Best Rental Car Company

[gargoyle999]

I've been researching car rental prices for our cruise to Hawaii next April and reading posts here. Some complaints here and there about long lines and so forth.

 

What I am wondering is what is the best rental car company regardless of price? Shortest lines, cars available, etc.

 

We will be in Hilo, Kona, Kauai, Maui and Honolulu.

 

Want to minimize waiting in line even if it means going with a more expensive rental company.

 

1st time to Hawaii...suggestions please.

[whale-watcher]

Sign up for the Hertz gold club ($50 fee)...after your first gold rental, you never have to wait in any lines...just walk to your assigned car (the number is listed on a board) and drive off. National and avis programs are also quite good, superior IMHO to thrifty.

 

Note that only thrifty and budget operate out of the king kam hotel in Kona, so will be the more convenient options.

[Addictedtwo]

I've been researching car rental prices for our cruise to Hawaii next April and reading posts here. Some complaints here and there about long lines and so forth.

 

What I am wondering is what is the best rental car company regardless of price? Shortest lines, cars available, etc.

 

We will be in Hilo, Kona, Kauai, Maui and Honolulu.

 

Want to minimize waiting in line even if it means going with a more expensive rental company.

 

1st time to Hawaii...suggestions please.

 

 

Well we used Thrifty Blue chip in 2008 for our 2 week b2b cruise without a glitch but it doesn't seem to be that way this year.

Someone posted earlier to make 2 reservations because the rentals companies are side by side and take the shortest lineup. But then I would think you would have to deal with canceling the other reservation or worry about them charging your cc for a no show.

[Addictedtwo]

Sign up for the Hertz gold club ($50 fee)...after your first gold rental, you never have to wait in any lines...just walk to your assigned car (the number is listed on a board) and drive off. National and avis programs are also quite good, superior IMHO to thrifty.

 

Note that only thrifty and budget operate out of the king kam hotel in Kona, so will be the more convenient options.

 

Thats good to know about Hertz. I'm disappointed in the complaints about Thrifty's of late, in fact I just sent them an email advising them to check out the Hawaii board for recent complaints.

[gargoyle999]

The talk about Thrifty is sort of what prompted me to ask this question.

 

Hertz seems to be the most expensive and I'm trying to decide if they have better service to make it worth the added expense. I am already planning on renting from Hertz for 2 days in San Diego pre-cruise since they seemed to have a good rate (vs others) on a full size Hybrid that I thought would be fun to check out since I've never been in one.

 

I'm planning on reserving convertibles in each port except maybe a Jeep in Hilo for Volcano National Park and and Maui for the road to Hana so that is why I'm curious about car availability as well. Not as many of those as mid-size/full-size cars.

 

I'll look into the Hertz Gold...no lines sounds worth the extra money since people have mentioned waiting in line for an hour.

[gargoyle999]

 

I'll look into the Hertz Gold...no lines sounds worth the extra money since people have mentioned waiting in line for an hour.

 

Still researching cars for our trip. Just wanted to mention that the annual fee for Hertz Gold is $60. But I found I can get a 50% discount going through AAA! :)

[smrtypnts]

Still researching cars for our trip. Just wanted to mention that the annual fee for Hertz Gold is $60. But I found I can get a 50% discount going through AAA! :)

Ohhhhhhh, now that's good to know....$50 was sounding kind of steep, but I have AAA! :D

[whale-watcher]

Ohhhhhhh, now that's good to know....$50 was sounding kind of steep, but I have AAA! :D

Sounds like a great deal!

 

I will be testing out the Avis frequent renter program (free) several times in the next month (but not in Hawaii, unfortunately)...supposedly this is just like Hertz...walk directly to your assigned car and drive off. I will report back to this thread with my success (or lake thereof).

[BLK03GT]

Thrifty at every location. I did a lot of research before I left and signed up for the FREE blue chip program. No lines to wait in, it was nice.

 

The only location we had any issue with Thrifty was on Hilo. I believe getting to the cars was a problem for every rental company though, not sure. Take an extra 20 spot with the intent to get a cab at the pier to the airport to get the car.

 

Every other location we had nothing but great experiences with Thrifty. Once we got the car on Hilo we had no issues there either.

 

Enjoy!

[gargoyle999]

Ohhhhhhh, now that's good to know....$50 was sounding kind of steep, but I have AAA! :D

 

If your wanting to rent with Hertz make sure to check out the AAA site as well for your reservations. Has the lowest Hertz rates I've found so far! :)

[gargoyle999]

Sounds like a great deal!

 

I will be testing out the Avis frequent renter program (free) several times in the next month (but not in Hawaii, unfortunately)...supposedly this is just like Hertz...walk directly to your assigned car and drive off. I will report back to this thread with my success (or lake thereof).

 

I would appreciate the input!

[redtop101]

Sign up for the Hertz gold club ($50 fee)...after your first gold rental, you never have to wait in any lines...just walk to your assigned car (the number is listed on a board) and drive off. National and avis programs are also quite good, superior IMHO to thrifty.

 

 

It doesn't look like the Hertz Gold program will do you any good in Hawaii. From the Hertz website none of the airports in HI are listed as participating Gold rentals on the islands.

[gargoyle999]

It's interesting to me how the rates can very so much between companies at each port.

 

Alamo has the lowest rate by far in Hilo for a convertible or Jeep (about $40 less vs Hertz-highest), National the lowest in Honolulu (over $50 less Alamo and $60 vs Avis-highest).

 

Other ports range between $20-$40 difference. Not being a frequent car rental person it is hard for me to determine why Alamo is so much lower in Hilo vs the rest or National so much lower in Honolulu and so forth.

