Florida’s high-speed Brightline train has partnered with Princess Cruises for a “Rail & Sail” program that includes one of its trains made over with the iconic imagery of the brand with ties to “The Love Boat.”
Most Princess ships call Port Everglades home in Fort Lauderdale, including the debut later this year of its newest and largest ship, the Sun Princess. The line is expanding with its first ship to be based out of Port Canaveral this fall when Caribbean Princess arrives.
The nearly 113,000-gross-ton vessel began sailing in 2004, christened by Jill Whelan who played Vicki Stubing on “The Love Boat.” Princess ships were featured during the show’s run in the 1970s and 1980s.
Brightline runs from Miami to Orlando with several stops in South Florida, including Fort Lauderdale and a northern terminus at Orlando International Airport. The line has future stops planned that include Cocoa, near Port Canaveral.
The deal between the train and cruise companies aims to offer passengers hassle-free travel to the two port destinations that includes an optional express baggage checking service at $35 per bag that people can use so their luggage is checked at the train station and will make its way to their staterooms.
The deals include complimentary motorcoach travel from the Brightline station to the cruise port terminal to board the ships. The Orlando-to-Port Canaveral service will begin once Caribbean Princess begins sailing in November.
“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 cruise line president John Padgett in a news release. “Our guests can just sit back, relax, and let us do the rest, including delivering their luggage directly to their stateroom.”
The partnership also offers discounts of up to 15% on packages booked through the Brightline website. For those who book through May 5, an extra credit for up to $150 per person for certain packages is available.
The Princess theme design adorns four cars that include the Princess “seawitch” logo and depictions of popular ports of call. Princess branding will also be on display at Brightline terminals.
“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 Brightline President Patrick Goddard in the release. “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.
