Which Rental Car Company in Orlando?

[Merion_Mom]

I have investigated all the shuttle type services from MCO to Port Canaveral, and these seem to be a bad deal for one person travelling alone. It looks like renting a car and dropping it off in Cape Canaveral and then using their shuttle to the Sovereign is my best deal.

 

Any words of advice? Tell me your stories about doing this and whether you would use that company again, why or why not.

 

If you have a DIFFERENT suggestion, please fire away.

 

I'M BACK ON THE SOVEREIGN IN SIX DAYS! :D :D :D

[GMoney]

Hi Mom - I agree that the rental car move is the best option; it's what I've done for RCI and DIS cruises out of Pt Canaveral. I've used Budget and Thrifty with no problems. My most recent experience was with Thrifty in December. You can catch their shuttle at MCO to the off airport facility (5-10 min ride). When you reach Pt Canav, you will find Thrifty on the righthand side of the main road (easy to find), and then it's another short shuttle ride to the port (again 5-10 min). Hope that helps!

[Merion_Mom]

Hey, neighbor, thanks. So, even wif our Philly addytude, it was a good experience? ;)

 

Thrifty is significantly cheaper than the others; I wanted to be sure that SOMEONE had had a good experience with them.

 

Do you have to wait for the shuttle, do you call them, is it scheduled, what? In both directions?

 

Oh, and did you just do the same thing in reverse after your cruise?

 

Was Budget the same level of service? Would you favor one over the other?

[GMoney]

Hi Mom - I like you b/c you ask all the right questions...:)

 

Both experiences were good; no problems. I would favor Thrifty, only b/c I just used them, and have used them 5-6 times in the past 3 months or so to rent cars before, during or after cruises. Very reliable with no issues.

 

At MCO, a Thrifty rep will meet you at their station. The shuttle comes quickly (10 min wait max) but is not specifically scheduled. Join their Blue Chip loyalty club and the car will be ready for you when you get there - no hassle or waiting. Get in and go.

 

The Pt Canav set up is much smaller, lot fewer people. And whoever is there is probably pulling the same move as you. Again, the shuttle isnt scheduled, but the wait is very short, and the only place the shuttle goes is the port.

 

I did the same thing in reverse with no issues.

 

Have a great time!

[Merion_Mom]

GMoney, of course, knows everything, BUT............

 

Does anyone else have anything to tell me? ;)

[CPT Trips]

Yo Mom

I read your post and was going to reply, but GMoney gave you all the right answers. Definately join the Thrifty club.

You might want to check Mears - $50 RT from the airport to Port Canaveral seem to be a good deal.

http://www.mearstransportation.com/CruiseTrans.htm

Did you hear that in the new movie Rocky moves to Washington Township NJ?

[posmanti]

I don't want to confuse you - but, Avis is my selection. They have an office right near the port. Free shuttle back and forth - and far better service, IMO than the others listed.

[cruiserone]

We are going in March and I researched EKorgan2@aol.com who will take 4 adults for $190 round trip or $100 one way. Art'sShuttle.com was $75 one way for 4 people but I thought Mear's was more money and only picked up Carnival and one other line. Will have to research that again.

 

I found car rental to be expensive because of all the airport charges and taxes in Florida.

 

Good Luck, let's get out of this horrible weather!!!! At least there are no lines at Gino's!!! (unless there is a game).:D

[Merion_Mom]

Yo Mom

I read your post and was going to reply, but GMoney gave you all the right answers. Definately join the Thrifty club.

You might want to check Mears - $50 RT from the airport to Port Canaveral seem to be a good deal.

http://www.mearstransportation.com/CruiseTrans.htm

Did you hear that in the new movie Rocky moves to Washington Township NJ?

According to their website, Mears doesn't go to the Port on Mondays! Seems to specialize in Disney, which doesn't have Monday departures. :rolleyes:

 

No, I hadn't heard that they were doing some filming in Jersey. Sharon Pinkenson of the Philadelphia film office (or whatever her position is called; she's in charge of getting movies made here) has been in Hog Heaven with all the work Sly has been doing here.

[Merion_Mom]

We are going in March and I researched EKorgan2@aol.com who will take 4 adults for $190 round trip or $100 one way. Art'sShuttle.com was $75 one way for 4 people but I thought Mear's was more money and only picked up Carnival and one other line. Will have to research that again.

 

I found car rental to be expensive because of all the airport charges and taxes in Florida.

 

Good Luck, let's get out of this horrible weather!!!! At least there are no lines at Gino's!!! (unless there is a game).:D

Now, THIS is funny! Cruiserone, *I* am the one who recommended Ed here on this board recently! LOL!

 

We used him last month when my kids were cruising with me. This is Mom's solo trip. :)

 

This is NICE weather for January. No four-letter words that start with S in the forecast.

[wolfcathorse]

I rented from Budget. My confirmation shows me getting a car at MCO for a night (I drive to the port the next morning) for $38.99 TOTAL. When I get back, I rented from Budget to get back to the airport for $38.66 TOTAL. Its just my hubby and I so all I needed was a Ford Focus, (dirty rotten Fords, Fix-Or-Repair Daily). I had to say that, DH is a service manager for a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealership. I'm glad to hear there's shuttle service from the Budget office to the port, I wasn't sure how I was going to get to the ship after I dropped the car off in Pt Canaveral. I assume I can call for a shuttle at the port to take me to the rental office when I get back?? And Merion Mom, you are one lucky person, to spend your life cruising!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OPSoccermom]

We did Avis for our Mariner cruise last March. They also have a rep in the terminal and their Port Canaveral location is on the main road to the port. Had no problems whatsoever. Prices were comparable with Budget

 

We joined their frequent traveler club to get express check-in and lower rates.

[loveysbydesign]

We're trying to figure out what to do about renting a car. We fly into Sanford Airport and do WDW for a week..then we cruise and then we fly back home 2 days after the cruise. We were thinking of renting the entire time so we could leave our extra belongings in the car while were cruising. But it's such a waste of $ to pay to rent the car and for parking. This is however, our 1st trip to WDW and 1st time on a cruise so I'm trying to make it as simple as possible, while staying within our budget. It'll be me, dh, ds-7 and dd-3. Any help or tips would be great!

[negc]

Carol - we have only used Budget but were very pleased with them. On both occasions we drove to the pier, dropped off our luggage and then went back to the Budget office to drop off the car and take the shuttle back to the ship. No problems and no delays and by dropping off the luggage first we only had our carryons with us in the van. I think all of the rental agencies offer similar service. I have rarely found Avis or Hertz to offer the best price but if one of them did, I'd go with them. Otherwise I'd pick the company offering the best deal.:)