 

Why do people pay more for one car rental company vs another? I could understand $5 or $10 difference, but $40-$60!!

 

Hertz and Avis seem to be highest in general. Not counting the extra cost for Hertz Gold is there a reason to go with them vs the other companies?

 

Do those of you who rent a lot generally go with the lowest rate or do the higher priced companies offer something the others don't?

[gargoyle999]

It doesn't look like the Hertz Gold program will do you any good in Hawaii. From the Hertz website none of the airports in HI are listed as participating Gold rentals on the islands.

 

They don't seem to have the go straight to the lot and get your car but they have either Gold counter or Gold Canopy service. Would that be helpful vs the regular line?

[redtop101]

They don't seem to have the go straight to the lot and get your car but they have either Gold counter or Gold Canopy service. Would that be helpful vs the regular line?

 

It's only helpful if there are sufficient staff at the rental office to look after the Gold customers. That was the problem, apparently, with Thrifty, in Hilo. Even though renters had Thrifty's Blue Chip program there was just no one working that counter or ignoring the people in that line - which lead to the complaints of long delays at Hilo & Kauai.

 

See related thread at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=997683

[QueenofEverything]

Is Kauai as much of a problem as Hilo?? I changed from Thrifty for Hilo, but am still planning on using them in Kauai. Any opinions?

[whale-watcher]

They don't seem to have the go straight to the lot and get your car but they have either Gold counter or Gold Canopy service. Would that be helpful vs the regular line?

 

It's only helpful if there are sufficient staff at the rental office to look after the Gold customers. That was the problem, apparently, with Thrifty, in Hilo. Even though renters had Thrifty's Blue Chip program there was just no one working that counter or ignoring the people in that line - which lead to the complaints of long delays at Hilo & Kauai.

 

See related thread at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=997683

that is what was listed for Kauai as well, but they still had a board posted with names and car locations...no need to stop at the counter. I would call the Hertz local offices directly to confirm exactly how they currently handle the gold rentals at each site. We did not use Hertz in Hilo (rented an SUV from Harpers...quick and close!) so cannot confirm what the process is there.

[whale-watcher]

Is Kauai as much of a problem as Hilo?? I changed from Thrifty for Hilo, but am still planning on using them in Kauai. Any opinions?

We specifically avoided Thrifty in Kauai because of some horror stories in the months before our cruise...not sure about recent experiences. I do know that the thrifty bus was packed to overflowing at the port.

[whale-watcher]

...Do those of you who rent a lot generally go with the lowest rate or do the higher priced companies offer something the others don't?

depends on the airport...in some places (DCA especially) I will pay extra for Hertz, Avis, or National to avoid the long lines for the other companies. In other locations (BWI, Fort Myers) they are all about equally good/bad, so I pick based on price. Not wasting time is a HIGH priority for me for short rentals, when I have a limited amount of time to begin with.

[auducky2]

We got the best prices with Thrifty and used them our whole trip.

[BLK03GT]

Is Kauai as much of a problem as Hilo?? I changed from Thrifty for Hilo, but am still planning on using them in Kauai. Any opinions?

 

We had no issues at all in Kauai a few weeks ago at all.

[gargoyle999]

depends on the airport...in some places (DCA especially) I will pay extra for Hertz, Avis, or National to avoid the long lines for the other companies. In other locations (BWI, Fort Myers) they are all about equally good/bad, so I pick based on price. Not wasting time is a HIGH priority for me for short rentals, when I have a limited amount of time to begin with.

 

This is what has me considering not going with the lowest price for our Hawaiian ports. If Alamo is the lowest by $30-$40 in Hilo then a lot of people will book with them. Since Hilo seems to be the worst port for several people who have posted here might be best to avoid the lowest rate.

 

I really do not want to stand in line for an hour+ just to get my car when we will only have about 7 hours on shore to begin with.

 

Decisions...decisions....

[gargoyle999]

I do know that the thrifty bus was packed to overflowing at the port.

 

I am thinking of taking a cab at each port to get to the airport faster (hopefully) vs the shuttle. Wonder if that would put me ahead of the pack enough to make taking a chance with Thrifty or Dollar (also seems to have equally low rate as Thrifty) worth it?

[dr.adam bricker]

Still researching cars for our trip. Just wanted to mention that the annual fee for Hertz Gold is $60. But I found I can get a 50% discount going through AAA! :)

 

Hey thanks! This was good info. I signed up using my AAA and got the 50% discount. So.......of course, the next day I find a site that provides a 100% discount (never fails, right?). I hear Hertz is good about refunding the gold memberships at a pro-rated unused amount for the year. But, I'm happy to have gotten the 50%. Anyways, with my luck, by the time I cancel the 50% sign-up, and do the 100% sign up, no doubt all the convertables, that I want to rent, will be gone :)

 

Here's the link for the 100% off for the Gold. I tried it, (didn't fill it out all the way) but, it seems to work:

http://getatraveldeal.com/2009/05/30/hertz-1-gold-card.aspx

 

Dr. Adam Bricker, -Love Boat

[gargoyle999]

 

Here's the link for the 100% off for the Gold. I tried it, (didn't fill it out all the way) but, it seems to work:

http://getatraveldeal.com/2009/05/30/hertz-1-gold-card.aspx

 

There always seems to be a better deal once you commit doesn't there!

 

I actually went through the link to see what would happen. It now shows me that the $60 fee is waived instead of showing me the annual fee is $30. Maybe Hertz will just automatically refund my $30! :rolleyes:

 

So that link would be great for anyone who hasn't signed up yet. I did do some test bookings using the get a travel deal code but it was about $6 more than using AAA.

 

So it is still best to use AAA for the actual reservation once you get your free Gold membership.