Rethinking rental car

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I have a rental car booked for our trip but I'm wondering if there would be a cheaper option. We will be flying into the Orlando/Sanford Airport on Jan 5 and was going to pick up our rental there. We will be staying overnight right near the airport then head to the port the next day. Our rental would be $215 with tax and everything and then I figure we would have pay to park at the port which I saw I could get for about $35 (not Disney). After the cruise from Jan 10-14 we will be in WDW staying at the Caribbean Beach on property. We most likely will stay parked at the hotel the whole time. Our only other cost would be gas. Using gasbuddy.com I figured it would cost between $20-$30 in gas. I haven't even looked into the options but is there a way two adults and two children age 4 and 8 can do it cheaper? We would need a cab probably to the hotel from airport, then transportation from hotel to port, port to WDW and then from WDW to airport. Can I do that less than $380?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have a rental car booked for our trip but I'm wondering if there would be a cheaper option. We will be flying into the Orlando/Sanford Airport on Jan 5 and was going to pick up our rental there. We will be staying overnight right near the airport then head to the port the next day. Our rental would be $215 with tax and everything and then I figure we would have pay to park at the port which I saw I could get for about $35 (not Disney). After the cruise from Jan 10-14 we will be in WDW staying at the Caribbean Beach on property. We most likely will stay parked at the hotel the whole time. Our only other cost would be gas. Using gasbuddy.com I figured it would cost between $20-$30 in gas. I haven't even looked into the options but is there a way two adults and two children age 4 and 8 can do it cheaper? We would need a cab probably to the hotel from airport, then transportation from hotel to port, port to WDW and then from WDW to airport. Can I do that less than $380?

The only part of that question I can answer is that DCL transfer from port to WDW resort costs $35 per person.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

The only part of that question I can answer is that DCL transfer from port to WDW resort costs $35 per person.

Does that include tax and everything? For 4 of us it would be a flat $140 from cruise to WDW?

 

[owensamo]

You can save $35 + the daily rental fees while you're on the cruise by returning the car near the port and picking up a new rental (if you so choose) after the cruise. For us we typically can get a rental car for under $100 one-way from MCO to Port Canaveral for one day (or less).

If you're going to WDW after the cruise, a one-day rental would again be less expensive than 4 transfers - but if you want the car longer, it will end up costing more. If you are going back to MCO to fly home, they have free buses from the resorts to the airport, but you'd need to get other transportation to get to Sanford, as Magical Express doesn't go there.

I'd recommend pricing 2 1-way rentals (we always use Budget, which has no one-way drop-off fees) and see how much that saves you. Then you could price a 1-way to the port, DCL transport, and 1-way to the airport (if it's Sanford) to see what that is. Also, check online for codes, or if you are a warehouse club member (BJs, Costco, Sam's) check their website as they typically have codes for rental discounts - we always end up using Costco codes for Budget rentals because they end up being significantly less than any other option!

 

[txgirl5]

Does that include tax and everything? For 4 of us it would be a flat $140 from cruise to WDW?

I did the Cruise line transfers from WDW resort to port and port back to airport. It was a flat $35 per person each way.
Disney Magical Express will transfer you from Disney resort to MCO for free.

Even if you rent the car, I would suggest turning it in at the port instead of parking. Then you could take DCL transfers back to WDW resort. And Magical Express back to MCO when you are ready to go home. (free)

 

[kcashner]

OP is using Sanford, not MCO. There is no Magical Express to Sanford.

I would look at the cost of one way car rentals. I haven't done it from Sanford, but I can usually get a full sized car at MCO or WDW for about $50 or less per day including all taxes and fees. That doesn't include gas or tolls. Use discount codes at rentalcodes.com or mousesavers.com.

Rentals are by 24 hour periods, not calendar days. SO, you need a one way rental from Sanford to CAPE Canaveral (Budget code is CC5). After the cruise, you can pick up another one way rental with a drop off at WDW (again, Budget is in the Doubletree hotel by Downtown Disney and has a complimentary shuttle back to your resort....or get the bus at the Marketplace bus stop). Your other alternative here would be using DCL transfers at a cost of $140 for 4 people. Finally, get the car again on the day you need it to go back to the Sanford airport. The total cost of 3 one-way rentals including gas should be under $200 and you won't have to pay for parking.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I did the Cruise line transfers from WDW resort to port and port back to airport. It was a flat $35 per person each way.
Disney Magical Express will transfer you from Disney resort to MCO for free.

