Hacker News Reader

Comment by listenallyall | Hacker News Reader

And what does a family do after arriving in Orlando without a car?

Trains are cool but this doesn't seem viable, 32 departures daily, really?

According to the University of Washington report, high speed rail is in competition with metro-to-metro air travel, which also involves arriving without a car. I don’t know how this particular route rates on that metric, but I do remember that it was one of the routes described in the report.

Edit: A quick web search revealed 18 flights from Miami to Orlando tomorrow. That’s presumably 36 flights including the return. 32 trains is inline with the demand, and is almost certain to be a more pleasant trip—quieter, no TSA, smoother, more space. At 30 min, it’s also more than twice as fast as flying.

Are you implying the train takes 30 minutes? Miami to Orlando is 3 and a half hours according to Brightline's online schedule.

I misread it. The article says “30 min less than driving,” but I read it as “30 min.” Airplanes take 60-90 min, not counting boarding etc.

I mean how many cars are used solely to drive from the airport and then sit in a hotel parking lot for the next week only to be driven back to the airport. 50% seems a conservative number considering that resorts like Disney world have their own transit systems.

There are plenty of attractions outside of Disney or Universal. I'd guess no more than 10% of rented cars have zero activity.

Regardless... these are families who live in South Florida. Cost of driving is a tank of gas each way. Can drive right up to the hotel's front door, no Uber. Can visit both Disney and Universal. Mom or Dad can easily go to convention while kids go to parks, etc.

It's a very rare confluence when paying more and giving up the freedom of a car makes much sense.

Orlando Airport served 50 million passengers last year - who also arrived without a car. I don't see why it's suddenly a problem for train passengers.

because this train serves families from South Florida, who can easily drive door-to-door in about the same amount of time, unlike, say, a family from Chicago (which is likely to rent a car upon arriving).

Disney and Universal shuttles run to many major hotels in Orlando. Uber is always an option too.

Very few people stay exclusively within the Disney-verse the entire trip, for every meal. I-Drive, Sea World, Convention Center. And no, Disney does not run shuttles from Universal's hotels, nor vice versa.

The shuttles are run by the hotels themselves, and yes they run to both parks and I-Drive is right next to Universal.

Lol, International Drive is miles long, most of which is quite far from Universal. And you're claiming there is a shuttle from Disney's Contemporary to Universal? I don't think so. From a Marriott somewhere, sure, but then you aren't within the bounds of either park and will always need a shuttle.

Please tell me how many families from Miami or Ft Lauderdale you expect will voluntarily leave their car at home and take a train instead, knowing they will be reliant on hotel shuttles and Uber the whole time?

Seriously? Riding an Uber from Universal to a restaurant in I-drive would take $10-15, a paltry fee. You'll spend that much on soda for two at the theme parks.

Of course a Disney owned hotel is not going to offer complementary shuttle access to Universal. Meanwhile a Hyatt or Hilton or Gaylord or Rosen or any number of dozens of large hotel chains in the area absolutely run shuttles to both parks.

I've driven from Miami to Orlando many times, it sucks and it takes up 4 to 5 hours each way. Way more relaxing to spend it on a train. Many families will fork out for it.

Double that, because both ways. Add more, because many families require an XL Uber or a special one equipped with car seats for kids. And what if they aren't staying at a Universal hotel, a Disney hotel or something further away. You are minimizing the hassles and the issues and the cost, and the misery of being forced to adhere to shuttle schedules all day every day.

Let the free market figure it out? Uber, Lyft, etc.

Yes I imagine lots of South Florida families leaving their car back in Miami and paying extra for train tickets so they can look forward to Ubering all around town.

They're going to build a station at Disney

Reply on news.ycombinator.com