What have you seen on the EA? (running thread)

[Humphrey1227]

Lets keep a thread going what has been seen on National's EA lately? Thanks!:)

[mkymouse4ever]

read recently of only mistibuishi lancer's

[Humphrey1227]

i would like to get an eclipse. i only saw it in the aisle when we were returning our lancer. if they don't have a car you were looking for did you ever check at the other terminal?
thanks :)

[mkymouse4ever]

No but its definately an option! With cell phones & / or family radios, no reason you can't "hold a car with some of your party and then check out the other side & meet in the middle. Could take sometime but the there only on the other side of the terminal. Definately worth the extra walk or time. I would like a beetle, convertible, or smaller suv! Well we can dream! MKY:D

[noel]

Used the aisle at about 830pm on Sat 4/25. The aisle was very full.....of Mitsubishi Gallants. Seriously there had to be about 8 of them!!!! That and a a few Intrepids. No mini vans, SUVs, sporty cars or otherwise.

We didn't care much for the Gallant, but it got us to WDW and back, which is what really was important! :p

[mkymouse4ever]

bumping back,:bounce:

[mkymouse4ever]

:bounce: :wave:

[Cameo]

We picked up our car at 6:00 on 4/23. Same thing, lots of Mitsubishis. We picked a
Chevy Lumina off the full size aisle.

[DebbieB]

Arrived today about 2:15pm on B side. They had a good selection, about 15 cars. There were Gallants, Intrigues, Malibus, Lumina, Century, Alero, a couple others (Lancer?). No SUVs or Vans. The full size aisle was mostly all Malibus. I took a Buick Century from the EA.

Side note - we went to the new Winn-Dixie. Very nice! Very clean and good prices. They signed me up for their shopper card, saved almost $4! Then they push the cart out to your car and load the trunk! There is a sign no tipping. It wasn't crowded at all.

[mkymouse4ever]

:bounce: :p

[mrsmouse]

We had reserved a standard and walked over to the aisle and found a Suzuki Vitaro SUV! Verrrrry nice. I put my red mickey head on the antenna and we called it our from 4/19 (around 11:30am) 'til 4/29.

EA was one of the best planning tips I could have done for this trip!

I had reserved the car in my name and we stopped at the counter to add my husband on as a driver (as the 800# instructed me to do) and we were told we DID NOT need to stop and do ANYTHING! With EA I was already ok to have another driver free of charge.

Everything was wonderful. We will definitiely use this again!

[Otisp]

So, let me get this straight.... there are TWO EAs in Orlando? This might be one of those "which-side-of-the-Matterhorn-has-the-fastest-bobsleds" questions, but which side of the terminal has the best EA?:confused:

[mkymouse4ever]

Yes, EA has 2 sides at mco. 1 for each terminal A & B.;)

[Looking Glass]

Was there on the "B" side on Friday the 3rd of May. Two Lancers, two Malibus, and a bunch of smaller cars. We went to the full sized isle and took an Intrepid. Was very nice only 1000 miles, very clean, even had leather.

[DebbieB]

Returned the car tonight around 4:45. I glanced over a the aisle as we walked out. Big selection, I'd say 20 cars. Looked like the same choices - Gallant, Intrigue, Malibu, Intrepid. Full size was pretty full too, I saw Malibus & Intrigues. I just looked at the ones closest to the walkway over to the terminal.

One thing broke my heart - I am thinking of buying a Camry and was hoping so bad that they would have one that I could rent, it would be like a week long test drive. I had rented a 2001 Camry over a year ago and loved it, but it was redesigned for 2002. But no luck when we arrived last Saturday. When I returned the car tonight (Buick Century), what was parked in the return aisle - a new Camry.:(

[#1 TITANS FAN]

Arrived 4/27 on the B side around 10:45 am and there were a bunch of Mitsubushi Lancers, a couple of Eclipses, some Oldsmobiles and guess what else ?; a new 2002 PT Cruiser with only 5 miles on it which I was just able to beat another party to. Guess I got very lucky:cool:

[Humphrey1227]

bumping :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[beattyfamily]

WOW!!! DebbieB that's great to hear!!!

We've only been down once belonging to the EA and had NO luck. I reserved a Full size and got a Full size. There were about 5 of the same white car to choose from!

Anyway, it's good to see that some people are getting interesting cars. I had heard that the EA was only going to have Full sizes and not neat or big cars anymore like the PT cruiser or mini-vans.

I'm curious if anyone's seen mini-vans on the EA in the past few months??

Thanks for bumping this!:D

[rpbear]

I got a mini-van on EA on Thursday night March 7 about 11:30 pm. It had less than 100 miles on it. There was 3 mini-vans on EA that night. There were also alot of full size cars. Didn't notice anything else special, was to excited about getting mini-van. Hope I have that luck the end of May on Wednesday night about 11:30pm.:)

[pbhunt]

April 25, EA at MCO: The Good part, employee drove up with a freshly washed Mitsubishi Spyder Convertible and said we could take it. The Bad part, While we were trying to figure out how to put 10 days worth of luggage into it, a manager ran up and yelled "No, No, NO, you can't have this car, it's not supposed to be on the Aisle"

We had figured out anyway that it wasn't going to happen with 4 bags, so we didn't argue too strenuously. DH wanted something "sporty" so we took a Mitsubishi Eclipse, which was also a little cramped with the suitcases, but it worked out fine!:D Other cars on the aisle were all sedans, of some sort. Sorry, I didn't pay enough attention.:)

[mkymouse4ever]

Good to know, if it looks like you got to lucky, drive away really fast! MKY;)

[juju]

We had a PT Cruiser too about two weeks ago with 10 miles on it. It was very easy to pick it out in the sea of rental cars in the parking lots.

[Disneylvr]

May 11th, 10:45pm A Side

Lots and lots of Mitsubishi Gallants, a Grand Am, 1 mini-van and 1 SUV. We were anxious to get to our resort so I apologize for not having more specific information. I do know that the Aisle had about 15 cars and there were lots of cars in the full-size section.

[FoodLover]

We arrived on May 11 at 4:00 pm and found lots of cars available (more than 30). No minivans, SUVs or other cars that would be considered out of the ordinary, but a good selection of sedans. Many Mitsubishi Gallants, a sprinkling of Oldsmobiles and quite a few Pontiac Grand Ams (both 2-door and 4-door).

[the Legend]

Bumpidity bump bump bump

[mkymouse4ever]

:bounce: :earseek:

[Jimmac]

We are arriving on Monday and this will be our first time using EA. Do they consider Galants and Grand Ams Full size vehicles? If they aren't and that is the only choices, can you go to the full size row for a vehicle? Can you just do that or do you need some kind of authorization?

[DebbieB]

If you reserved a full size, you can go to the full size aisle for more choices. If you reserved intermediate, then no, but I guess you could look for an attendant for authorization. I believe Gallants are considered full size, Grand Am's are intermediate.

[Jimmac]

DebbieB,
Yes, we reserved a full size. The intermediate and the full were the same rate. Still, it's hard to believe a Gallant is a full size vehicle! Do they identify which vehicles are full size on the EA? Trying to get all the questions answered ahead of time as I will have a 7 & 2 yr. old with me and it's difficult to watch them and figure out the car situation in the garage! ;)

[DebbieB]

No, they do not identify the car sizes on the EA. When I was there 2 weeks ago, the Gallant looked to be about the same size as the Intrigue and Century parked on either side of it (both full size). Somone was already loading the Gallant, I debated between the Intrigue & Century. I had an Intrigue last time so I picked the Century, both were good cars. There were also several Chevy Malibu's, which I think are small for a full size, I had one 2 years ago and wasn't crazy about it.

[Jen80370]

Oops...I started a similar thread up top before I saw this. Sorry...

What kind of SUV's are there when they have them? Thanks

[Gillian]

I rented a Galant & it is quite roomy. It is about the same size as an Accord or Camry.

There are smaller Mitsubishis, the Lancer, & the Mirage, I think, which are NOT full sized! The Galant is much larger.

