Princess Cruises and Brightline Introduce New ‘Rail & Sail’ Program

Princess Cruises and Florida rail service company Brightline have introduced a new method to transport passengers to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando (Port Canaveral). Named the ‘Rail and Sail’ program, this new service will offer guests swift and hassle-free access to Princess ships departing from the two popular Florida homeports. 

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

The announcement also included the debut of a train with four custom-designed cars adorned with Princess Cruises’ 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.

“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.”

Princess Cruises guests will receive discounts of up to 15% when booking Smart and Premium Rail & Sail packages through the Brightline website. For a limited time, 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.

“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.”

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

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

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

Princess Cruises will provide guests with a complimentary motorcoach service between Brightline’s Orlando and Fort Lauderdale stations and the cruise embarkation terminal.

Additionally, Princess and Brightline will offer a luggage express service for guests to check their bags at the Brightline station, and they will then be transferred to their Princess Cruises’ ship and delivered to their stateroom. 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 in Port Canaveral this November.

Princess Cruises’ Florida Service

Princess Cruises is one of Port Everglades’ largest cruise operators with seven ships (almost half its fleet) homeporting from the destination. Voyages include week-long getaways to the Caribbean to longer 10- to 20-day cruises exploring a host of tropical island destinations, including through the Panama Canal.

Beginning November 27, 2024, Princess Cruises will begin sailing from Port Canaveral for the first time with cruises on Caribbean Princess. The ship will offer 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, and Roatan. 

Explore 2024 and 2025 Princess Cruises Sailings from Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral