Miami, being the cruise capital of the world, welcomes 14 million tourists per year! I’ll leave it to you to imagine just how crazy that airport must be. In knowing that about Miami, I decided to look to neighboring Fort Lauderdale when coordinating flights for our back-to-back cruises on the MSC Seaside. Not only are flights typically cheaper to Fort Lauderdale, but the airport and surrounding areas are infinitely less busy. In the past, it has taken a minimum of 45 minutes to get from one city to the other if you’re lucky, but that’s changed thanks to Brightline!
Located just six miles (and an $11 Lyft) away from the Fort Lauderdale Airport, you’ll find the Brightline train station. It’s very aptly named with its bright yellow and white decor. If you’re cruising, as we were, I highly recommend their newly launched “Train-to-Port” packages; and with MSC being the official sponsor, it was a no-brainer for us!
Upon arrival at the Brightline train station, we checked in our bags and didn’t give a second thought to them until we saw them sitting by our stateroom on MSC! The “Train-to-Port” package includes parking on site for the duration of your cruise (up to 15 days), roundtrip train tickets on Brightline, two checked bags per person, and even free roundtrip Lyft rides to and from the port. To say it’s incredibly convenient would be an understatement! I so loved that Brightline eliminated the hassle typically associated with luggage.
Prices start at $95 per two people for a 7-night MSC Cruise, which is pretty awesome. If you’re looking for a bit more comfort, I recommend purchasing the Brightline Select ticket. This will give you access to their first-class Select lounge before each train you take; within the lounge you’ll find lite bites, beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), comfortable seating, ample space, TVs, and even a scanner/printer for business travelers.
Both the Fort Lauderdale and Miami Brightline stations are spotless, so it didn’t come as a surprise that the trains were as well. The seats were roomy and quite comfortable, with each having an outlet and USB port, food tray, and drink tray. As soon as the train was underway, we were offered snacks and drinks to make our ride more pleasant… and, before we knew it, we arrived in Miami! The trip takes 30 minutes, but it absolutely flies by as it’s just that comfortable!
And remember, once you arrive at the Miami Central Station, just open your Lyft app, enter your code for roundtrip free rides between the station and the port, and voilà!
It’s important to note that even if you aren’t taking a cruise, Brightline is one of the most efficient ways to get to Miami (starting at just $15 each way), West Palm Beach, and – soon – Orlando. Now that I’ve discovered Brightline, I’ll never have any hesitations about flying into Fort Lauderdale instead of Miami anymore, as I know that I can get to Port Miami for my next cruise with ease.
**Big thanks to Brightline for providing us with the Select Train-to-Port experience. As always, all opinions are my own.**