[pbhunt]

SUV's on the aisle are hit or miss, Jen. I would say more of a miss. On a previous trip we had a full sized reserved, the EA and full size rows were empty and they let us take a Mitsubishi Montero (SUV). I wouldn't really count on finding one on the EA, though, unless you really luck out!:)

[erikthewise]

DebbieB,

You picked a Century over an Intrigue?!:D
They had nothing but Centuries in full size when we arrivedlast year, so that's what we got. "Mushy" says it all: mushy acceleration, mushy brakes, mushy suspension, and mushy seats. I *might *accept a free one, but I'd never buy one.

I've never driven an Intrigue, but Consumer Reports kind of likes it.

[DebbieB]

I didn't think it was bad, but I drive a Grand AM GT that I hate (sports suspension is not smooth). I'd say it was comparable to the Intrigue. They are both GM's, probably have the same basic design. I'd rate it a toss-up if given the choice again.

[robinb]

We picked up a Dodge Intrepid (Full Size). I got to the Aisle just in time to see someone else getting into a PT Cruiser :(. The Intrepid was very roomy with a trunk was HUGE ... big enough to hold our luggage with lots of extra room left over. The interior of the car was nice and the handling was good. The acceleration ... wasn't. It was slow and doggy with plenty of delay between putting my foot on the accelerator and when the car responded. My DH thought that I was exagerating when I told him it had no pick up since I am a lead foot who drives a convertible with a stick shift at home. Then, he drove it and agreed with me :). Still, I like the comfort of the car and would pick one off the aisle again. I just won't try to pass anyone.

[mkymouse4ever]

:bounce: :cool: :bounce: :smooth: :Pinkbounc

[donmil723]

On Sunday, May 19th about 4:30 p.m. there were several cars on EA -- Gallants, Intrepids, Camrys, Grand Prixs -- but no SUVs. We chose a silver Grand Prix as I used to have one before I got an SUV.

[dtuleya]

How can you tell what class a car falls into on the Emerald Aisle? I have a full-sized reserved and I want to make sure I get a full-sized.

[Jen80370]

I'm arriving at about 9am...does time of day matter. Anyone pickup cars early? What is there?

[mkymouse4ever]

2 ways, 1: while your in orlando on the EA, the full size aisle is right next to the EA. And you can see the cars there. or for now on the national web site: www.nationalcar.com go to "fleet" and they are listed there. MKY:D

[DisneyKidds]

We arrived about 11:30 pm on May 23. Checked both A and B sides. Only interesting car was a full size pickup with an extended cab - not exactly a great car to use for a vacation. Other than that it was the usual assortment of mid and full size, with a couple of small sports coupes (Mitsubishi Eclipse perhaps). No minivans or SUV's.

I passed on National (where I am an EC member) and used my Avis (where I am an Avis Preferred member) ressie and got a nice Lasabre (upgrade) with my full size ressie. All I had to do was call and cancel my National ressie with no problem.

The possibility of getting a van or SUV on the Aisle will keep me using National now and again. However, Avis treats their "member" customers better than National. We paid $30 less for our Avis full size ressie than we would have paid for National - and we were upgraded to a premium car.

[Jen80370]

bump

[mkymouse4ever]

:bounce: :earseek: :Pinkbounc :earseek: :bounce: :wave:

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc :earseek: :bounce: :wave:

[Jen80370]

bumping...anyone anyone?

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc :crazy: :bounce:

[mkymouse4ever]

Anyone just back? Any new cars? What condition of cars? Type? Problems? If my sis is a Emerald member can she also drive for free? Thanks,
MKY:) :Pinkbounc :bounce:

[Diznut84]

Just got back yesterday. Many intermediate and full sized cars (no SUVs or Minivans) on the EA. We took a Camry. No problems. Great service.

[Jen80370]

thank you! Hope you had a great trip.

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc

[mkymouse4ever]

:bounce: :p

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc :p anyone back recently?

[the Legend]

You'd expect alot maybe closer to Summer peak July-August. Im going in September-October so I'll be able to put somehing up then.

BTW Thanks for bumping this MM4E Im as interested as you to see whats going thru EA!!

[Jen80370]

Me too...I leave Friday!

[mkymouse4ever]

:) :Pinkbounc

[Humphrey1227]

:bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce: :D

[ncligs]

Leaving Saturday.........was wondering the same thing:rolleyes:

[grumpyandbashful]

and there wasn't much at all on the Aisle when we arrived. I am tall (5' 11") and I sat in many of the full sizes and my head scraped the roof! They also all had about 25,000 miles on them. We waited a bit and they drove up a spiffy red Chevy Impala, which didn't look bigger than the other cars, but had a lot more head and leg room for me, more room in the back too for the kids, and a little more trunk space (we were able to fit 2 large suitcases and 2 small carry-ons in the back).
Also when we returned the car, I noticed only intermediate and full-size cars on the Aisle. Hope you guys have better luck!:rolleyes:

[grumpyandbashful]

Correction - we fit 3 large suitcases and 2 carry-ons in the back.

[ncligs]

grumpyandbashful,

Thanks for the update;)

[mkymouse4ever]

Anyone just back? Anybody check both sides before going? Can you Pick out your car lock it take keys, and then get your luggage, & family? :earsgirl:

[robinb]

Can you Pick out your car lock it take keys, and then get your luggage, & family?

You could ... but it would be just as easy to drive around and pck them up like I did.

[mkymouse4ever]

Bumping to page 1. Anyone just back? What type of cars? Mileage? Condition? Thanks, MKY:cool:

[Jen80370]

Hi all!

I just got back on the 29th. I arrived on the 21st at about 930 am. On the EA, they had a bunch of Malibus, Galants, one or two Suzuki SUV's (too small for our crew-great for family of four), Buick Centuries, and one last Dodge Intrepid, which we jumped on for the trunk space. It had a whopping 2000 miles on it. It was immaculate and had a cd playing and compass.

Hope this helps!

As for luggage, my husband and the kids went to baggage carousel while I went to get the car. I drove it up to the arrivals door, where they were waiting...and off we went. No schlepping the luggage through the airport...

[the Legend]

I think I do that when my Brother and I visit in September.
I'll get the car and he can get the luggage.
Like you, I hate schlepping too. Whatever that is.

;)

[Jen80370]

Schlepping is a profoundly New York/New Jersey term. I believe it may be a derivitive of Yiddish. It's up there with "kvetching" and "schmalzy." We know conclude our Jewish slang class (taught by a Catholic school girl) and return you to our regularly scheduled thread.

:)

[mkymouse4ever]

That's great to hear! Hope you had a great trip! Ours is finally coming up!

MKY:)

[the Legend]

Sincerely, I appreciate the Yiddish lesson.
In New Zealand, you can understand, we dont get to hear alot of Yiddish slang which sounds like its common place in NY/NJ.

BTW. Suzuki SUV sounds just the thing for my Brother and I in September. Thanks for the update.

[chucknrita]

JEN87370

How much room was there in the Intrepid's trunk? Enough for two big suitcases and maybe a little more? We'll have four in our group (me, hubby, 16 yr. old and 3 yr. old) so we'll have at least two big suitcases, that's for sure.
Do you think a full size car would work for us? Opinions from others welcome, too.

[DebbieB]

The full sizes I have rented from National - Intrigue, Camry, Malibu, Century all had enough room for 2 full size suitcases (25"?) and 3 smaller ones (carryon size). I also had a Grand Prix with 3 full size and some smaller.

[Jen80370]

Our Intrepid trunk heads two small suitcases on wheels, one BIG suitcase on wheels, three backpacks and a duffle bag. Plus the backseat was big enough for another duffle down the middle of two six foot teenagers. I LOVED that car. When I came home to my Gallant, I felt like I was driving a compact.

[n2mm]

Just back on the 30th and I have to say I have not seen any cars in the Emerald Aisle now for our last 4 trips. Thank goodness I've been renting a fullsize. The only perk we seem to get belonging to EA is not having to wait at the counter. I don't know if it's the side of the terminal we go to (I think B terminal), but EA has been empty since the first time we ever used it, back in August 2001.

