I doubt they really care if it is an easier way for people to get to their property from the airport. They already have a pretty good system for that. Rail to Disney won't replace Magic Express. Magic Express is more flexible and can drop people right off at their hotel. A train won't do that .. and will likely run a LOT less than Magical Express buses.
I strongly agree. This plan is not about getting people from the Orlando International Airport (MCO) to Disney World. It won't replace Disney's Magical Express.
I always thought MCO was an odd termination point. The thing that Brightline has over the local commuter rail service (Tri-Rail) here in South Florida is that Brightline runs right though the downtown areas. There are tons of office buildings, retail, tourism locations, housing, and hotels within walking distance of the current stations.
None of that was true for the MCO station. Continuing further into Orlando with the two additional stations makes more sense to me.
Now if there is a train station to WDW, it could (eventually - by connecting to other train routes) be an alternative to get to Disney for those who traditionally drive or fly short distances, but it would have to be as cheap as driving or cheaper than flying -- which I doubt since trains (like planes) charge per person.
People don't always choose the cheapest mode of transportation. Some folks will pay a little extra for a better experience. Brightline has two classes of service. I've personally only experienced their lower class. It's a MUCH nicer experience than economy-class air travel. I'd actually argue it's nicer than the first class service you'd see on a short hop between Florida airports.
Also, don't assume that everyone has cars. You can easily live in Miami or Fort Lauderdale without a car. (I've done it for years.) Here in Fort Lauderdale, there are 4 or 5 high rise apartment buildings under construction within an eight block radius of the Brightline station. Some of the people moving into those buildings won't have cars. Clearly, they aren't going to be going to Disney World every week. I'm only mentioning it because people tend to forget that not everyone owns a car.
I think vacation traffic to florida is increasing along with WDW's increase. I think many people are now adding Disney as part of a greater florida vacation. Many airlines partner with train service, and I see this as being an extension of that concept. I think it will bring in more European traffic via the Virgin connection.
Correct. In 2018, Florida welcomed a record 126.1 million out-of-state visitors. That number was 6.2 percent over the previous record set in 2017.
Source:
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/bus...it-florida-tourism-record-20190220-story.html
And approximately 10.8 million of those tourists were from overseas.
Source:
https://www.visitflorida.org/resources/research/
I tried without luck to find some statistics to confirm your thoughts about whether overseas tourists split time across multiple regions of the state. The only interesting figure I found was a 2011 factoid that said the average length-of-stay for overseas tourists was 11.2 nights.
Source:
https://skift.com/2013/02/19/floridas-2012-tourism-numbers-set-a-new-state-record/
Without data to confirm, it's possible they might be staying in one place for all those nights. But, I think you are correct in thinking that many of those folks will likely split time in two or more locations.
Any way to make it easier to move people across the state is likely to increase tourism, particularly for overseas tourists. I'm speculating, but I'd imagine those people will pay more to travel by train if it means avoiding the hassle/stress of driving in a foreign country.
Additionally, if overseas tourists are looking at their options, they're more likely to choose a brand they know (aka Virgin) than one they've never heard of (aka Brightline). So, the Virgin branding is a really smart move, in general.
The proposed station at WDW from the Brightline Proposal would be at World Drive and I-4 just across from Celebration and the High School.
That seems really far out. I'm not doubting your statement...just the wisdom of choosing that location.
For anyone unfamiliar, here is a map showing the World Drive/Interstate 4 intersection in relation to some of the southern-most locations at Walt Disney World.
Link to Bing Maps:
https://binged.it/2OSIih9
I would have thought that a station at the EPSN Wide World of Sports location would be smarter. To get there, they'd probably need to run down the median of West Osceola Parkway. That probably adds more complexity as I don't think that road falls under the authority of same people who run the Central Florida Greeneway (417).