Jimsig
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2012
Was planning a cruise out of MIA and decided to spend a couple days with the Mouse before hand to get some more use out of our AP's.
After a quick 2 days WDW we took a LYFT from our resort to Brightline's MCO station on April 13. We were on the 650p departure and arrived about 25-30 min before departure and we had 2 large pieces of luggage and a smaller carry on. We were able to manage on the 2 escalators going up but there were elevators as well. After going up the 2 escalators you arrive at the trains turnstiles you scan your tickets (either mobile on their app or you can print them out) walk through and then put your luggage through the scanners and you walk through a scanner yourself and then collect your bags. They have a bar and a store but like any airport it's just as expensive. About 10 to 15 min before departure they announce the train. At that point the allow you to use the elevators to get down to the train platform.
When you purchase your tickets you choose your seats and the coach you will sit in. The seating in SMART (coach) is 2 seats on each side and a mixture of seats with tray tables and 4 seats facing each other with a small table between. Seats in PREMIUM (first class) is 2 and 1 also with a mixture of seats with tray tables and seats of 2 or 4 facing each other with a small table between. Seats face both forward and backward in both classes so make sure to check the direction of travel on the seating matrix. The coaches on the platform are clearly marked with the coach number so you can easily find what coach is yours and once onboard each seat is marked like an airplane so finding your seat is also easy.
We choose SMART so my experience will be based on that.
There is an option to check bags for a fee or you can carry your own bags on board. Each car has room for luggage at at least one end and well as room for luggage above your seat. As we had 2 large bags we left them in the luggage area and put our smaller bag in the luggage rack above our head. We choose forward facing seats at one of the tables. We did not have anybody sitting across the table for us for the entire journey. The train left right on time. I believe all seats have power outlets to keep things charged. The train does not have a cafe car but rather uses a trolley/drink cart that come by your seat and sell drinks, snacks and even sandwiches. The cart came buy with in the first 10-15 min after leaving MCO. It currently take 2 hours before the train makes it's first stop in WPB and the cart came by a second time before making that stop. The cart then comes by after every stop except Adventura which is the last stop before MIA. There is free Wi-fi that is powered by Starlink. It worked great and i was able to watch the NCAA hockey championship in HD on my iPad. We lost the signal a few time but that was when we went under some longer then normal bridges and it would come right back on. After stopping in WPB its 30 min to Boca Raton, another 15 or so to FLL, 15 to Adventure and 20 to MIA. I want to say it was quicker then 20 between Adventura and MIA buy a few min so they probably pad the schedule a bit. The train is only stopped for 2 min at each stop so make sure you are ready to exit at your stop.
Like the airlines their fares do vary. I have seen them as low as $39 and as high as $169 ow. We paid $49 each. They do offer specials so check their website and if you create an account they will sent emails with those specials. It takes the same amount of time to drive as it does to take the train. But you don't have to deal with the aggravation of SoFL traffic. I thought it was a great way to get from Orlando to our cruise and would do it again in a heartbeat.
After a quick 2 days WDW we took a LYFT from our resort to Brightline's MCO station on April 13. We were on the 650p departure and arrived about 25-30 min before departure and we had 2 large pieces of luggage and a smaller carry on. We were able to manage on the 2 escalators going up but there were elevators as well. After going up the 2 escalators you arrive at the trains turnstiles you scan your tickets (either mobile on their app or you can print them out) walk through and then put your luggage through the scanners and you walk through a scanner yourself and then collect your bags. They have a bar and a store but like any airport it's just as expensive. About 10 to 15 min before departure they announce the train. At that point the allow you to use the elevators to get down to the train platform.
When you purchase your tickets you choose your seats and the coach you will sit in. The seating in SMART (coach) is 2 seats on each side and a mixture of seats with tray tables and 4 seats facing each other with a small table between. Seats in PREMIUM (first class) is 2 and 1 also with a mixture of seats with tray tables and seats of 2 or 4 facing each other with a small table between. Seats face both forward and backward in both classes so make sure to check the direction of travel on the seating matrix. The coaches on the platform are clearly marked with the coach number so you can easily find what coach is yours and once onboard each seat is marked like an airplane so finding your seat is also easy.
We choose SMART so my experience will be based on that.
There is an option to check bags for a fee or you can carry your own bags on board. Each car has room for luggage at at least one end and well as room for luggage above your seat. As we had 2 large bags we left them in the luggage area and put our smaller bag in the luggage rack above our head. We choose forward facing seats at one of the tables. We did not have anybody sitting across the table for us for the entire journey. The train left right on time. I believe all seats have power outlets to keep things charged. The train does not have a cafe car but rather uses a trolley/drink cart that come by your seat and sell drinks, snacks and even sandwiches. The cart came buy with in the first 10-15 min after leaving MCO. It currently take 2 hours before the train makes it's first stop in WPB and the cart came by a second time before making that stop. The cart then comes by after every stop except Adventura which is the last stop before MIA. There is free Wi-fi that is powered by Starlink. It worked great and i was able to watch the NCAA hockey championship in HD on my iPad. We lost the signal a few time but that was when we went under some longer then normal bridges and it would come right back on. After stopping in WPB its 30 min to Boca Raton, another 15 or so to FLL, 15 to Adventure and 20 to MIA. I want to say it was quicker then 20 between Adventura and MIA buy a few min so they probably pad the schedule a bit. The train is only stopped for 2 min at each stop so make sure you are ready to exit at your stop.
Like the airlines their fares do vary. I have seen them as low as $39 and as high as $169 ow. We paid $49 each. They do offer specials so check their website and if you create an account they will sent emails with those specials. It takes the same amount of time to drive as it does to take the train. But you don't have to deal with the aggravation of SoFL traffic. I thought it was a great way to get from Orlando to our cruise and would do it again in a heartbeat.
