Vancouver Rental Deals

[vbmom87]

Has anyone had any luck with rental car codes for Vancouver? No matter what discount codes I use, the price is always the same. I can't believe it is going to cost me more to rent a car in Vancouver for 2 days than for a full week in Anchorage.

[orchid72]

Have you tried any of these?

http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?act=ST&f=304&t=238

 

What time of year are you looking to rent your car? Car rental rates in Vancouver are generally cheaper than in Alaska. I can get deals in Vancouver for as little as $19.99/day depending on the time of year and car class. During the summer, rental rates for compact cars can be as much as $49.99/day but if you book now, I think you can still get something that is somewhat less expensive. I just checked the Alamo website and I could get a compact car for $56 ($69.90 taxes included) for 2 days starting July 14, 2008 (and I did not even use any discount codes). That works out to about $28/day (~$35/day taxes in). That's a VERY good deal for the summer - It is very rare that you can do better than that.

 

I usually get the best deals from Alamo/National followed by Budget.

 

Hope that helps.

[Putterdude]

In all my 40 years of business travel, I always shuddered to rent a car here in Canada. Not only are the rates typically higher we also don't, in most markets, have unlimited mileage. Anything under $50 per day for a mid sized car is a good deal. I am used of rates in US markets of $29 per day and even less if you are a week or more. Have you tried the Costco rate, it tends to be very good?

[vbmom87]

Have you tried the Costco rate, it tends to be very good?

 

I did try Costco when I started this process, haven't checked this past week. We are looking to rent a mini-van. We will arrive at the airport on June 13 and will be boarding our cruiseship on June 15. I need a two day rental with pick up at the airport and drop off near the cruise dock.

 

Orchid, I did not try betterbidding, but will look there. Thanks. I didn't think of that. I have used them for hotel info for Priceline. I will also try Alamo again. I know they were high when I checked them originally. Right now I have a reservation with Avis. That was the best deal I could come up with. With taxes it is costing me $194. Is that really the best I can do?

[vbmom87]

Have you tried any of these?

http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?act=ST&f=304&t=238

 

What time of year are you looking to rent your car? Car rental rates in Vancouver are generally cheaper than in Alaska. I can get deals in Vancouver for as little as $19.99/day depending on the time of year and car class. During the summer, rental rates for compact cars can be as much as $49.99/day but if you book now, I think you can still get something that is somewhat less expensive. I just checked the Alamo website and I could get a compact car for $56 ($69.90 taxes included) for 2 days starting July 14, 2008 (and I did not even use any discount codes). That works out to about $28/day (~$35/day taxes in). That's a VERY good deal for the summer - It is very rare that you can do better than that.

I usually get the best deals from Alamo/National followed by Budget.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Alamo is about $20 less. I will check a few more and then see. Thanks for the ideas. I know I checked all three that you mentioned and at the time Avis was a better deal.

[orchid72]

With taxes it is costing me $194. Is that really the best I can do?

 

Alamo is about $20 less. I will check a few more and then see. Thanks for the ideas. I know I checked all three that you mentioned and at the time Avis was a better deal.

 

Considering the time of year, the car class, and the fact you're doing a "one-way drop" (yes, they gouge you on this too) that is probably the best you could do. You might want to try checking periodically with the different rental companies between now and your departure to see if they have dropped their prices (sometimes they do depending on demand - I used to work in the car rental biz).

 

I would also probably check Enterprise or Discount Car Rentals (note, though, that I would NOT recommend Discount for their customer service).

[vbmom87]

Considering the time of year, the car class, and the fact you're doing a "one-way drop" (yes, they gouge you on this too) that is probably the best you could do. You might want to try checking periodically with the different rental companies between now and your departure to see if they have dropped their prices (sometimes they do depending on demand - I used to work in the car rental biz).

 

I would also probably check Enterprise or Discount Car Rentals (note, though, that I would NOT recommend Discount for their customer service).

 

I tried Alamo through Costco and ended up with $162, which is $32 less than my other deal. I will keep looking to see if any other bargains come up. I tried Budget, but for some reason their pickup list did not show Vancouver airport. I am feeling a little better about this price. Thanks for all the help.

[Putterdude]

Budget is definately at YVR. You could try calling some of the locations that are off YVR and downtown to see if you can get a better deal by speaking with the location directly plus you will save the airport fees. If this works then take the Airporter downtown but I suspect by the time you pay $14 for each person on the Airporter any savings are going to have been eroded to $0.

[vbmom87]

Budget is definately at YVR. You could try calling some of the locations that are off YVR and downtown to see if you can get a better deal by speaking with the location directly plus you will save the airport fees. If this works then take the Airporter downtown but I suspect by the time you pay $14 for each person on the Airporter any savings are going to have been eroded to $0.

 

I know I looked for a quote from Budget earlier, and at the time they had no mini-vans available. This time when I went to do my pick up location on the Budget website, it has several Vancouver locations, but no airport location. As you say, since we have 5 people, we likely would negate any savings by going to an off-site location. Besides our age ranges are 59-70, so it seems less complicated to go with the airport location. I also like that Alamo is in the Pan Pacific. I assume we drop the car off near there, so it will make for a smooth day of embarking.

