Quick answer A one-way Virgin Voyages sailing starts in one city and ends in another, so you fly into the first and home from the second. This is called an open-jaw flight, and it usually costs about the same as a return when booked as one ticket. Add a hotel night at the start (never fly in on embarkation day) and plan your last day around disembarkation. Booking flights, hotels and cruise together as one package keeps it simple and gives you ATOL protection.
Most cruises are round trips: you get off where you got on. One-way sailings are different, and they are some of the best voyages Virgin Voyages runs. You see more coastline, you never retrace your steps, and you get two cities for the price of one trip.
We sail one-ways all the time ourselves. The catch is the logistics: two different airports, two hotels, a border crossing or two, and a disembarkation morning that has to line up with a flight home. Here is how we plan them for UK Sailors, using our own Vancouver to Los Angeles sailing as the worked example.
What counts as a one-way Virgin Voyages sailing?
Virgin Voyages’ last UK sailings were in summer 2026, and nothing currently on sale (through 2028) returns to Portsmouth or the UK, so every Virgin holiday from Britain is a fly-cruise. One-way sailings fall into three groups.
Pacific Coast voyages
Brilliant Lady sails the Alaska and Pacific Coast season from Vancouver and Seattle between March and October. The Pacific Coast sailings link Vancouver and Los Angeles in one direction or the other, calling at ports along the West Coast. Virgin’s spring 2027 programme includes a nine-night Los Angeles to Vancouver voyage via San Diego, San Francisco, Astoria and Victoria.
Transatlantic and repositioning sailings
When a ship moves between seasons, it sails one-way. Virgin’s transatlantic crossings typically run from Miami (or San Juan, Puerto Rico) to Barcelona in spring and back across in autumn, around 12 to 14 nights with several sea days and calls such as the Canary Islands, Madeira or Morocco. Brilliant Lady also repositions through the Panama Canal between Los Angeles and Miami, a voyage of around 16 to 17 nights. Check Virgin’s current schedule for exact dates, as these sailings are few and far between.
These are brilliant if you love sea days: the spa, a good book in a hammock, and long, unhurried dinners.
Mediterranean one-ways
Virgin’s summer Mediterranean season uses home ports including Barcelona, Athens (Piraeus) and Rome (Civitavecchia). Most Med sailings are round trips, but always check the start and end port on your voyage before you book flights. If they differ, you’ll need an open-jaw ticket.
What is an open-jaw flight?
An open-jaw ticket flies you out to one city and home from another. For a one-way cruise, that means:
- Outbound: UK to your embarkation city.
- Return: your disembarkation city to the UK.
Booked as a single “multi-city” itinerary, an open-jaw is often priced close to a normal return. Two separate one-way tickets can be far more expensive, and if the first flight is delayed the second airline owes you nothing.
A few things to watch:
- Use one booking where you can. It keeps your baggage allowance and any rebooking rights joined up.
- Mind the long-haul direction. Flying west (to Vancouver or LA) you gain hours and usually arrive the same afternoon. Flying home east is normally overnight, so you land in the UK the next morning.
- Check bag allowances on both legs. Two different carriers can mean two different rules.
Worked example: Vancouver to Los Angeles on Brilliant Lady
We sailed Brilliant Lady’s Pacific Coast voyage from Vancouver to Los Angeles in September 2026, after sailing her first Alaska season earlier in the year. Ours was a Festival of Senses sailing, focused on food and drink rather than parties. It is one of our favourite ways to see the West Coast, and here is how the trip fits together from the UK. You can read the full sailing review in our Vancouver to LA Brilliant Lady review.
Getting there: fly into Vancouver
British Airways and Air Canada both fly non-stop from London Heathrow to Vancouver, in around 9.5 to 10 hours. From regional airports you’ll usually connect. Fly in at least one day before the ship leaves; two is better. Long-haul flights get delayed, bags go astray, and jet lag is real. A spare day turns all of that from a crisis into a shrug.
UK passport holders flying into Canada need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA). Check GOV.UK foreign travel advice and apply only through the official Government of Canada eTA page.
Before you sail: a night or two in Vancouver
Vancouver is a joy to explore before a cruise. Stanley Park, Granville Island and Gastown are all close to the cruise terminal at Canada Place, so a hotel downtown keeps embarkation day short. We’re Destination Vancouver specialists, so ask us for our picks, and see our Vancouver pre-cruise guide.
On our May 2026 sailing, check-in at Canada Place was quick. Customs took longer, because this is where you clear US immigration before boarding and Virgin and Disney guests were processed together that day, but we were on board in about half an hour. Then it was sail-away bubbles, which every Virgin ship pours for the first 30 minutes as you leave port.
On board: the US border and tender ports
Because you start in Canada and end in the US, you need to clear US immigration. On our Vancouver sailings the first port was in the US, so we cleared US customs and immigration at Canada Place as we boarded the ship. Virgin’s pre-cruise information confirms how it works for your sailing. UK Sailors need an approved ESTA: check GOV.UK foreign travel advice and apply only through the official ESTA website.
