Princess Cruises and Brightline Announce New Rail & Sail Program & Reveal “Love Boat” Train Wrap

Hi everyone!

Princess Cruises and Brightline announced a new Rail & Sail program yesterday, offering guests easy access to Princess cruise ships departing from Fort Lauderdale and Orlando (Port Canaveral). We were at the Orlando Brightline station yesterday for the announcement, which also included a new “Love Boat” train wrap design!

We love using Brightline to travel to Fort Lauderdale. It is so convenient for us. We used to drive to Fort Lauderdale or Miami when cruising out of those ports, and this makes it much easier and enjoyable. We have so far been in Premium class (which we like a lot), but the Smart class seats are very roomy as well. We do recommend our travel partner MEI-Travel for booking Princess Cruises and Brightline.

First, here is our video from yesterday. And then the press release (with my photos added) talks about the new Princess Cruises and Brightline partnership.

ORLANDO (April 5, 2024) – Princess Cruises, the world’s most iconic cruise brand, and Brightline, the intercity passenger rail seamlessly connecting travelers to top destinations and major events in Central and South Florida, have joined forces to introduce the innovative Rail & Sail program, offering guests swift and hassle-free access to Princess cruise ships departing from two popular Florida homeports – Fort Lauderdale and Orlando (Port Canaveral).

With Rail & Sail, guests enjoy a seamless journey in luxurious comfort, arriving at their preferred homeport in significantly less time than traditional travel methods.

The announcement also included the debut of a train with four custom-designed cars adorned with Princess’ iconic Love Boat branding, complete with its signature seawitch logo and depictions of popular ports of call. Princess’ branding will also be featured within Brightline’s five terminals throughout Florida.

Also announced was a value-added luggage express service offering guests the ultimate convenience as their bags are checked at their Brightline station and are waiting for them securely in their stateroom upon arrival to the ship.

Princess guests can also enjoy special discounts of up to 15% when booking Smart and Premium Rail & Sail packages through Brightline’s web site. And for a limited time only, guests who book a Princess cruise through May 5 will receive a Brightline credit of up to $150 per person for its signature Smart and Premium class service based on stateroom type.

“A Princess cruise is already the best value in travel and this new partnership with Brightline makes it even easier and more enjoyable to sail with us from the top-rated ports in South and Central Florida,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises. “Our guests can just sit back, relax, and let us do the rest, including delivering their luggage directly to their stateroom.”

“Brightline has been connecting travelers to South Florida ports since we began operations in 2018 and cruisers from the beginning have found our train to be the easiest way to start their vacation,” said Patrick Goddard, president of Brightline. “Today’s partnership with Princess Cruises and this train wrap with the iconic Love Boat branding is yet another example of the connection between cruisers and Brightline.”

One-of-a-Kind ‘Rail & Sail’ Service

Princess guests will have access to Brightline’s full schedule of convenient trains departing daily with 16 round-trip transits between Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. Options include:

• Southbound from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale (with stops at West Palm Beach and Boca Raton)
• Northbound from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando (with stops at Boca Raton and West Palm Beach)
• South Florida residents can also take Brightline from its downtown Miami and Aventura terminals with stops in Fort Lauderdale or Orlando.

Princess will also provide guests with complimentary motorcoach service between Brightline’s Orlando and Fort Lauderdale stations and their embarkation terminal.

Special Discount Offer, Convenient Luggage Express Service

With the convenient new luggage express service guests can check their bags upon arrival at their Brightline station and their luggage will be automatically delivered to their stateroom, making their cruise experience seamless and hassle-free and saving valuable time and effort. The cost is $35 per bag. Luggage express will be initially available on Orlando-to-Fort Lauderdale trains with plans to add the service to Fort Lauderdale-to-Orlando trains ahead of Caribbean Princess’ arrival and homeport at Port Canaveral in November.

For a limited time only, Princess guests who book a cruise through May 5 will receive a credit that can be used toward Brightline’s signature Premium and Smart class:

• Interior/Oceanview stateroom – $50 per person Brightline credit
• Balcony/Deluxe stateroom – $100 per person Brightline credit
• Mini-Suite/Suite – $150 per person Brightline credit

Brightline’s Smart service includes hand-stitched leather seats, complimentary WiFi and multiple power and USB connections at each seat while Premium service adds complimentary snacks and beverages and access to a Premium Lounge.

Love Boat Sailings from Fort Lauderdale, Space Coast

• Fort Lauderdale:  Princess is one of Port Everglades’ largest cruise operators with seven ships – nearly half its fleet – sailing from Fort Lauderdale. Voyages include week-long getaways to the Caribbean to longer length 10- to 20-day cruises offering guests a chance to explore a host of tropical island destinations, including through the Panama Canal.
• Port Canaveral: Caribbean Princess will inaugurate Love Boat cruises from Port Canaveral November 27, 2024, with a series of four- to 14-day sailings visiting some of the western Caribbean’s most picturesque locales, including Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, San Juan, Belize, Amber Cove (Dominican Republic) and Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan). The program runs through April 2025.

Additional information on the new Rail & Sail service is available at princess.com/Brightline or gobrightline.com.