[Otisp]

Arrived on Wednesday 6/26 at 4:30 in Terminal A. In the full-size aisle were tons of Galants, an Alero, a GrandAm, and a couple of Malibus.

In the EA: a lot of Galants, about a dozen Daewoos of different sizes and shapes, 2 Eclipses (do I really need to bring all this luggage... and the kids?), more Galants, 2 Sebrings, a GrandAm(did I mention that there were Galants?), and behind a pillar...... a Grand Prix with 70 miles (guess which one I took!).

Returning yesterday (Sat 7/6 at noon): Galants, Galants, an Eclipse, and a few more Galants.

[Gillian]

Does anyone know which airlines come in to which terminal? Or doesn't it work that way? Thanks :D

[mkymouse4ever]

For what your looking for:

http://www.state.fl.us/goaa/ops/rac.htm (rental car info)

&

http://www.orlandoairports.net/goaa/ops/airlines.htm (airlines and terminal list)

Very interesting site! MKY:)

[LvsTnk]

Arrived on July 1st, at 11:30 am. We took an Oldsmoble Intrigue from the full size isle. Gallants and one Intrepid with someones name in the windshield were on the isle. We had our luggage and got on the road in 40 min. from the time we landed! Oh, and that trunk fit 6 duffles and a garment bag!!

[ncligs]

We were there June 29- July 5th. Used Emarald Isle and was in our car (4 dr Grand Prix) and on the road with in 10 minutes of leaving the plane:D . You can't beat "Emerald Isle"!!!!!!!!:bounce:

[Jen80370]

I wonder if the availability of cars has anything to do with when you land...my flight landed at 9:30 am...anyone else?

[ncligs]

Jen80370,

We landed at MCO at 11:30 am on a saturday(June 29), and there were plenty of cars to choose from . Like I said in the earlier post , we were on the 417 south , 10 minutes after landing. We always use carry on luggage, so that saves time also.;)

[safetymom]

I was driving out of the Hertz lot in about 15 mins. Seems much easier than the Aisle worrying about what cars are available.

[ncligs]

safetymom,

I prefer having the rental cars on site (National). Hertz you have to wait for the bus to take you there. Then you have to allow extra time in returning your Hertz rental to the off site location, then being bussed to the airport.On site (National) is much easier, and I have done both:rolleyes:
Also have never had a problem getting a car in the Aisle in all our trips to MCO.

[safetymom]

I was just posting my experiences like you posted yours. I also have done both. I have never waited to take the bus to the Hertz lot. It just seems much easier with Hertz knowing all I have to do is walk to my car and not worry about the selection.

[Jen80370]

Different strokes for different folks. Some like it just being there and set. Some of us (like me) like the idea of shopping for a car. I feel like it is Christmas morning and I get to pick my present. That's why Disney works as a vacation for so many...there is something for everyone.

[beattyfamily]

I just had to chime in that I agree with Jen80370 in that I LOVE the idea of getting to the Asile and picking what I want and if there's nothing good, then I can just walk only a couple of feet to the Full Asile and get one of those. It's great having the power to pick what I want. It's also VERY quick. I've gotten to the National area, picked a car, and then gotten to the gate in less than 10 minutes!

I would NEVER want to be shuttled to my car (unless I'm missing something); I wouldn't want to travel some more (on the shuttle) with my 2 little DD's and all of our luggage just for a car.

Of course, to each his own. This is just what I prefer. Maybe if I didn't have kids and I had a REALLY good deal, I'd shuttle.

I'm still hoping someday to luck out on the Asile and get something interesting like a PT Cruiser, a SUV, or mini van for my Full size price!!! My 6 year old wants a convertable!

I also hope the prices come down!! There pretty bad this year!:(

[ncligs]

safetymom,

As you can see from the posts of beattyfamily and Jen80370, It is pretty clear which is easier to do at MCO, on-site (National) is faster and easier than (Hertz), especially if you have carry-on luggage. You can be in your car and driving away with in 10 minutes from getting off the plane. Why someone would want to be shuttled away is beyond me :confused: . Also, you mentioned about worrying "about selection", what is to worry about?? All the cars have the keys in them, you pick any of them there, and get in and drive off . Bottom line it is much easier returning your car also directly to MCO. But to "each his own".:rolleyes:

[mkymouse4ever]

Anyone just back? :Pinkbounc

[safetymom]

Well while some are shopping on the Emerald Aisle I am driving away in my car. Yes I was shuttle to the lot but almost always I receive a better car than I reserved. I had children when I used the Aisle and didn't find it all that convenient.

I don't think either National or Hertz is going to go away at MCO so we have choices. What works for me might not work for you. I am happy and you are happy. Isn't that what this board is great for, to share our experiences so others have information when they need to make a decision?

[Chance's Mom]

The line at the check in counter is what I like avoiding!:D

[Humphrey1227]

bumping :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc

[mkymouse4ever]

:bounce: :smooth: :Pinkbounc

[TheWho]

Just picked up a car on 7/5 and returned 7/14. I went for the Dodge Intrepid, big back seat with a big trunk. I originally picked an Izsu (sp) Trooper but the guy in the booth said he would let me keep it if they had more. (I had reserved an intermediate) I remember last year I was able to do this upgrade for free.

anyway, the others cars in the EA were in the same class as the Mitsubishi Galant.

The Intrepid seemed to be the biggest size in the Intermediate EA.

Just a note, I traveled recently for business and had to use Hertz. Driving to a outside lot is such an inconvience compared to the EA. I loved just walking across the street and jumping in a car.

[Chance's Mom]

I thought part of the EA service was that you could take any car from the Emerald Aisle, as long as you had reserved an intermediate for EA service?????? Isn't that part of the fun? Seeing if you can snag a cool car? Now I'm confused.

[DebbieB]

You can take any car on the EA if you have an EA reservation with intermediate or full size. But there's no guarantee that there will be anything bigger than an intermediate. That's why it's a good idea to make the reservation as full size, that way you can go to the full size aisle and pick there instead if there's nothing on the EA you like. If you book intermediate, you can only go to the intermediate aisle if there's nothing you like on the EA. Full Size usually comes up the same price as intermediate when you book through Emerald Club. Your reservation will say full size OR your choice from the Emerald Aisle.

I've never spent more than 10 or 15 minutes from entering the garage, picking a car, checking out and on the road to WDW. There's usually one that catches my eye, I glance around for anything better and then we load the luggage. There's usually no more than 2 cars ahead of us at the checkout.

[Chance's Mom]

Okay, so why wasn't "TheWho" allowed to take the Izuz Trooper from the Emerald Aisle?

[TheWho]

I think I drifted too far and I was in the AWD/4 wheel drive aisle. I booked an intermediate and I was told I needed to pick from the intermediate aisle.

I just remember last year doing the same thing and getting an AWD vechile and paying an intermediate price. Last week, the guy in the booth did give me the impression that he would of let me keep the Trooper if he had more. I guess that's only fair to the people that booked AWD's.

[DisneyHumbug]

Last Monday we got a Dodge Stratus. We were able to fit our 2 suitcases (we have 30") in trunk, along with assorted carry on backpacks and the laptop. The car had 885 miles on it!! As far as a rental car goes, it was very nice.
There wasn't anything spectacular on the Aisle.

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc :) :bounce:

[mkymouse4ever]

anybody just back? :Pinkbounc

[Humphrey1227]

Anyone back recently? I read a few people stating dodge intrepid cars? I didn't think National had dodge only gm? Thanks, :)

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc

[melk]

bumping:p

[DebbieB]

Originally posted by Humphrey1227
Anyone back recently? I read a few people stating dodge intrepid cars? I didn't think National had dodge only gm? Thanks, :)

I have seen Intrepid's on the aisle on more than one occassion. They have had alot of Mitsubishi Gallants lately and also Lancer (is that Mitsubishi?). I also remember seeing a Concord. They also had a couple Dawoo's - what is that?