[vbmom87]

Considering the time of year, the car class, and the fact you're doing a "one-way drop" (yes, they gouge you on this too) that is probably the best you could do. You might want to try checking periodically with the different rental companies between now and your departure to see if they have dropped their prices (sometimes they do depending on demand - I used to work in the car rental biz).

 

I would also probably check Enterprise or Discount Car Rentals (note, though, that I would NOT recommend Discount for their customer service).

 

I just checked again today and rates did go down another $50 for the two day rental. I finally feel pretty good about it. I had checked so many times and was beginning to think I had to settle. So far, Alamo is the only one that seems to have dropped prices.

 

Now, I have another question. Drop off is at the Pan Pacific Hotel. Do you know if we will have to go into the hotel to drop off the car, or will there be a drop box for keys in the parking area where we drop off the car.

 

Also, how much time should be give ourselves to drop it off? We are staying downtown in a B & B that is 1 mile from Canada Place (according to Mapquest). I only ask about the time, because I think we will be cutting it close and we don't want to get charged another day's rental. We will be returning the car on a SUnday morning. We have no idea what to expect in terms of traffic and just finding our way to the drop off car lot.

 

Any suggestions to help make this run smoothly would be appreciated. There are five of us travelling together, so my guess is that the driver would drop the four of us off at the pier with all the luggage. He would then drop off the car and walk to the pier. Am I correct the walk is very doable?

[Putterdude]

I just checked again today and rates did go down another $50 for the two day rental. I finally feel pretty good about it. I had checked so many times and was beginning to think I had to settle. So far, Alamo is the only one that seems to have dropped prices.

 

Now, I have another question. Drop off is at the Pan Pacific Hotel. Do you know if we will have to go into the hotel to drop off the car, or will there be a drop box for keys in the parking area where we drop off the car.

 

Also, how much time should be give ourselves to drop it off? We are staying downtown in a B & B that is 1 mile from Canada Place (according to Mapquest). I only ask about the time, because I think we will be cutting it close and we don't want to get charged another day's rental. We will be returning the car on a SUnday morning. We have no idea what to expect in terms of traffic and just finding our way to the drop off car lot.

 

Any suggestions to help make this run smoothly would be appreciated. There are five of us travelling together, so my guess is that the driver would drop the four of us off at the pier with all the luggage. He would then drop off the car and walk to the pier. Am I correct the walk is very doable?

 

The Pan Pacific Hotel and the Canada Place terminal are all interrealted and share the same parkcade so there will be no need to drop passangers off unless you want to with all of the bags and then you go and find the Alamo desk. In the Pan Pacific....sorry I just don't know where it is in the hotel or if they have a drop box. I would also want to be sure of there hours on a Sunday morning but with the cruise ship travel I would think they would be open. In terms of time ....less then 30 mins on a Sunday morning but allow yourself something more than that to be 100% safe.

[vbmom87]

The Pan Pacific Hotel and the Canada Place terminal are all interrealted and share the same parkcade so there will be no need to drop passangers off unless you want to with all of the bags and then you go and find the Alamo desk. In the Pan Pacific....sorry I just don't know where it is in the hotel or if they have a drop box. I would also want to be sure of there hours on a Sunday morning but with the cruise ship travel I would think they would be open. In terms of time ....less then 30 mins on a Sunday morning but allow yourself something more than that to be 100% safe.

 

Thanks Putterdude!!! I am trying to get a good understanding of everything so we don't have too many unexpected glitches.

 

Yes, the Alamo office is open on Sunday at 8:00 am. until 4:30 p.m. I am glad we won't have to drop anyone off and can stay together. We are hoping to pack relatively lightly;) . Our paperwork from HAL says we can board at noon, but from what I have been reading it sounds like we can board around 11:00 a.m. We are looking forward to our visit to Vancouver and our cruise. Thanks again for your input.

[vbmom87]

In the Pan Pacific....sorry I just don't know where it is in the hotel or if they have a drop box.

 

I ended up calling Alamo and they said that sometimes they have an agent right in the Parkade near the elevators. If no one is there, he told me to go to the ground floor and turn left. Sounds simple!!! As I am figuring out all the final details, I am getting very excited. Can't wait!!!

[Serious Cruisers]

I use Alamo/National ALL the time in the Pan Pacific. They do have a drop box for keys if its after hours. You just drive into the Canada Place parking lot, follow signs to car rental and you will see their parking spots.

 

FYI sometimes they run out of spots, so you will have to drive around the lot and look for a vacant spot. Just be sure to indicate on your contract where the car is so they can find it.

[vbmom87]

I use Alamo/National ALL the time in the Pan Pacific. They do have a drop box for keys if its after hours. You just drive into the Canada Place parking lot, follow signs to car rental and you will see their parking spots.

 

FYI sometimes they run out of spots, so you will have to drive around the lot and look for a vacant spot. Just be sure to indicate on your contract where the car is so they can find it.

 

Thanks for the additional info. It will be a great help.