Santa Barbara and Catalina are tender ports on this route. Book a tender slot in the Virgin Voyages app as soon as it opens, especially if you have a shore excursion.
Keep an eye on the app before you sail, too. Ahead of our sailing, it offered us a San Francisco Shore Thing to book in advance, priced in pounds and with a discount.
Getting home: disembarking in Los Angeles
The ship arrives at the Los Angeles Cruise Terminal in San Pedro in the morning, and Virgin’s disembarkation runs until about 10:45am. Two good options:
- Fly home the same day. Book an evening flight from LAX, leaving a generous gap after disembarkation. Most UK flights from LA leave in the afternoon or evening anyway. You need to be out of your cabin by 10am. We usually carry our own bags off so we can leave the ship as late as possible, which suits a later flight nicely.
- Stay on in LA. Add a night or three for Santa Monica, Hollywood or a day at a theme park. This is our favourite approach if you’ve come all this way.
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines and United all fly non-stop from LAX to London Heathrow, mostly in the late afternoon and evening.
Sailing it with us in 2027
We’re hosting a group on this route on Brilliant Lady in 2027, with flights, hotels and our own help on board. See the Vancouver to LA 2027 group cruise page for details.
Planning a hotel at both ends
| Start of the trip | End of the trip | |
|---|---|---|
| Why you need it | Buffer against delays, jet lag, sleep before sail-away | Gives you time if you’re not flying the same day |
| How many nights | One minimum, two ideal for long-haul | Optional, from zero to several |
| Where to stay | Near the cruise terminal | Near the airport if flying early, in town if staying on |
| Transfers | Airport to hotel, then hotel to ship | Ship to hotel or straight to airport |
Two tips we always give:
- Book the pre-cruise hotel first. Embarkation day is the one date that cannot move. If your flight is late, the cruise won’t wait.
- Check luggage options. Some hotels will store bags if your flight home is late in the day, so you can explore after you disembark.
Why a flight-inclusive package is simpler
You can book every part of a one-way cruise yourself. But open-jaw trips have more moving parts than most, and the risks sit in the gaps between bookings.
We specialise in tailor-made trips, so a one-way sailing is no problem for us. We add the flights you need at each end and can make the whole trip ATOL protected. When we book the cruise, open-jaw flights, hotels and transfers together as one package:
- Delays are our problem, not yours. If a flight changes, we rework the connections around the rest of the trip.
- You get ATOL protection. A package that includes flights is ATOL protected, so you’re covered if a supplier fails. Our bookings are made through Merlin Travel Group.
- The timings make sense. We match hotel nights, flight times and disembarkation so you’re never cutting it fine.
- One balance, one contact. You pay one booking and you have one number to call.
- It can cost less. We can sometimes access exclusive cruise airfares that make the whole package cheaper than booking flights separately.
Read more about how we protect your money on our PTS protection page.
Other one-way trips worth considering
- Transatlantic crossings. Fly to Miami, spend a few nights there first, then sail to Barcelona and fly home from Spain. Our sailing from Miami guide covers the Florida end.
- Panama Canal repositioning. A bucket-list transit between Miami and Los Angeles. Long, with lots of sea days, so it suits experienced Sailors.
- Mediterranean sailings with different start and end ports. If your voyage ends somewhere other than where it began, you get shorter flights and an easy add-on city break in Barcelona, Rome or Athens.
New to Virgin? Start with our ultimate guide to Virgin Voyages and the first Virgin cruise checklist.
FAQs
What is an open-jaw flight for a cruise? It’s a single ticket that flies you out to one city and home from another, matching a cruise that starts and ends in different ports.
Are open-jaw flights more expensive than a return? Not usually. Booked as one multi-city ticket, they are often close to the price of a return. Two separate one-way tickets tend to cost more.
Does Virgin Voyages sail from the UK? Not any more. Virgin’s last UK sailings were in summer 2026, and every sailing currently on sale (through 2028) starts outside the UK, so every Virgin cruise from Britain is a fly-cruise.
How many nights should I spend before a one-way cruise? At least one night, and two if you’re flying long-haul. Never fly in on the day the ship leaves.
Do I need an ESTA for a Vancouver to Los Angeles cruise? Yes. You end the trip in the US, so UK passport holders need an approved ESTA. You also need a Canadian eTA to fly into Vancouver.
Can I fly home the same day I get off the ship? Yes, if you choose a flight that leaves later in the day and allow plenty of time after disembarkation. Many UK flights from LA leave in the evening.
Is a one-way cruise package ATOL protected? Yes, when your flights are booked as part of the package, the holiday is ATOL protected. We sail one-ways regularly ourselves and build these tailor-made, sometimes with exclusive cruise airfares that bring the price down.
Plan it with us
One-way sailings are where a good travel agent earns their keep. We’re Virgin Voyages Gold Tier First Mates with 100+ nights on board across all four ships, and we’ve sailed the Vancouver to LA route ourselves. Tell us where you want to start and finish, and we’ll build the flights, hotels and cruise around you, with our bonus Sailor Loot on top. Call 07307 602030, email hello@magical-traveller.com or get in touch.