[BigDaddy1]

Last year we went in late Sept and there was one Chevy Blazer.

Sounds like its just intermediates and full sizes anymore.

I do understand I was more an exception than a rule in my situation.

[tax58]

We were there from 7/13-7/19 the lot was full of Mitsubishi Gallants. We were able to find a nice Camry that would hold our entire luggage.

[mkymouse4ever]

7/24: 1jeep, 2 PT cruiser's, 1 eclipse, and several alero's, large buick's, intrepids.
8/1: 1PT cruiser, alero's, grand am, intrepids, daewoods, and mitubitishi lancers
8/11: 1 grand prix, intrepids, daewoods, 2 eclipses, lancers, and large buicks.

MKY;)

[Hawkeye314]

Just got back from a 12 day stay and used the EA and was somewhat dissapointed with the car selection when I arrived at midday on 7/31. Reserved a full-sized car and saw nothin in the EA aisle so I ended up with a Buick Century from the full sized aisle. I really needed a bigger car (a mini-van or a PT Cruiser, at least) given the three kids and the enormous amount of luggage my wife packed and I was hoping the EA would give me something. It didn't but I still got a good price for the full-sized using the old Disney club discount and the coupon from the website.

[the Legend]

mkymouse4ever and other EA spotters, Could you please state the times you saw these vehicles?

As we all know, the start and end of the day *seems* to be when the best selection is available. Placing times with your sightings hopefully show a trend when the best selection is there.

Plus we're flying in at 10PM so I'd be interested to see whats there around that time. (OK so I have a secret alterior motive but dont we all ;) )

Good Spotting!

[DebbieB]

Good idea. We usually arrive between noon and 2pm on Saturday and usually do not have a problem with selection. I only look for a nice full size though.

[mkymouse4ever]

Sorry, all were between 3 and 5 pm. MKY

[Humphrey1227]

Anyone just back? :Pinkbounc

[mikek]

hit the aisle at about 8:30-9am last friday. Nothing special, basically tons of intermediates and some camrays (are they supposed to be full size?).

[CarolA]

In the rental car world the Camry is a full size as is the Malibu.

[Humphrey1227]

:Pinkbounc :p

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc bumping :bounce:

[shoes99]

We just got back. We picked a Buick Century with 900 miles on it. It was a full size car and it had plenty of trunk space. There were no vans, or SUV's or PT's or a convertible in the EA lot. We picked up the car around 2:30PM last Tuesday. We did have to show the Disney coupon in order to get the one day free. They insisted on the paper coupon. I had it locked in my luggage, so I had to get an adjustment when we returned the car. They adjusted the price at the booth so I didn't have to go to the counter. The total using the coupon was $179, they were going to charge me $219 if I didn't produce the coupon.

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc :smooth: :bounce: :p

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc :smooth:

[mkymouse4ever]

any september people? :Pinkbounc

[the Legend]

Not yet ... give me ... umm about 10 days ;-)

[banks37]

Flew down on frday the 6th and came back on the 10th. When we picked up our car at EA it was about 10:30am and there wasn't anything exceptional, they had Grand Ams, Grand Prix's, some Mitsubishi's, Chevy Malibu's, Intriques and Intrepids (which we took). When we dropped the car off EA had a much smaller selection, about half of the cars that were there the friday before. They had just about the same selection of cars but they also had one Chevy Tracker, this was at 9:15am. Hope this helps - Mike

[banks37]

Flew down on frday the 6th and came back on the 10th. When we picked up our car at EA it was about 10:30am and there wasn't anything exceptional, they had Grand Ams, Grand Prix's, some Mitsubishi's, Chevy Malibu's, Intriques and Intrepids (which we took). When we dropped the car off EA had a much smaller selection, about half of the cars that were there the friday before. They had just about the same selection of cars but they also had one Chevy Tracker, this was at 9:15am. Hope this helps - Mike

[Letsbgoofy]

We arrived about 3:00 pm on Friday 8/23. There were many full sized cars: Intrepids, Camrys...We took an Intrepid with 7500 miles, leather seats, non-smoking, CD player, etc. The trunk was huge!! We fit all of our luggage (2 26" uprights, 2 22" uprights, a large duffle and a carry on) and still had room to spare. We didn't see any SUVs, vans, or anything but mid and full sized on the aisle.

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc :jester:

[mkymouse4ever]

Anyone just back? :Pinkbounc

[the Legend]

Not back but going very soon ...

At last I will be able to contribute to this thread!

[CarolA]

Pick up Friday, September 13 9:30 pm Lots of Gallants and Aleros. Nothing real exciting.

Return on Monday, September 16 7:30 am. Same as above with a couple of Regals thrown in.

[CarolA]

Pick up Friday, September 13 9:30 pm Lots of Gallants and Aleros. Nothing real exciting.

Return on Monday, September 16 7:30 am. Same as above with a couple of Regals thrown in.

[mkymouse4ever]

anyone know how big the trunk is on the alero? MKY:smooth: Thanks

[RweTHEREyet]

a PT Cruiser off the Emerals Aisle. Picked it up Thursday the 19th around 3:45. Was lucky enough to be standing there deciding what to take when it was returned to the lot. Will be taking it back on Monday around 2:00 if anyone is arriving a little later than that. :)

[Gillian]

we picked up at 6:30 PM on 9/6. I was looking for either a Camry or something interesting. No Camrys (we may buy one, so were hoping for a long test drive) but I did snag a PT Cruiser.

There were a lot of full size & mid sized cars. There were a lot of large looking cars, and we would have been happy with anything big enough for our luggage.

[CarolA]

The Alero trunk looked to be a pretty good size. A friend of mine descirbed it as big enough for a few bodies!

[mkymouse4ever]

Thanks carol, think we will shoot for an alero, or a camary or a "specialty" car if available! (we can dream ) MKY :p

[jodyluvsdisney]

hi just wondering....anyone noticed emerald aisle selections without the center console in the front seat (bench seat) that would accomodate 6 in a pinch? we will be five people except for the last couple of days of our late october tripwhen someone joins us and i would hate to have to change vehicles for the last few days or pay extra for a mini van for just this little portion of time... thx so much...

[DebbieB]

The Buick Century I had from the EA in May had a center console, but it flipped back and had a seatbelt underneath (lap only).

[mkymouse4ever]

:bounce: :smooth:

[mkymouse4ever]

Anyone just back? :Pinkbounc :bounce: :cool: :Pinkbounc

[Mrs. Snowgod]

We wanted to rent a converible, and trying to do so online resulted in "not available though Emerald Cub". Reading this thread helps me understand why. Thanks, all.

[NCRedding]

We used EA on 9/27 arriving at 7 pm. The full and intermediate rows were packed. There were Buicks, Gallant, Intrepids, tons of Malibus etc. We picked a burgundy Camry because DH could never find the white malibu last trip. Unfortunately, once we got to Tampa, we discovered that the car had a front plastic panel which had come loose, and scraped the road at slow speeds (my DH said, lets just leave it that way--we'll be going back to Orlando fast, so we want hear it :rolleyes: ) So I had to go to Tampa airport and exchange the car for an Intrepid--process took over 2 hours-I was not a happy camper.

[the Legend]

Just back today!

MCO 9/20 23:00 EA - Intrepids, Aleros, Grand Ams, Camry, Malibu, lots of Galants. Picked up an Intrepid with 800 miles on it.

MCO 10/1 16:00 - The same as above. Nothing outstanding.

LAX 10/1 20:00 - Almost every class type was available. Vehicles ranged from Grand Ams to Caravans. Opted for another Intreprid with 600 miles on it.

LAX 10/5 15:00 - Couldnt check from the shuttle to the terminal but looked like a whole bunch of Grand Ams and Galants.

Had a very quick and hassle free experience with both our WDW and DLR legs of our trip!

[mkymouse4ever]

Thanks you guys! :D I can contribute in a few weeks in leave for wdw in 1 week (for a 2 & 1/2 week visit)! :smooth: MKY

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc :cool:

[chucknrita]

Bump.

