When I started planning my trip to the Cruise Planners Luxury Forum in Florida this past month, I naturally booked a flight into Fort Lauderdale, where the hotel (the Omni) and training would be. But I didn’t realize the second part of the conference would be on a cruise ship disembarking in Miami, 45 minutes away by car if there was no traffic (which is rare in the area).CP wasn’t going to provide a transfer back to the Fort Lauderdale airport, so I had to figure it out myself.

The easiest option would have been to take a ride-share. But knowing pricing could get inflated during a high-demand time, I wasn’t going to risk paying a potential $100+ fare. Instead, I had heard about Brightline, a rail system that started nearly ten years ago and went from Orlando to Miami on different routes. So I decided to try it when our cruise ended, with plenty of time to get to the Fort Lauderdale airport since I didn’t know how long it would take. Now that I've gone on it, I’m glad I chose this way to travel

My trip planning

Originally, I was going to book a standard (or smart) ticket instead of the premium ticket because it was about half the price. The fares also varied depending on the route endpoints and time of day. But I realized that with the standard ticket, I would have to pay extra for my one piece of luggage, so I decided to upgrade. I’m glad I did, because I could access the premium lounge, which I entered through a scanner gate using my QR code ticket (more about this later).

A friend who’s also a Cruise Planners advisor and lives in the Orlando area told me that locals like him like traveling by Brightline. It’s certainly preferable to driving along the often-congested Interstate 95 corridor, and it’s most likely less expensive than flying. I think that if you want to go from Miami to Orlando or vice versa, this just might be the way to go. Also, if you’re staying in any of the cities along the way (Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton or West Palm Beach), you can easily head to either city if they are your destination.

Waiting areas and lounges

I can only write about my experience at the Miami Brightline station, which is likely the largest in the state. The entrance has a front desk where you can check in and scan your luggage before taking it up to the second floor and the extensive food hall. If I had more time, I would have explored this area, but it seemed interesting enough that I bought food here. A waiting area sits opposite the hall, but I wanted to spend time in the premium lounge, which I only managed for ten minutes.

This lounge featured comfortable lounge seats, worktables and chairs for those who wanted to be productive, a long food table (with breakfast items), and several large-screen televisions. The floor-to-ceiling picture windows framed downtown Miami and abundant sunlight, making the entire place bright and airy. What I found the most intriguing were the self-service beer and wine taps, along with regular beverages. Naturally, it was too early to have something boozy, but it would have been a nice treat in the afternoon.

The train and transfers

While Brightline provides some sanctioned bus transfers from its stations, you’ll have to take another form of transportation to get there. I booked a Lyft rideshare from Port Miami to the station, which almost turned out to be a bad decision because of the massive disembarkation crowds from five cruise ships. It took me nearly an hour to ride for ten minutes, so my advice is to plan your departure time accordingly. On the other end, I took a transfer van from the Fort Lauderdale station to the airport, which cost $12 plus tip.

So, what about the train ride itself? It was easy to board, with a level entryway from the platform (meaning, I didn’t have to lift my bag up any stairs). And probably because it was mid-day during the week, the car where my single seat was had about half a dozen other passengers. The leather seats were comfortable, with plenty of leg room. An attendant gave me a small water bottle and a wet wipe for refreshment, and later, some small bags of snacks. You can also order other food and drink for a fee. Overall, I liked my Brightline experience and would recommend it to anyone traveling in this part of Florida.