What about the Brightline?

If you have spent much time in Downtown West Palm Beach in the last year or so, you are probably familiar with the highlighter-yellow train that parades across Okeechobee Blvd when you have exactly two-and-a-half minutes before you're late for class and/or work. I've explored the possibility of riding this vibrant vehicle down to Miami when I needed transportation to the airport. Unfortunately, I nixed the idea due to the fact that the Brightline doesn't directly connect to MIA. In lieu of the Brightline, I rode the Tri-Rail each time. Now my experience with the Tri-Rail was quite interesting (and involved people telling me I was like their child and others running up and down the aisle yelling "WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS!"); but those are stories for another post if you want to hear about them (let me know in the comments).

Fast forward to the present...

My mom hasn't been on a train in quite some time for claustrophobia-related reasons, and having heard my Tri-Rail stories, she was not positively predisposed to the option. So we opted for the Brightline. For all who have not yet done the same and would like to know what it's like, this one's for you...

My Brightline experience started with booking, which was pretty easy. The website is very updated (unlike the Tri-Rail's) and we found really good deals on our tickets. They literally have a page with a bunch of promo codes on their website. We got a BOGO deal for our southbound and northbound trips. For five people to go to their farthest destination and come back, it cost us under $100. Granted, we still have to take Ubers to the airport. So that was our booking experience.

Check-in and boarding were like an airport experience but cleaner, faster, and less stressful. The WPB station is very modern and roomy. The fact that it was not busy was also stellar. As with a lot of new hotels I've been to, the staff didn't seem quite used to things; they haven't really gotten in the customer service groove in a lot of ways, but it wasn't unpleasant, by any means. We checked our large bags for free (they had the same size and weight restrictions as airlines). Boarding was fast and really easy, but felt slightly unsupervised. We pretty much wandered down to the platform and onto the train without seeing an employee at all.

Once on the train, we enjoyed comfy seats and tables with built-in charging stations. The air was cool and the coaches didn't smell weird - which is only impressive if you've been on the Tri-Rail. Our departure, stop, and arrival were all right on time. Un-boarding was quick and efficient, guided by friendly staff. We picked up our checked bags from employees that hand-delivered them to us.

The next leg of this journey was a matter of getting to the airport. We weren't aware when we scheduled our Ubers, but Brightline has a partnership with Lyft; apparently there is a discount involved. We also learned at the curbside that you can't use two Ubers at one time with one account. So we took an Uber and a Lyft. It was an inconvenient last minute change of plans but we made it work. A Brightline shuttle to the airport that would allow us all to stay together would have been nice. At least we know for our return to Miami that we need to get an Uber and a Lyft.

The airport is about 20 minutes from the station, so the transportation bill goes up another $35 or so for a big party like ours. All in all, the whole trip down to MIA cost less than the fuel and parking would have been - and less stressful too. If you can get a good deal on a Brightline ticket, I would recommend you give it a shot for your next trip to the Fort Lauderdale or Miami areas.

From: The Expeditioner