASA image and adding an arrow where they wrote: “We are here, sending bad emails.” It added: “So yeah…about that email about diverting from Bermuda to Canada. We missed the mark. So @nasa, if you want to fly our team to the moon next, we’ll gladly stay there and hide behind some moon rocks (We’ll make sure to bring extra layers too).”

The company told Newsweek that all sailors were notified of the change by email on April 3. Those who chose not to sail were offered a full Future Voyage Credit, while those who continued received $100 in onboard credit and an enhanced My Next Virgin Voyage offer for a future sailing.