 

We have never rented before with Alamo, but have with National. We always go with the best deal we can find, and that varies so much.

[Cruizn Mama]

vbmom87--

 

I'm doing the opposite, renting from Canada Place and returning to the airport. However, I decided to rent a regular size car and make 2 trips with luggage to both the B & B and the airport in the end. We got a car from Hertz for under $40/day, but then we will have to hike up the price when we get car insurance, because our car insurance won't cover us out of the U.S. We probably got a AAA discount. We are actually going to get the car from a nearby hotel (2 blocks away) vs. going into the city further and shuttling back with a taxi, and there was no savings either way. I did make some phone calls after making the reservation online and it took the price down, if I recall correctly, maybe it had to do with which location. Some location wasn't available on the internet.

[Serious Cruisers]

Alamo and National are the now under the same banner!

[vbmom87]

vbmom87--

 

I'm doing the opposite' date=' renting from Canada Place and returning to the airport. However, I decided to rent a regular size car and make 2 trips with luggage to both the B & B and the airport in the end. We got a car from Hertz for under $40/day, but then we will have to hike up the price when we get car insurance, because our car insurance won't cover us out of the U.S. We probably got a AAA discount. We are actually going to get the car from a nearby hotel (2 blocks away) vs. going into the city further and shuttling back with a taxi, and there was no savings either way. I did make some phone calls after making the reservation online and it took the price down, if I recall correctly, maybe it had to do with which location. Some location wasn't available on the internet.[/quote']

 

I ended up getting a mini van for $40 a day plus taxes..so it comes to $57 with taxes. I had a total of three different reservations at one time. My original was $100 a day with taxes, so, we got that down nicely. I just kept checking and eventually got lucky one day. Checked a couple days later and the price was higher again. Not sure if it matters, but I found the good price on a Sunday.

 

We went to our AAA office and they said we are covered in Canada and gave us a certificate to show in Canada if necessary. I hope that will cover it.

[urkidn]

You can also go to Fatwallet.com and check out the rental codes/coupons to see if any apply to you. I don't find the site very user friendly but if you go to Forums and then Travel Deals, you will find lots of neat threads including the car rental one. Unfortunately, it is pretty labour intensive punching in the codes but I generally do find a better deal.

[Putterdude]

I ended up getting a mini van for $40 a day plus taxes..so it comes to $57 with taxes. I had a total of three different reservations at one time. My original was $100 a day with taxes, so, we got that down nicely. I just kept checking and eventually got lucky one day. Checked a couple days later and the price was higher again. Not sure if it matters, but I found the good price on a Sunday.

 

We went to our AAA office and they said we are covered in Canada and gave us a certificate to show in Canada if necessary. I hope that will cover it.

 

It is one of those documents that never hurts to have....the likelihood of you being asked for it is pretty remote but a good idea nonetheless. I am glad that you got that rate ground down. Enjoy your cruise and Vancouver.:)

[vbmom87]

It is one of those documents that never hurts to have....the likelihood of you being asked for it is pretty remote but a good idea nonetheless. I am glad that you got that rate ground down. Enjoy your cruise and Vancouver.:)

 

We are looking forward to our visit. I am currently in the pains of packing!!!! Ugh!!!! Too many weather scenerios to pack for. Not sure how I am going to fit it all in. Was hoping the 26" suitcase would work, but it looks like we will be needing the 29." Just too much stuff...books, travel info, cameras, binoculars, medicines, etc. etc. etc. And I haven't even started putting in the clothes. We are going on a 9 day independent land after, so there is so much to pack. UGH!!!!

[Putterdude]

We are looking forward to our visit. I am currently in the pains of packing!!!! Ugh!!!! Too many weather scenerios to pack for. Not sure how I am going to fit it all in. Was hoping the 26" suitcase would work, but it looks like we will be needing the 29." Just too much stuff...books, travel info, cameras, binoculars, medicines, etc. etc. etc. And I haven't even started putting in the clothes. We are going on a 9 day independent land after, so there is so much to pack. UGH!!!!

 

I understand the concept but no pain no gain.;)

About an hour after you pass under the Lions Gate Bridge, look to starboard and wave, I wan't be darn sure that you are on the ship. That will be me standing by the barbeque with drink raised in salute to you. I have just finished doing that for the good folk on the Radiance of the Seas as she sailed by our front door.

[vbmom87]

I understand the concept but no pain no gain.;)

 

About an hour after you pass under the Lions Gate Bridge, look to starboard and wave, I wan't be darn sure that you are on the ship. That will be me standing by the barbeque with drink raised in salute to you. I have just finished doing that for the good folk on the Radiance of the Seas as she sailed by our front door.

 

I will try to remember to look for you!! ;)

[andrea63]

Putterdude -

We will be on the Serenade of the Seas September 20. Will you still be in Canada then or will you be in Arizona already?

If we will be passing your place also, I would ENJOY waving to you also! :D We have an aft cabin. You are a wealth of information along with Urban Trecker and several others!

[Putterdude]

We are ordinarily here until the last week of October so I will be looking for you.