[rgoble5972]

bumping

[chucknrita]

Bump

[chucknrita]

Bump

[mkymouse4ever]

October 15th 10 am. Total jackpot: 1 blazer, 1 izusu (sp?) suv, 4 vans, 1pt cruiser, bunch of grand ams, grand prix's, camary's, corrollo's, and larger cars looked liked oldsmobile intrigue's. We took a corrollo with 300 miles on it. Only 2 of us.

October 29th 1pm returning checked out the ea saw very little several large cars all with "saved for mr. xojiksjsj" etc. Did not know they saved cars for people? But did see several of these with signs on the ea, and they were national's signs not home made. No suv's, or vans, just mid sized regular cars.

Our service was great quick, simple, efficent, very happy with national and EA. :D

MKY

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Welcome home, mky! So, how was the trip?

[erikthewise]

Oct 31 10:30 AM

First 3 cars I saw in EA were Century, Camry LE, and Intrepid. I grabbed the Camry and ran! Sorry about not checking further! But I'm pretty sure there were no minivans or SUVs.

[beattyfamily]

Just back today!

Arrived 10/26 and there were only full size cars on the EA. Camerys, Saturns, Centurys, intrepids, and we picked a Buick Century hoping for large truck space and we got it. There are four of us and we fit comfortably. It actually seats 6 people!!! but it would be tight!

My husband dropped it off today so I don't know what was there today.

So far we've had NO luck on the EA with a nice big car/van/SUV....

[KathyR]

We picked up at 11 AM on 10/26 and there were loads of Galants, Centurys, and Intrepids. Nothing spectacular, but we took one of the Galants as we prefer foreign cars. Ok car, but won't be buying one :) We did not see what there was upon return as we were in a bit of a hurry.

[linny172]

Picked up about 3 on the 29th, there were some intrepids, centurys pontiacs and camrys, I got a 2003 camry that was brand new only 7 miles on it very nice car

[MickeyCrazed]

Arrived at EA about 10am on Sunday 10/27. A few Centurys, Camrys, and Intrepids. No SUVs or Mini Vans. One PT Cruiser but the doors were locked and could not find an attendant to assist us.
We ended up walking over to the Full Size Asile and picked a Monte Carlo. Thought it would be a easy car to locate in any parking lot because you don't see many of them on the road. It 9k miles and we were very pleased with it.
Just an observation though: The cars (on the outside) were not as clean as we have seen on previous trips. The inside was perfectly spotless.

[Gillian]

If anyone gets a purple PT cruiser, check in the pockets in the trunk area for extra keys :)

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc

[PinMan]

is there a charge for the ea ???

[PinMan]

is there a charge for the ea ???

[DebbieB]

You have to be a member of the Emerald Club. Emerald Club membership is free for Disney Club members. There are some other organizations that offer free EC memberships. It's normally $50 per year. I've had a free membership for over 4 years and have used it several times.

http://www.nationalcar.com/

[PinMan]

i am a disney club member but didn't see where you would enter that info to avoid the 50.00 charge ? also i coundn't find it in the dc information kit ?

[DebbieB]

From the Disney Club site ("from our friends" section):

Call 1-877-603-0486 for your fee-waived membership application.

[4407mark]

Was there 11/13-17 and we had a brand new Toyota Corolla with only 6, yes six, miles on the odometer. There were six others that that look like they had just come in off the truck.
Worked great for the four of us.

[lawgs]

only problem with a car that new is the gas mileage.....but national does seem to be getting a lot of camry s now...

we pick up today at 11 so will post when we get back what we saw

[sandiegosusie]

I know that ea is somewhat of a gamble. I have a few questions that someone may know the answer to...
1. During the week are your chances better at getting a larger vehicle?
2. If you reserve a full size, can you automatically get a van if they have one on ea?
3. Any strategies out there for a new comer?

Needing a van, should I just buck up and pay for it like everyone else, or gamble for it with ea?

[DebbieB]

If you need a van, I would not gamble that there will be one on the EA. If there is a van on the EA, you can get it with an EA reservation. The last 3 times I've used it, there was nothing bigger than full size. Last December they had nothing bigger than intermediate, I had reserved full size, so I took one off the full size aisle.

[MickeyCrazed]

I used National in October and the EA didn't have any Minivans or SUVs.
Ever since National announced that they need to restructure for financial reasons, their selection of cars on the EA have been minimal. I would strongly encourage you to reserve a van if that is what you need.:D

[Wes]

We arrived on United, which put us at Terminal B on Sunday, November 17 at 5PM.

There were no vans or SUVs available at Terminal B. So I made the trek over to Terminal A, and there was just one SUV left (Toyota Rav 4) ... which we chose.

[Rickk9]

November 19th in Orlando, there was at least 8 mini-vans, no SUV's, lots of intermediates and 1 full size, an Intrepid on the aisle. First time I have ever seen a mini-van on the aisle.

[DebbieB]

Arrived Friday, Dec 6 around 3:00pm. Pickings were slim on the EA. 2 Toyota Carollas, 1 Toyota Echo (very small!), Dodge Stratus, 2 Gallants, 1 Grand Am, 1 Alero. Full size was kind of empty too, I remember a Buick Century, an Intrepid, a Malibu. I was looking for a Toyota Camry, which I'm thinking of buying, but there were none. I liked the Dodge Stratus, it only had 1700 miles. Loaded the luggage, got in, started it and the check engine light was on! I got out to look for an attendant, there was none, so I decided to take the Toyota Carolla which was parked next to it. Moved the luggage over, the line was very long getting out, they were having computer problems. I notice that on the tag they now check off the size, the Carolla was an intermediate.

[phowdershell]

Picked up Sat 11/30 around 11 AM. Mostly Centurys, Camrys, and Intrepids. My family, in their usual fashion, couldn't decide on the color(!!). So as I'm standing there waiting for the dust to settle (it's a car, I don't care what color it is...my commuting car is 11 years old with 200K+ miles on it so you can see how much I care about color) a National employee drives up in a silver PT Cruiser so I just took the keys as soon as she got out and said to everyone else "I'm taking this, who else is going with me?". New car with 700 miles on it. Sometimes it pays to wait around a while.

Of course the downside of this is that now I'm being pressured to replace my old clunker!!

[madcoco]

Just picked up EA tonight at 720PM.Flight went smooth.Lots of cars in the EAs.Monte Carlos,Intrepids,Centurys,Malibus,etc. Bad part was trying to get out of the lot.It took no less than 20 mins to get through the exit and there was only one car ahead of us.The other side was lined up and they were moving smoothly.Murphy's law.Finally get up to the window.Ask what happened.He said" My first day. Just brought over from Alamo and I'm training".There was no one there to help the poor guy out! Horns behind me started blaring and people thinking your holding up the line.First time this has ever happened on EA.Felt sorry for the employee.

[erikthewise]

Hit EA about 11:00AM on Sat Dec 7. No SUVs or minivans of course. No Camrys either which was a disappointment. Several Intrepids; I grabbed one of those. Might have been an Impala, not sure. A lot of Centuries, and a variety of smaller cars. Fullsize aisle was just about empty. Guess they figure fullsize renters will go to the EA anyway.

[MomTo2Princess]

We were there at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, 12/14. EA aisles were full of cars. We picked a Chrysler Concorde which could hold six people (or at least has six seat belts available - three in front and three in back). The back seat was fine for our two car seats and another child in the middle. The front was pretty tight for three adults though. The person sitting in the middle can't be too tall since you won't have lots of leg room. But, at least it's an alternative if you didn't want to rent a van. Trunk seems very spacious - could easily hold our three carry-on type of suitcases, a very large duffel bag. and the stroller.

We saw many Camrys and Integras. a couple of small SUVs (like Suzuki Tracker types), and one mini-van.

We also had a little hold-up getting out of the lot. The girl at the computer must be new since she was very unsure of what to do, but she had another gentleman there to help her walk through the process.

