New Book Documents Virgin Voyages’ First Panama Canal Crossing
A new book documents Brilliant Lady’s first Panama Canal crossing, as Virgin Voyages prepares to return this October with sailors onboard.
A new book documents Virgin Voyages’ historic first journey through the Panama Canal aboard Brilliant Lady.
Big Crossings: Through the Locks by Claire Gilligan-Murrell follows the March 2026 crossing. Claire was onboard Brilliant Lady and documented the experience throughout the day. This is Claire’s second book with the previous covering the Summer Season Pass.
The book is available now to purchase on Amazon or read with Kindle Unlimited.
Editor Note: Claire Gilligan-Murrell is a friend of the website, this content is not sponsored.
Virgin Voyages’ First Panama Canal Crossing
Brilliant Lady became the first Virgin Voyages ship to cross the Panama Canal in March 2026. She is currently the only ship in the fleet designed to fit through the canal locks.
Claire shared photos with VV Insider throughout the crossing. They followed Brilliant Lady through the Agua Clara Locks, Gatun Lake and the Cocoli Locks before she reached the Pacific Ocean.
We also followed the crossing throughout the day with live updates, photos and details of what was happening onboard.
Brilliant Lady Returns to the Panama Canal in October
Virgin Voyages will make its second journey through the Panama Canal on October 29, 2026. Brilliant Lady will once again make the crossing as part of a 17-night voyage from Los Angeles to Miami.
The Halloween sailing will give another group of sailors the chance to experience a full Panama Canal transit with Virgin Voyages.
View all Panama Canal sailings
More From Big Crossings
Claire is also working on the next book in the series. Big Crossings: Over the Ice will document Virgin Voyages’ journey through Greenland and Iceland aboard Brilliant Lady.
For now, Big Crossings: Through the Locks is available on Amazon and is included with Kindle Unlimited.
