We Rode the NEW Brightline Train at the Orlando Airport, and It’s a Gamechanger

Disney4me · October 9, 2023

After much anticipation, the Orlando Airport Brightline train is now taking trips to and from Miami!

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The new station

Not only that, but Brightline has announced that it will already be increasing the number of trips it takes between these two cities based on demand — so we knew we had to check it out. Come along as we take the Brightline train from the Orlando Airport to Miami!

You’ll find the Brightline Station near the brand new Terminal C at Orlando International Airport (MCO), and before you make it to the station, you’ll find a convenient drop-off and pick-up loop as you would with the regular airport terminals. When you enter the station, you’ll find employees at counters to your left…

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Brightline Orlando Train Station

…and self-service ticket kiosks to your right. Once you’ve purchased your ticket — which you can do at the kiosks, online, or by asking one of the employees at the station, you’ll scan your ticket at the turnstiles before placing your bag on a conveyor belt to be scanned. Unlike going through airport security, you don’t need to remove your shoes or electronics and there are no restrictions for liquids.

Brightline Tickets

You can load your own luggage onto the train, or you can choose to check them at the counter before heading through security. It only took us about 5 minutes total to make our way through security after we arrived at the station.

Inside the station

Boarding for our train began 10 minutes before it was scheduled to depart at 10:54AM, and you’ll be assigned a coach and a seat. We were riding Brightline Pink on our trip! Since the trains are new, they’re squeaky clean and have plenty of signage directing you where you might need to go.

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On the train!

Once on board, we found our assigned seats and placed our bags overhead, then got cozy for the ride! About 15 minutes into the trip, the train reached Brightline’s top cruising speed of 125 mph — but it felt nice and smooth to us.

We found there to be plenty of room overhead, and the seats themselves didn’t feel too cramped to us. There are different types of seats depending on your travel party and the type of trip you’re trying to have.

A look at the inside

Our seat was pretty roomy, and there was a seatback tray table you could unfold to work, eat, read, or whatever you might want to do on your trip. We didn’t choose to have anything to eat on our ride, but we did peruse the menu — you know, for science.

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Our seat

Food and beverage service is at your seat like you’d expect on an airline, rather than in a dining or snack cart like you might find on an Amtrak train. There are assorted pastries for breakfast, sandwiches, and salads for lunch, and even kids meals and combos.

Menu

If you’re looking to wet your whistle, there are cocktails, wine, beer, soft drinks, and of course — snacks! These are all additional charges on top of the cost of your ticket.

Menu

You’ll also find plenty of spots to charge your devices — our seat featured both outlets and USB charging ports.

USB ports and outlets

Before we knew it, we were in Miami! Our trip was quiet, comfortable, and smooth. The acceleration and deceleration is noticeable but certainly not jarring. We felt like the seating was wider than you’d find on an airplane and there was definitely a lot more leg room.

During our trip, the WiFi was steady, but it wasn’t too fast. We were able to work on documents and spreadsheets we had stored in the cloud, but photos and videos didn’t want to be sent over iMessage, which usually works via WiFi. They also made a few announcements apologizing for the train horn used throughout South Florida and offered earplugs, but we barely heard the horns at all.

Brightline train

It was also incredibly easy to snag an Uber from the Miami Airport Brightline station. We were heading to the Miami cruise port and the Uber cost us a whopping $7 — not too shabby, but keep in mind that rideshare pricing is based on demand.

Welcome to Miami!

Overall, though, we enjoyed our trip on Brightline from Orlando to Miami and think it will definitely make getting to and from Disney World easier for a lot of people. We did have a few hiccups with the Brightline app where we had to keep relinking our ticket to our account, but hopefully, that was just a temporary glitch.

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The new station at Orlando

If you’re thinking about booking a trip, you might be in luck! This fall, Brightline is offering a deal where kids under 2 can ride FOR FREE, kids 2-12 can get 50% off all SMART fares, and groups of 4-15 can save 25% off all SMART fares.

During non-sales, tickets are advertised with restricted one-way SMART fares starting at $79 and one-way PREMIUM fares starting at $149. For larger groups and families of four, SMART fare bundles are available for less than $199 one-way.

©Brightline

What do you think? Will you be booking a trip with Brightline for your next journey? We’ll continue to bring you news like this and more from around Orlando and Disney World, so be sure to stay tuned to DFB for more!