LUXURY REVIEWS

The Overview

Is It Worth It? Yes — if you book smart. Luxury Reviews Says: 7/10

Brightline PREMIUM makes their standard “SMART” class feel a bit scruffy, but the extra cost is not always matched by the extra value.

Best For: Travellers who want extra space, shorter queues, and a little VIP treatment.

Avoid If: You are expecting lie-flat beds, Champagne, and caviar.

The First Impression

You could easily miss the entrance to Brightline at Orlando International Airport, tucked beside the chaos of the security lanes. From there, a driverless train takes you to Brightline’s own terminal, which feels calmer than the airport around it. At Miami, the station is also well placed, right in the middle of downtown. Between the two are a string of modern, purpose-built stations that feel quite different from the usual rail experience.

What It Is

Brightline is Florida’s privately run rail service, linking cities such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando with more of an airline mindset than most American train travel. Its standard cabin is called SMART. PREMIUM is the upgraded option, borrowing a few of those airline-style first class touches such as extra space, fast track, lounge access, and a handful of other perks.

The Fellow Travellers

There is an obvious split between the two cabins. SMART is mostly weekend-break travellers who just want to get there. PREMIUM is less family-oriented, with more laptops open and more eyes on the markets as well as the drinks trolley.

The Fast Track

PREMIUM passengers get a dedicated check-in desk and fast track through security. On this trip, neither made much difference, as the station was quiet and the trains were not especially busy. But who doesn’t like being on the nicer side of a velvet rope?

The Lounge

The PREMIUM lounges are separate from the main terminal, although letting yourself in with a mobile boarding pass makes them feel slightly less VIP than Brightline might hope. Inside, they are much what you would expect from a middling U.S. airline lounge: useful enough, forgettable enough, and probably best visited briefly. The food and drink do the job, but no more than that.

The Boarding

At Orlando, PREMIUM passengers go straight down to the platform from the lounge via their own escalators, which gives the whole thing a more exclusive feel. PREMIUM is called first, and for once it actually means something. It feels more convincing than most airline priority boarding, which now tends to involve half the terminal.

The Cabin

On first impression, the PREMIUM cabin does not quite live up to its name. It is clean and comfortable, but never really feels luxurious. The very bright LED lighting leaves it feeling more clinical than mood lit.

The hand-stitched leather seats are spacious and comfortable, but the real difference from SMART is the spacing rather than the seat itself. There is a small recline and a power socket, which are useful enough without feeling especially premium. Add in the brand tie-ins splashed across the cabin, and the effect feels more commercial than refined. This is closer to IKEA than Emirates.

The Food & Drink

The meal service came in sections, which at least felt like Brightline was making an effort to do something a little more premium. Drinks and snacks arrived first, along with a bottle of Fiji water, Menu and a refreshing hand wipe. A nice touch.

The cold meal felt like a return to that North American domestic first class style: decent and not especially memorable. It was fine, but not enough to justify the upgrade on its own.

The drinks menu has more of a premium supermarket feel than private club, though there is enough choice and the Italian coffee lifts things slightly.

The Service

Brightline likes the glossy, customer-friendly image, perhaps a lingering trace of its flirtation with Virgin Trains USA. The service itself is not always quite so polished. Staff were pleasant enough, but the shine wore thin at check-in, where the agent seemed oddly pleased to point out that without a PREMIUM ticket my luggage would have incurred a surcharge. Since that was one of the reasons for booking PREMIUM in the first place, it felt unnecessary.

The Journey

The train stock feels more suburban railway carriage than bullet train, and certainly not furnished like the Orient Express. It is also slower and more stop-start than you might expect, with plenty of pauses for operational reasons along the way. The route along Florida’s east coast is an interesting one, and if you are happy to sit back and enjoy the view, it is a good alternative to some of Florida’s congested freeways.

What You’re Really Paying For

What you are really paying for here are the VIP-style benefits, such as an easier terminal experience and a separate cabin, rather than any great leap in comfort. It is a better version of the same journey, not a completely different one.

How to Book Smart

Compare dates and train times carefully, as Brightline fares can vary considerably and sit at very different ends of the value spectrum. PREMIUM can look poor value on one departure and far more reasonable on another. For cruise passengers in particular, especially on longer journeys, luggage restrictions are worth watching. With larger cases, PREMIUM may end up the better buy.

The Last Word

Brightline PREMIUM is not quite luxury, but at the right price it is premium enough.