Drop-off was very painless. Person there ran the tag through the hand-held computer, checked the mileage, gave us a receipt (which matched perfectly with my print-out), and we were on our way. There were several porters there in case you need help with your luggage.

[wdwsue]

Anyone rent anything lately? I'm looking for a mini-van on EA.
Thanks
Sue

[Ralph&Pam]

Running a little late in posting this. Too much real work waiting upon our return last Thursday (1/9) :). In any case, at our arrival at MCO (A side) on Thursday, 1/2, there were a number of SUVs, many different full size and intermediate sedans, and two minivans. This was about 11:30 am. I took a Toyota Camry, my preferred full size (Pontiac Grand Prix and Chrysler Concorde are my alternates). I have never seen so many choices on the EA in our last six or seven trips spread over two years. By the way, we had an excellent rate of $156 and change for a week long rental, all taxes and fees included. This was an AARP discount code plus a $15 off weekly rental coupon from the mousesavers.com web site.

Ralph

[CRI]

I never used EA before, and I've been reading all the postings here. Lets see if I've got it straight. If you rent an intermediate size car you can take any car you want on the aisle, but if there isn't anything good, I am directed to the intermediate cars to choose one? If I want a full size, I must reserve full size in case there are no good ones on the aisle- it that also correct? I get different answers from everyone I speak to at National, including the counter at the airport. The 800# tells me with EA, you always reserve an intermediate, but you are entitled to a full size. I was persistent and told them to humor me and change mine to full size (at the same rate) on my rese. The woman agreed to even though she assured me it wasn't necessary. Any EA veterans care to clear this up for me? Thank you!

[mkymouse4ever]

Yes, you are correct! I do my ressies online and always put in a full size cause its generally the same price on the EA. When you get to the EA. You can take anything on it, be it a van, full size SUV, Full size or Inter. car., BUT in the event the EA is empty of full size cars and that's really what you wanted you are entidled to go over to the full sized line and take any car! If it is on your ressie otherwise they could possibly tell you to go get an intermediate car. :D Good luck and happy hunting for cars.

MKY :D

[CRI]

MKY,
Thank you for your reply, I finally think I got it straight!
CRI

[DVC California]

We just returned from a trip over MLK weekend and delighted with the tremendous varity of cars to pick from. There were Mitsubishis (Galants?), Toyotas (Corolla and Camry), SUVs (Suzuki SL7), several large pick up trucks, and minivans.

We let our kids pick and they found a PT Cruiser with 11k in miles. It was very clean inside and out, and drove beautifully. (Reminded me of a slightly larger VW Bug!)

The only complaint I had was when we were returning the car. The return lanes for National and Alamo are side by side and there was only one attendent doing double duty. I guess the economy has caused everyone to cut back and I understand that.

But he was really only checking in the Alamo side and left us National renters stewing for 15 minutes! Lucky we gave ourselves plenty of time or we might have been late for a flight.

Steve:cool:

[Dixie Luvr 98]

We also used Emerald Aisle over MLK weekend and were surprised at the variety available on 1/16. We also saw a PT Cruiser, a convertible, three Mitsubishi Outlanders, trucks and minivans along with a big selection of cars.

Thankfully, our return went quickly and smoothly. An attendant was at the car as soon as we pulled up and had the receipt ready before we even had our bags out.

[Chance's Mom]

Got a brand new Toyota RAV 4 last week. Loved it, and I could always find our car in the parking lots.

[MickeyCrazed]

Arrived at the Asile on Saturday 1/25 and found a fantastic selection. Several Chevy Trackers, Suzuki SL7s, Jeep Wranglers and Toyota Camrys. We ended up with a PT Cruiser with only 4k miles. We had reserved a full size, but couldn't resist the opportunity to try out the PT Cruiser. It was a really cute car, with a "big" car feel. It was the smallest car that I have driven in about 10 years, and found it to be "quite comfortable."
However, I wouldn't want to be stuck in the backseat of that car. It seemed very cramped back there!

[shoes99]

Arrived on Wed 1/29 and there were one van, pt cruisers, lots of mid size cars, we chose a Mitsubishi Gallant again, even though I knew I had to open the trunk from the inside of the car. We like the Gallant and had no problems with the car. Still couldn't find the outside trunk key slot. I don't think it has one. We had a good 5 day rental with no problems

[grumpyandbashful]

We arrived on Saturday, Feb. 1, late afternoon. On the aisle there were tons of intermediate and full size cars, and nothing else except for one pick-up truck :eek: . We stood around a little while waiting for something more fun, but nothing showed up, so we just picked up a Chevy Malibu and took off. Plenty of legroom and trunk space for the two of us.

[DebbieB]

Arrived around 4:30pm on Thursday, February 6th on A side. The EA had Gallants, Centurys, Camrys. There were 4 of us so we took a red Grand Prix off the full size aisle, looked bigger than the others. It only had about 700 miles, had a moon roof and leather seats. Great car! :cool:

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Still couldn't find the outside trunk key slot. I don't think it has one. We had a good 5 day rental with no problems

There isn't one.

[GAIL HAYDEN]

We arrived about 6 pm on Sat. 2/1 and there was really nothing of note on the aisle EXCEPT a ton of Galants. Looked like a clearance sale for them. We took an Intrepid from the full size aisle. Very poor selection.
We were on the B side.

[DebbieB]

Bump

Any recent reports?

[ncligs]

We arrived on Feb 14th(12:00 pm) and there were a lot of Gallants and Camrys.We just missed getting a PT Cruiser by 2 minutes.There was 2 of them and vacationers was just putting there luggage in the trunk :( .We ended up taking a Dodge Stratus, I refuse to drive a "foreign car" at any time.;)

[Hawkeye314]

We arrived in Fort lauderdale very late last Saturday night and went to the EA aisle at National (after waiting 25 minutes for a bus to take us to National which is different than MCO). All my son wanted us to rent was a PT Cruiser. he'd been talking about it for days. As the bus pulled up, there one was in the EA aisle. My wife ran up to it as I unloaded the massive amount of luggage for our family of five.

My wife quickly realized that the cargo area of the PT Cruiser was somewhat small and we would be in a bind as we drove with all of the luggage. A nice National employee asked her if we wanted an SUV and she responded that we would but that we didn't want to pay extra for it (by the way, there were about 4-5 other, more typical cars in the EA lot at that point).

As I approached he told me that I could "take care of him" and he would bring an SUV to me.

I gave him $10 and he brought me a brand new Chevy Blazer, marked it Emrald Aisle on the front and even helped me load in the luggage.

What a deal! I got an SUV for eight days in South Florida during President's Week for $200 (plus the $10 tip)!

[NanaDarling]

Bump.

Any reports from EA this week?

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc :smooth: :bounce:

[disney4me4ever]

Hi~

Thanks to the folks on this board, we had the smoothest car rental ever! Not much noteworthy on EA when we picked up our rental on 3/3. Mostly Galants, a couple Corollas. We wound up taking a Dodge Stratus, because DH is tall and needed the room.

Nancy:earsgirl:

[maps]

arrived 2/26/03
other than the usual mid and full cars reported in the other posts
there wasn't much else
there was one chevy tracker that we took but didn't like it
the back was cramped, the back door swung out and you needed a lot of room behind you because it always fully opened, and the engine always seemed to rev out of control when you stepped on the gas
it did have a lot of head room though

[Melynny]

Thursday Feb 6th 9:30pm arrival...

Loads of cars. corollas, camrys, pt cruisers, full size pickup with 4 doors, galants, one small suv, centurys, malibus, chryslers.. midsize and one full size, monte carlo,

I picked a pt curiser so it would be easy to find.. not too happy with it but it held all of our luggage with the seat down ( me and mom traveling together).

[Gillian]

Saturday March 1, 10 PM (?)
Lots of cars on the Aisle but nothing thrilling - 2 Chrysler Concordes (looked nice & big), a chevy Venture van with people loading stuff into it, 2 Chevy trackers or Suzukis, a few Galants, a bunch of smaller than full size cars. It's possible there was a PT Cruiser, but I knew they would be too small for us.

