Virgin Voyages Relocates New York Operations to Brooklyn
Key Aspects:
Virgin Voyages will be operating its 2026 New York sailings out of Brooklyn instead of Manhattan.
Manhattan’s Pier 90 is currently closed to cruise ships due to infrastructure upgrades, creating capacity limitations in the port.
Valiant Lady’s April, September, and October itineraries will be affected by this change.
Virgin Voyages’ cruises out of the Big Apple will look a little different for the remainder of the cruise line’s time in New York.
As of April 6, 2026, the adults-only cruise line will operate all New York sailings out of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal instead of the usual Manhattan Cruise Terminal.
“We wanted to share an important update about your upcoming voyage,” Virgin Voyages wrote in an email to impacted guests, which was obtained by Cruise Hive.
“Beginning April 6, 2026, all Virgin Voyages sailings from New York City will now depart from: Brooklyn Cruise Terminal,” the letter stated.
The New York cruise ports are only about 8 miles apart from each other. However, it’s important that cruise guests proceed to the correct port to avoid potential delays or being denied boarding due to tardiness.
Which Sailings are Impacted?
Valiant Lady will visit New York in April 2026, September 2026, and October 2026 before Virgin Voyages says goodbye to New York – at least for the time being. These final itineraries will all embark and disembark in Brooklyn.
Impacted Sailings in April 2026:
5-night Sailing: The Big Apple to Bermuda – April 6, 2026
5-night Sailing: Virgin Voyages Comedy Fest New York – April 11, 2026
9-night Sailing: Bermuda Beauty to East Coast Elegance – April 16, 2026
14-night Sailing: New York Transatlantic Crossing to Spain – April 25, 2026
Impacted Sailings in September 2026:
8-night Sailing: Fall Foliage in Canada & New England – September 19, 2026
5-night Sailing: The Big Apple to Bermuda – September 27, 2026
Impacted Sailings in October 2026:
5-night Sailing: The Big Apple to Bermuda – October 2, 2026
6-night Sailing: New York to Bermuda (& Back) – October 7, 2026
6-night Sailing: New York to Bermuda (& Back) – October 13, 2026
12-night Sailing: NY to San Juan: Bermuda & Caribbean – October 19, 2026
After the 2,770-guest ship departs from New York on October 19, 2026, the cruise line has no ships deployed to New York on any of its released itineraries through the fall of 2027.
In Valiant Lady’s case, the ship will spend the winter in San Juan, Puerto Rico, before being deployed to Miami, Florida, in April of 2027.
Why Did the Ports Switch?
Pier 90 at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal is the main berth used by Virgin Voyages, and it is currently addressing infrastructure issues that have made the berth unable to accommodate cruise ships for the time being.
Pier 92 has also been closed for years due to structural issues, meaning Pier 88 is Manhattan’s only functional berth at the moment.
Pier 88 is also booked up with scheduled calls from brands like Norwegian Cruise Line, Viking Cruises, Holland America Line, and Carnival Cruise Line, and cannot accommodate Virgin Voyages at this time.
Pier 90 will be receiving significant updates as part of a major redevelopment plan that was announced at the end of 2025, but it’s not clear when it will be back in service at this time.
The Manhattan Cruise Terminal (MCT) Master Plan is meant to be a multi-year, phased project that will allow the cruise port to function on at least a limited capacity while upgrades are being made.