Returning Avis FLL before embarcation???

[Tfish]

Returning Avis FLL before embarcation??? Will have to return my rental to Avis at the airport by 11:00 am Jan 15.

 

Should I drop my wife and friends at Port Everglades, return rental to airport and take a taxi back to Port Everglades?

 

Will my wife and friends be on the Star by then?

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks for any help.

__________________

[ocean.queen]

Tfish...just got back from CB cruise out of Port Everglades. The port is VERY crowded 10:00-11:00am. My advice...drop the car off at FLL...go outside the rental car bldg (towards the terminals) and grab the FREE shuttle to the port...(it is a colorfull bus that reads "free shuttle for National, Herts & Avis) You will arrive at the port about the time they begin boarding. This worked great for us!

[alolewis]

On the Nov 4 Coral sailing when I returned the rental car to Avis at FLL, the return agent drove my wife and I and our luggage in the rental car right to the cruise terminal so we did not have to even take the luggage out of the car until we got to the terminal.

Just ask when you return the car. I drove to the rental return and the agent there checked the car in and then hopped in the drivers seat and drove us so it even wasn't on our rental time or charges. I did tip him a few dollars.

[Tfish]

Thanks for the info.

 

That's a great idea.

[Mary Ellen1]

I know you're booked with Avis, but I just wanted to mention for anyone else that Thrifty has a location just a few blocks from Port Everglades, with shuttle service. We didn't know this, and returned our rental car to FLL airport, and when we mentioned we needed to get the cruise port, they changed our paperwork so we could take the rental car & drive over to the Thrifty location near the Port. It worked out great.

 

Mary Ellen

[tsb]

Do you by any chance have the address for the Thrifty close to the port. We have a rental booked from Thrifty but it is out of the airport and we are not flying into that airport, we are flying into Orlando and staying at the Embassy. This sounds easier.

[Mary Ellen1]

I think it's this one:

FT. LAUDERDALE OFF ARPT, FL,US (FL9)

2400 MIAMI ROAD

FT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA 33316

UNITED STATES

(877) 283-0898

[Mary Ellen1]

Thrifty at Port Everglades: 954-463-2958

 

I'm not 100% certain if the address I listed is correct, but this is definitely their phone number. This is the number we called to request the shuttle van pick-up when we got off the ship.

 

Mary Ellen

[tsb]

Thanks a bunch.

[Nitemare]

I think they'll all take you to the Port. Budget took us a couple years ago.

[TrentS]

Things have changed dramatically at FLL in the past year Nitemare... The major rental car companies no longer have their own shuttles and no longer have their off airport sites. They're all now located in the "Car Rental Center", which is a large parking garage in the middle of the airport terminals.

 

Thrifty and Enterprise are the only ones who still have off airport sites and their own shuttles, the other majors have closed theirs. Budget will also shuttle you from their SE 17th Street location, opposite the Renaissance Hotel.

 

Mary Ellen1's address above is correct... Thrifty is at the midport entrance, essentially at Federal Hwy. (US 1) & State Road 84/SE 24th Street. It's actually a half block east of Federal Hwy, but across a narrow grassy strip so you can easily see it from Federal Hwy. It's directly across the street east from the large Mercedes-Benz dealership, you can't miss it.

[ocean.queen]

National Avis & Hertz DO have a free shuttle to and from the port. It's a bus that is clearly marked. We waited at the shuttle pick/up drop off curb right outside the rental car bldg (turn right when you exit). They unloaded the people coming from the port and we boarded. They dropped off at all the ships with Princess being last. We then picked it up on our way back to FLL. It was very easy and free.

 

P.S. When we dropped off the car there was only one poor guy checking in all the returns...it would have been impossible for him to leave and drive us to the port. You might want an alternate plan.