I was looking for a Camry (no luck) and was heading over to the full size aisle when an attendant asked if he could help. It was late & I was very tired (flight delays, travelling with a 2 year old) and just said, "is there anything bigger?" He told me to take a minivan from the minivan aisle. So I did. He assured me it wouldn't be a problem, and it wasn't. I felt guilty though, because those concordes were plenty big enough for 4 people.

[mkymouse4ever]

:Pinkbounc :smooth: :bounce:

[lawgs]

last year when we found a concorde on the aisle and went to chekc out.....the attendant told us we would have to pay more for that car since it was a "premium" .....even though we found it on the "full size" aisle ...we had reserved full size but did not see anything we liked on EA....

the check out attendant told us someone must have parked it in the wrong aisle.....guess it has something to do with the "mirror hangar placard" that you have to give into the booth....it must detail how the car can be allotted....


saying that ......what happened to the person ( gillian ) who got the mini van......did they change the " placard" before you checked out...

just wondering

[Gillian]

You know, they may have. I know there were 2 numbers written on it, one crossed off, but I think it was like that before we took it.

Those Concordes I saw were EA. I never made it over to the full size aisle.

[DebbieB]

Any reports since they have changed the rules for EA?

[Kitster]

Any information in the past few days??? inquiring minds want to know :p

[cinmell]

We will be landing next Friday around 10:30 am. Has anyone had trouble recently at this time of the day finding what they reserved?

[princess's mom]

Just bumping.

[princess's mom]

Just bumping.

[BuzzMe]

We picked up a Bonneville on Thurs, 4/24 at 1:30pm.

[Kitster]

Bumping to the top.

[FoodLover]

Arrived around midnight on April 27 -- exactly three vehicles on EA. Two HUGE pickup trucks (F-150s, I think) and a freshly washed dark grey Mitsubishi Gallant 4-door with less than 6000 miles on it, which I took.

There were plenty of cars in the Intermediate aisle, so I'm sure I could have taken any of those, too.

[mkymouse4ever]

They can't make you take a pick up truck can they? This is really bad cause we are getting in extremely late too. :( Hope for a better selection.

MKY ;) :rolleyes:

[DebbieB]

If that happened to you, I would find an attendant, they maybe able to pull a car out of the return area. Or have them check on the other side (there are 2 National locations at MCO, A and B).

I arrived today about 5:00pm. Lots of cars on the EA - Alero, Gallant, Corrolla, Stratus. Nothing exciting. I had a full size res with EA (pre-change) so I took a Camry from the full size aisle. There were quite a few cars on the full size, I'd say 15 or 20.

[Beckles]

When I got to the airport on Friday, May 2 around 10:00 PM, I went to the B-side first and there was one Toyota Corolla on the aisle and some other guy had just grabbed a four-door Nissan Frontier pick-up truck, so being by myself with little luggage I trekked over to the A-side to see what they had and the aisle was chock full of Galants, Corollas, and Stratuses along with a single Pontiac Grand Am ...

I took a Galant with keyless entry (most didn't have it) and a full-tank of gas (the first one I picked was well below the F mark already).

I just don't know why A was chock full and B was a bare cupboard ...

In hindsight I wish I had gone to the booth or just gone to the Intermediate Aisle ... especially after I ended up waiting 15 minutes to get through the booths on the A side ...

[NJmouse]

Last week we had a Malibu from EA. There were a few of them There were no PT cruisers or any Van or SUVS. The biggest was the Malibu. This was at Terminal B. (ground level) Terminal A is on the second level. That is the difference between the 2 terminals

[mnbrowns]

I just had a red Mitsubishi Outlander. There was also a Jeep ??, the one with the soft-top. I just didn't want to mess with figuring out how to put it up and down. There were also 2 Ford SUVs. I was surprised, I usually only see Intermediates in EA.

[beattyfamily]

Thank you for posting what you saw!!

[LvsTnk]

When we used the aisle over Easter at LAX, my DH said they had a zillion Outlanders. We loved it very roomy for our family of 5 and all of our luggage!:D

[cinmell]

We just got back on Sunday and we used EA. We arrived on Friday May 2 around 10:30 am. The EA had lots of intermediates, full size, SUV's and minivans. We had no trouble at all finding a car.

[beattyfamily]

We just got back on Sunday and we used EA. We arrived on Friday May 2 around 10:30 am. The EA had lots of intermediates, full size, SUV's and minivans. We had no trouble at all finding a car.

Thanks so much for this info!!! So much for there only being Intermediates on the EA from now on!;)

[DebbieB]

We returned home today. I returned our car to National around noon and took a glance at the EA on the way out. I saw a Century, Malibu's, Gallant, Jeep. There were more farther down but I couldn't see what they were.

We got a pleasant surprise. My reservation price was $122 incl tax. That was EA, Full Size (old system), Disney Club, $20 Entertainment coupon. Turned out I was only charged $110! I compared it to my reservation and the base rate changed from $132 to $120. It said class driven FCAR, class charged ICAR.

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by beattyfamily
Thanks so much for this info!!! So much for there only being Intermediates on the EA from now on!;)

They only accept reservations for intermediates on the Aisle. They have said all along that there MAY be other classes on the aisle, just not to bank on it. Guess the thought here might be " do you feel lucky?"

[Robinette]

We just returned on the 17th. We had a full size reserved EA with the old DC discount and Entertainment coupon. 9 days for $154.43 total! I picked a Outlander from the EA (or whatever they call it now). There were alot of Malibu's, Century's and even a yellow Jeep Wrangler the day we returned the car! A few Toyota SUV's also (don't know the name).

[crzy4dsny]

We just returned and had a full size EA reserved. When we arrived at 5:00 pm, there were no full size cars there at all. There were three people in front of us who also were looking for a full size. The first person in line got a suv. The rest of us got up-graded to a "premium" car which was a Bonneville.

[mkymouse4ever]

Did you find an attentant for this, or did they bring these car's over to the full size aisle for you? Great upgrade! Thanks, MKY :D

[crzy4dsny]

When I got to the garage I walked into the little booth that is there. I told the attendant that I had a full size reserved. She said that there weren't any and told me to see the manager. I'm not sure which aisle is which, he pointed to four cars that were parked and said take one of those after the people in front of you take theirs. The sign on the pole in front of the car said Premium.

[Humphrey1227]

:bounce: :D :Pinkbounc

[ncligs]

My brother and sister's families flew down today (5-24) and got a PT Cruiser and a Buick Century. They arrived at MCO around 4:30 pm.;)

[Dodie]

At 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 24th (Terminal B) there was EVERYTHING on the aisle. Big cars, small cars, small SUVs, minivans, etc.

We got a PT Cruiser and really had fun with it!

[LvsTnk]

:D

[mkymouse4ever]

Anyone just back? :Pinkbounc :smooth: :bounce:

[mkymouse4ever]

:bounce:

[Kitster]

Just back from a 6 day trip. Arrived on 6/11 to find lots of nothing on the A side....... 1 Grand Prix (that I took), 3 Gallants, a few Camry's and that's about it. After traveling all day, we were too tired to check the B side. We arrived at ~ 6pm, so that might have something to do with it, but the selection wasn't much better when we returned our car on the 16th. Hopefully I'll be able to get a PT Cruiser one of these trips :(

[Ralph&Pam]

Back for a few days, but I had some trouble accessing the boards due to the DNS problems reported elsewhere.

In any case, we arrived on 6/1 (and departed on 6/11) about 11 am. A side. There were mainly intermediate cars on the EA: Grand Ams, lots of Toyota Corollas. There were 2 or 3 PT Cruisers at that time (not my thing, so we took a pass). Ended up on the full size aisle were we selected a Toyota Camry. Our EA reservation was for full size and had been made back when the EA was not limited to intermediate cars.