Even if you rent the car, I would suggest turning it in at the port instead of parking. Then you could take DCL transfers back to WDW resort. And Magical Express back to MCO when you are ready to go home. (free)

Disney does no transfers to or from Sanford airport. That's the drawback flying into there but my airfare was half the price of Southwest or Jetblue.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I'll have to calculate the one one rentals options, hadn't thought of that. Are there rental car companies right at the terminal in Port Canaveral?

 

[owensamo]

I'll have to calculate the one one rentals options, hadn't thought of that. Are there rental car companies right at the terminal in Port Canaveral?

They're a bit down the highway from the terminal, but all of the rental companies in Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach have shuttles to the terminal. It's certainly convenient enough that for us it doesn't make sense to have pay for the rental + parking when it's just sitting in a lot while we're using the ship for transportation!

You can always drop off the bags and most of the party at the terminal to do check-in and such and have one person take the car to turn it in. We usually all go - we've never had a problem getting 3-5 people plus luggage on a shuttle either to or from the port.

 

[kcashner]

The car rental companies are not at PORT Canaveral (at the terminal) but are a few minutes down the road at CAPE Canaveral and Cocoa Beach. Hertz and Budget are closest and about a block apart with a RaceTrac gas station right by them. Thrifty, Avis, etc. are a few miles farther down the same road.

I just can't see paying parking and being responsible for a vehicle when I'm on the ship and not using a car! The lowest I've ever paid was $34 for a full size car, the highest was $50 something. Again, check the discount codes!

Another thought is to see whether Cocoa Beach Shuttle serves Sanford...but the car will cost less!

Car rental is easy. Each of the companies offers a complimentary shuttle back to the cruise terminal. You can drop the family and the luggage and just have the driver return the car or you can keep the whole gang together and all shuttle back. It really doesn't make a lot of difference. On the way to WDW, again...if everyone can fit on the shuttle, great. If not, but there is a seat for the driver, have the driver pick up the car and come back to get the family.

Another hint (if the family is of a suitable age)...get off shuttle and have driver get in line for the car while the family deals with the luggage.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Okay I had this thought (which can be dangerous sometimes) I looked up the price and a one night stay at the All Star Music would be cheeper than one night at the Spring Hill Suites that I have booked now. So the difference would be instead of a 20 min drive from Sanford Airport it would be an hour drive. Now if I did this option we would be able to use Disney transportation to and from the cruise but we would still need transportation to and from Disney to and from the airport... A taxi would be nearly $100 each way... Any other ideas or would this just be crazy? And our flight gets in at 8pm on Saturday and the cruise is Sunday.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Out of curiosity -- I was thinking that if someone doesn't offer this service then they should be doing so -- I did some googling and found postings on other cruiseline web sites about companies that do transfers from Orlando Sanford Airport to CC for $30 each.

 

[shburks]

Okay I had this thought (which can be dangerous sometimes) I looked up the price and a one night stay at the All Star Music would be cheeper than one night at the Spring Hill Suites that I have booked now. So the difference would be instead of a 20 min drive from Sanford Airport it would be an hour drive. Now if I did this option we would be able to use Disney transportation to and from the cruise but we would still need transportation to and from Disney to and from the airport... A taxi would be nearly $100 each way... Any other ideas or would this just be crazy? And our flight gets in at 8pm on Saturday and the cruise is Sunday.

That's an awful lot of driving. Even to save a little bit of money. An hour to WDW from Sanford and probably 90 minutes (by bus) from ASMu to port. Take a look at the one-way rentals. Or what about a cab from Sanford to a hotel at the port? You could use hotel shuttle (Residence Inn, Country Inn & Suites, for example) to port and then get a one-way rental from port area for post-cruise returning to Sanford when you leave.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

OP is using Sanford, not MCO. There is no Magical Express to Sanford.

I would look at the cost of one way car rentals. I haven't done it from Sanford, but I can usually get a full sized car at MCO or WDW for about $50 or less per day including all taxes and fees. That doesn't include gas or tolls. Use discount codes at rentalcodes.com or mousesavers.com.

Rentals are by 24 hour periods, not calendar days. SO, you need a one way rental from Sanford to CAPE Canaveral (Budget code is CC5). After the cruise, you can pick up another one way rental with a drop off at WDW (again, Budget is in the Doubletree hotel by Downtown Disney and has a complimentary shuttle back to your resort....or get the bus at the Marketplace bus stop). Your other alternative here would be using DCL transfers at a cost of $140 for 4 people. Finally, get the car again on the day you need it to go back to the Sanford airport. The total cost of 3 one-way rentals including gas should be under $200 and you won't have to pay for parking.

At the doubletree in DTD will they give you a ride to the parks?