How to get to Disney World using Floridas new Brightline train
There’s a new player in the game of how to get to Disney World.
Brightline, a privately owned high-speed rail, debuted its expanded service last week linking downtown Miami to Orlando International Airport in less than four hours.
It’s the first privately owned passenger operator to link two major U.S. metropolitan areas in decades. The service provides access to much of Florida’s tourism hot spots, taking passengers directly to South Florida cruise ports and Palm Beach and within 30 miles of the two main Orlando theme parks.
“They’re some of the most heavily trafficked tourist areas in the state and across the country, but they’re also major business and economic centers,” said Ben Porritt, a senior vice president in corporate affairs at Brightline.
Orlando is the last stop on Brightline’s East Coast service, with the train stopping in Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach after departing from Miami. The MiamiCentral Station is a short distance from the Port of Miami cruise terminals.
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With economy fares from Miami to Orlando beginning at $79 for a one-way trip, Brightline offers 16 daily round trips with hourly departures.
Shuttle from the airport to Disney
Although the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista is a some 20-minute drive from Brightline’s station at the airport, the company is partnering with Mears Transportation, an Orlando-based shuttle company, to offer service headed into Disney’s parks and nearby hotels from the airport.
Shuttle service starts at $16 for one-way adult fares. The partnership also includes a luxury private ride service, with fares beginning at $63 per vehicle, according to the Brightline website.
The partnership, which was announced last week, will provide travelers with a 24/7 Florida-themed shuttle service to Disney World, as well as more than 25 top hotel resorts across the Orlando area. Porritt said customers can book their train and shuttle trip entirely through Brightline starting Oct. 4.
Rebecca Horton, chief operating officer at Mears Transportation Group, said offering streamlined rail and shuttle service is advantageous for customers, because Orlando is largely suburban and can be difficult for tourists to navigate.
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“Orlando is a pretty spread-out city, which is great because it allows us the ability to offer all these great things, like Disney, Universal and SeaWorld, or even getting to Busch Gardens, which is much further out, but there’s many resorts and offerings here,” she said. “We can fit a lot of folks into the city, but they need a way to get from the airport or the train station to their final destination and then around the area.”
Taking the train vs. flying or driving
Taking a trip to Disney usually requires driving your own vehicle or enlisting a rental car, according to Jo Vagos, a travel agent through the Magic for Less, which specializes in Disney and Universal Orlando Resort vacations.
Some people also choose to take an Amtrak from Miami to Orlando, which is roughly five hours, plus a some 20-minute drive into Disney. Flying is a convenient option for people coming from outside Florida, but it’s increasingly less common among in-state residents who choose to avoid security checkpoints and baggage fees for the convenience of a short trip.
Since Brightline announced its added Orlando service, more and more customers have asked Vagos whether they should take the train to Disney World. Many of these inquiries have come from those looking to visit Disney World following a cruise, because the Miami and Fort Lauderdale ports would connect passengers onto the Brightline route.
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She has also recommended this to those hoping to explore Florida beyond its theme park capital or take a longer trip beyond a few days. One highlight Brightline offers customers, Vagos said, is allowing them to streamline their travel by booking entirely through the train company.
“It opens up a whole world of different possibilities for people who might not have been able to extend their trip or incorporate both cities and Fort Lauderdale as well,” she said.
And although driving gives travelers the advantage of planning their trip around their schedule, taking the train means avoiding traffic and removing the hassle of paying for gas and tolls. If you opt for a rental car, Vagos said, you might need to factor in long lines and paperwork at agencies, or pay hundreds per day just to use the car.
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Daniel Hamm, another travel agent through Magic for Less, said some customers have asked about Amtrak or commercial bus services, including Greyhound or Megabus, but have moved away from this option, because they don’t have direct access into the Orlando airport.
“It’s definitely a matter of convenience,” he said. “You wouldn’t necessarily have to figure out directions on your own.”
Some park visitors will still decide to drive, of course. Mary Rose Zigler, who works in environmental resource management and resides in Fort Lauderdale, said it’s more convenient to drive to Disney once she factors in the overall cost of traveling with her 5-year-old daughter and her husband, which would be roughly $400 round-trip to Orlando.
Upon her own calculations, taking the family car and filling the gas tank on her own is a fraction of those costs, based on their most recent trip a few months ago.
“Brightline might be a great option for tourists who don’t have access to cars, but for those of us who live in Florida and drive, they’ll have to make it a lot more affordable,” she said.
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