Ralph

[denisenh]

I reserved an intermediate using EA for July 14. Do I still just go to the EA section car lot, bypassing the counter?
I haven't used EA in quite sometime. I am guessing that I will choose from a selection of only intermediate sized cars?
help.

[Ralph&Pam]

denisenh,

Yes, you still bypass the counter. The only change is that you can no longer reserve a full size using EA and pay the intermediate rate. Since your EA reservation is for an intermediate, you will be fine. Choose any car from the EA and proceed to check out.

You will select from intermediate size cars plus some overflow from other aisles. These sometimes include PT Cruisers, minivans, various SUVs, and even a convertible once in a while. You are only guaranteed an intermediate size car now. You used to be able to reserve full size and select from the full size aisle if none were available on the EA. I did that a number of times.

Ralph

[4407mark]

This whole EA situation is confusing - Ralph, did I understand you to say that if you have an intermediate reserved through EA, you can pick from any car on the EA? I have an intermediate reserved 7/4 for a week and figure I'll be lucky to get a compact on a holiday but just in case - I reserved intermediate and now am hoping for a PT cruiser or full size.....

[denisenh]

My first concern is ease of rental as we are arriving at 10:30 pm and will want to get to our hotel.
In the old days of EA we always reserved an intermediate but wound up with something larger.....I think. :confused:
I guess its still basically the same. I am fine with an intermediate anywho.
Thanks Ralph! :wave:

[Humphrey1227]

:smooth: :bounce:

[Ralph&Pam]

4407mark,

Yes, an EA reservation permits you to select from whatever cars are available on the EA. This should be at least an intermediate car, but may include a number of upgrades at no additional charge. Just don't make an EA reservation expecting to get something more than an intermediate and you may be pleasantly surprised if something else is available. The smallest car you'll have to settle for is intermediate.
The change made this spring was that you used to be able to reserve full size EA at the same cost as intermediate. If no full size or other suitable alternate was available, you could then select from the full size aisle. With the recent change, you would now have to select from the intermediate aisle if nothing were available on the EA. I still have an October reservation for a full size EA; after that, I'll be reserving Emerald Reserve to guarantee a full size since National's intermediate choices just don't meet our needs.

Ralph

[4407mark]

Ralph, thanks for the clarification. It's just DW and I on this trip so an intermediate should be fine - when DSs are with us, we really prefer full-size. We have been able to "upgrade " in the past as you mentioned - just wasn't sure exactly what the change meant. Even as an EA member, I didn't receive any info in the mail (must have gotten lost on the way). Thanks!

Mark

[mkymouse4ever]

To page 1 :Pinkbounc :smooth:

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by 4407mark
Ralph, thanks for the clarification. It's just DW and I on this trip so an intermediate should be fine - when DSs are with us, we really prefer full-size. We have been able to "upgrade " in the past as you mentioned - just wasn't sure exactly what the change meant. Even as an EA member, I didn't receive any info in the mail (must have gotten lost on the way). Thanks!

Mark

I did not receive anything either, but, I don't think they have to inform us of this. They do, however, cover the change quite well on the website. Which, can be a challenge to find. :)

[jlambrig]

We saw several Outlanders, one Jeep, no PT Cruisers, lots of Gallants, a couple of Camrys. We chose the Outlander and now we want o buy one.

[LindaB]

We arrived at the B side on Tuesday, June 24th around 12:00 noon. On the Emerald Aisle I can remember seeing 1 Dodge Intrepid, 2 Buick Centuries, 1 Pontiac Grand Prix, and 1 Oldsmobile Alero. There were other cars on the Emerald Aisle, but that's all I can remember right now. We took the Grand Prix.

[BCVNovember]

There will be 5 of us arriving at MCO on 11/15 at 3pm in the afternoon. I will be bringing 2 booster seats and a car seat for my 3 daughters. I joined the Emerald Club yesterday (thanks to Mousesavers.com). I really like the idea of just strolling out to the lot and picking a vehicle.

I tried out a reservation for an SUV on nationalcar.com yesterday and it said EA wasn't available, but Emerald Reserve was. Am I understanding correctly that if I go with Emerald Reserve, they guarantee me an SUV? With the 3 girls, my dad, our luggage and a single and double stroller we really need the SUV and/or minivan. I'm probably going with the SUV as it's lot less $$ than the minivan.

I assumed since it said Emerald Reserve only for SUVs, that they weren't available in EA, but it seems otherwise from the notes I've read on this thread.

Please educate me!

[DebbieB]

Anything other than intermediate is now Emerald Reserve. You can only reserve Emerald Aisle with an intermediate. With Emerald Reserve, you are guaranteed the size you reserve. With Emerald Aisle, you are guaranteed an intermediate but there maybe others available. Emerald Reserve works just like Emerald Aisle, you just go to whatever size row you reserved, you don't have to go to the counter.

[BCVNovember]

I have reserved a standard-size SUV for November. What SUV's are available right now? PT Cruisers are not classified as SUV's are they?

[mkymouse4ever]

PT cruiser's are not in the SUV family. I believe national's SUV's are usually blazers etc...

MKY;)

[CRCrazy]

I picked up a generic Mitsubishi Galant off the Aisle on 6/25 at noon - A terminal side. The aisle was well stocked with lots of intermediate sized cars - but only 1 mini SUV - a Geo Tracker that had been through the mill. I was really hoping to luck out with one of those PT Cruisers - but the Galant was nice, clean, and plenty roomy! It was freshly washed and smelled clean inside and out!

When I returned on July 2nd (around 4:45 pm), there were fewer cars on the aisle, but they did have a few of the mini SUV's. Still no PT's. Also had a few Buick Regals on the return - I always thought they were a full size?

Gotta love EA - I was picking out my car and on the road in less than five minutes! No lines, and the price was right - gotta love the old DC discount and coupon. I'll miss that next year!

[BCVNovember]

mkymouse4ever - Thanks for the info re the PT Cruiser. The Cruiser is too small for us and I wanted to make sure I wouldn't walk out to the SUV row and find it full of those.

Now, one more question re EA/ER. When you have your family with you, do they all have to troop out with you to the garage to get the car? Would it be possible for me to have my family wait inside while I get the car and then I could load them up from the terminal, or is that impractical? I will have my dad and my 3 daughters with me (7, 5 and 2) and it would be easier for me if they waited inside.

Thanks!

[ncligs]

We arrived Monday July 7th, no PT Cruisers were available on EA/ER. Ther were a lot of Grand Ams,Camry's, and Gallants. We took the only Grand prix we seen.

We were also off the plane(carrry on only) and on 528 east to Vero Beach, with in 10 minutes after landing.You can't beat National"s Emarald Aisle!! That is the only car rental I will use at Orlando.

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by BCVNovember
mkymouse4ever - Thanks for the info re the PT Cruiser. The Cruiser is too small for us and I wanted to make sure I wouldn't walk out to the SUV row and find it full of those.

Now, one more question re EA/ER. When you have your family with you, do they all have to troop out with you to the garage to get the car? Would it be possible for me to have my family wait inside while I get the car and then I could load them up from the terminal, or is that impractical? I will have my dad and my 3 daughters with me (7, 5 and 2) and it would be easier for me if they waited inside.

Thanks!

The family can wait for you and you can pick up the car, assuming it is reserved in your name. You will have to pick them up at the arriving flights area which is up one level from the garage. Should be easy to do, there are signs everywhere.

[linny172]

Yeah!!!!!I finally got a PT Cruiser. Arrived about 1:00 Sunday July 6th the EA was full of intermediates, I did see a few intrepids, but than I saw it, a PT sitting there just waiting for me, so I jumped in and didn't even continue looking, it seemed to be new as it only had 987 miles on it, and was a lot of fun to drive, this is the third time I have gotten a almost brand new car, in Feb I had a new Monte Carlo with only 400 miles on it and last Oct. I had a camry that only had 7 miles on it the one guy said it had just came off the truck, I am going back in oct, hoping for another PT or something else fun to drive.
Linda

[~Sparkly~Zoe]

I hope that in dec I have a lot to choose from!