Dollar Rent a Car Fort Lauderdale

[hugger]

Wondering if anyone out there has used Dollar rent a car in Ft. Lauderdale. Do they transport you from the airport to the ship?

We are thinking of renting a car from Tampa to Ft. Lauderdale and dropping it at the airport. Then picking up another on our return from the Coral Princess back to Tampa

Thinking that this might be a better option than leaving our own car in the parking lot at the hotel while we're gone. As well as getting a car with better gas mileage for the trip (being our prices have sky rocketed here). While not putting the miles on our own car.

Dollar seems to be the only one with a decent rate that I can find.

25.00 total per day for a compact. Now if we can get 7-8 pieces of luggage in a compact along with 2 people LOL

 

If anyone one knows of a better deal or has any input on this please let me know.

THANK YOU

[kenandlaura06]

I would also like to know if anyone has any opinions on Alamo, Thrifty, Budget, Hertz or Avis---we have only rented from Enterprise and have no experience with these others...recommendations? It would be from FLL to MIA?

[hoppelk]

Last January we flew into Tampa to visit relatives and rented a car from Dollar. We kept the car for a couple of days and dropped it off in Ft. Lauderdale. There was a shuttle to take us to the pier and catch our cruise. What you have planned will definitely work. Sorry, I have no knowledge about the Miami pier and car rentals.

[TrentS]

FLL's rental car situation has changed since January... ALL of the major rental car companies are now located in the new Car Rental Center, which is a large parking garage in the middle of the airport terminals. The major rental car companies no longer have their own shuttles, if your terminal is too far to walk to the new garage then you use the airport's Car Rental Center shuttles.

 

If you're returning the car to Miami before your cruise, then you can either return it at the airport, or a downtown location if the company you use has one, and they'll shuttle you to the port.

[hoppelk]

Trent,

 

Do the rental companies still shuttle you to the pier after you have dropped the car off? We are on a 10 day Princess cruise in January 06 and plan to come to Florida three days early and go to Key West. When we drop the car off on the day of the cruise, will they still shuttle us to the pier? Thanks for the update.

[hoppelk]

I guess I should have read your post completely before I posted. You answered my question in the last sentence of your post. Senior moment!!!!

[hugger]

I called 1-866-434-2226 which had been given to me by the gal at our local Dollar office. The gal at the number above told me that yes they do one way rentals and yes they will shuttle you between the airport in Ft. Lauderdale and the pier. However, I have read conflicting reports here.

You may want to call the Ft. Lauderdale location and ask them. As it would be a big disappointment to you IF they in fact do NOT offer this service.

Sometimes the nat'l number's are not aware of changes made at local locations.

I think we've decided to stay with our own car and just leave it at the hotel while we're on our cruise.

[Tony2000]

I am renting from National and they have an office at the port.

[hugger]

I hadn't checked with National car rental that would be a better option with a drop off at the port area.

[Bequia]

I am renting from National and they have an office at the port.

 

I would verify that with National. I could be wrong but I don't think they actually have a rental location on the "port" grounds.

 

 

According to the National Car Rental web site both their airport location and Port Everglades are listed as 600 Terminal Drive, Ft Lauderdale. A Mapquest search reveals that address belongs to the airport car rental terminal that is shared by 6 other major car rental agencys. ;)

http://www.nationalcar.com/servlet/DocHandler/index.html?2738243a1f4fb715

[TrentS]

Tony & hugger... Bequia's right, National's "Port Everglades" location is at the airport. Port Everglades and FLL are adjacent, but no one has a facility within Port Everglades. The closest any of them come would be Thrifty (just outside the mid-port gate), who is one of the few who still have an off airport site. The other major rental car companies are all now located in the new Car Rental Center, which is a large parking garage in the middle of the airport terminals.