Car Rental Help

[LynnTH]

Ok. So booked on Carnival Breeze for March. Waited for SW to release their airfare last week to book that. Well apparently they don't have any "wanna get away fares" for the dates we are flying. Cheapest they had was 52000 points per person each way. (or about $500 per person each way). That is crazy.

 

One of the reasons we booked was because we had free airfare. Been flying this time of year for many years and this is the first time that we have not gotten decent airfare.

 

So, now my dilemma. We ended up booking our flights into Jacksonville (only 10,500 points per person each way) . So we did get our free airfare but now need to rent a car in Jacksonville and drive to Miami. We are coming in the day before the cruise so would get rid of the car the next morning.

 

Are there car rental companies at the Port of Miami. Can we rent from Jacksonville Airport and drop off at Port of Miami Car Rental and get shuttle to the port?? And then we would need to do the reverse on the way home.

[Capt_BJ]

Are there car rental companies at the Port of Miami. Can we rent from Jacksonville Airport and drop off at Port of Miami Car Rental and get shuttle to the port?? And then we would need to do the reverse on the way home.

 

There are no car rentals at POM. Most of the majors simply run shuttles from the port to the big airport car rental center. A couple have downtown locations but these tend to be small and then require taxi rides to get to/from.

 

One way rentals are COMMON in Miami and USUALLY have no added fee ... but shop this.

 

In the worst case, renting thru the Miami Airport location, a taxi to/from the port is flat rate $27 (plus tip)

Edited August 19, 2015 by Capt_BJ

[travelbug771]

I just booked a one way rental for 1.5 days with budget for $80 no drop off fee and the downtown location is 5 mins from the port

[LynnTH]

Thanks everyone. I went to some different sites and played around with options. Some of them wanted a drop off fee of $160. That is not happening. Priceline and some other sites did not charge that fee so need to look carefully at that.

 

So, seems it would be easier to just rent at Miami Airport instead of Miami Car Care Center?

[Corby114]

The Car Rental Center is directly across from Miami International Airport. All rental car companies are at the same facility. If you rent a vehicle from either Alamo, National, Enterprise, Dollar, or Thifty they will provide free shuttle service from that location to the Port Of Miami. If you are dropping off a rental from either Budget, Avis, or Hertz they have locations in downtown Miami that are relatively close to the Port Of Miami. At the conclusion of your cruise the above mentioned companies will provide free shuttle service back to the Rental Car Center. Over the years I have read conflicting posts regarding the three companies in the downtown Miami area that provide free transportation to their locations. There are plenty of cabs at the Port of Miami if you need transportation to get to there facilities.

[LynnTH]

Ok. Now to decide on what would be the best location for Hotel. Found a few car rental places that have full size Vans. There are 7 of us and this will fit all of us plus our luggage - each way is a little over $200 so not too bad.

 

In the past we stayed at Intercontinental and then just took a taxi to the pier. But we won't be dropping the car of until the morning of the cruise. Avis and Budget were the 2 companies we found.

 

So, do you think it easier to get a hotel by the airport and drop off car there in the morning and then take a (hopefully free) shuttle to POM.

 

Or get a hotel by POM and drop off at a downtown location and get a shuttle from them to POM.

 

Does this make sense?? I like the hotels near the port but they are also more expensive as going during spring break in March. Also have to figure in parking at hotels don't we??

 

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks.

[JohninDC]

Jax to Miami is quite a drive.

 

If you rent from National, Alamo or Thrifty you can ride their free shuttle to POM from the MIA airport car rental center. If you get a better deal from someone else the taxi fare will be $27, but with 7+bags you will need 2 cabs. :(

 

For late arrivals into Miami we have stayed several times at the Homewood Suites in the Blue Lagoon area - Hampton Inn, Sofitel and other hotels near by. There is a local strip mall with shopping and dining options within walking distance and the area is nice and feels safe to us. Some of the hotels offer packages that include port shuttles, some charge $10-12 per person, or cab fare should be about what you'd pay for an MIA taxi.

[LynnTH]

So, I went on Last Minute Travel and found some good deals. (last time I looked the prices were really high but then I figured out that I wasn't logged in and now the prices are reasonable)

 

The 2 choices I am thinking of are:

 

1. Holiday Inn POM for $160 (I know where this one is located)

2. Homewood Suites Brickell for $171 includes Breakfast Buffet. (Not sure exactly where this one is - thought I read that this is new and not even open yet).

 

Anyone think one is better than the other. Will be dropping of rental van at downtown location that morning and taking shuttle to the pier. Are they both close to Avis in downtown? Both of the hotels had about same parking fee.