Once I arrived in West Palm Beach, I had still not reached my final destination, as it was Fort Lauderdale that I needed to get to.

Purchase

I purchased my round-trip Brightline ticket when booking my air itinerary, through the carrier’s mobile app.

I had initially booked in Smart class, but upgraded to Premium for an additional $30 on the day of departure, again through the mobile app.

Ground experience and lounge

I arrived by Lyft from West Palm Beach Airport in less than 10 minutes. The station is very bright and easy to navigate: access is controlled by automated gates where it is necessary to scan one’s ticket, followed by a light security screening of luggage.

I had to wait in the public area, as access to the Premium lounge is only permitted from T-2 hours.

The lounge is a dedicated section of the waiting area, with access controlled by gates.

It is fairly small, but more than sufficient relative to the train’s capacity.

That said, it is really designed for short waits, with only lounge-style seating apart from two benches facing each other.

The food offering is of good quality, with a small buffet that holds up well for rail travel, offering sandwiches, cold cuts, cheeses, and a few sweets.

Wine and draft beer are also available.

I spent two hours in this lounge before boarding. Boarding itself takes place from the public area.

Cabin and welcome

The cabin in this Premium carriage is laid out in a 1-2 configuration with very comfortable reclining seats.

The rest of the train is arranged in the more traditional 2-2 layout, as is customary in standard class.

Service and catering

The attendant came through with a trolley, and I opted for red wine, which was served promptly, though without any snack.

Arrival and disembarkation

We arrived around twenty minutes late, and disembarkation was smooth. I then ordered my Uber, which is covered up to $10 with a Premium itinerary, and it arrived in less than 5 minutes.

Bottom line

A rather unusual rail experience for the United States, and a very pleasant one overall.

Itinerary Followed

As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed:

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