Has anyone rented a vehicle for a drive GTA to WDW? Can this even be done?

[Ken_Breadbox]

DW and I are in Disney withdrawal. We went in 2010 and financial circumstances prohibited us from going earlier this year.
We drove down in a 2003 Toyota Echo--which was great on gas but does not have cruise. DW did all the driving (I don't have a license)--God, I love her. 8-)
Anyway, she doesn't want to do that drive again in our car, which is still going strong but which is too bloody cramped. The drive itself doesn't bother her at all, and she'd much rather do that than fly. Just not in our car.
So.
Has anybody rented a car in Canada and driven to Florida? Can it be done?

[lizabu]

I don't think you are allowed to leave the country in a rental vehicle

[minnie mum]

I agree with the PP. I believe that the rental companies won't let you leave the country with the vehicle. You would have to get across the border with you own car and rent from there.

[minnie56]

We have! Not in a few years and if I recall it was Avis near Square One (Mississauga) the next time my DH seems to think it was also Avis
We have also rented from Buffalo A/P and returned there as well.

Do able!

[Susan2771]

Yes, you can rent a vehicle from Ontario (not sure about other provinces) to take over the boarder and return. It is very expensive but you can do it so it will depend on your budget. For some rental agencies though you might have to call the individual franchise to see if they will allow it. Some will and some will not.

[minnie56]

Our wasn't expensive, we kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and there be hidden costs, but there weren't any..

[Ken_Breadbox]

Hmm. So far I've heard it can't be done, it can be done but it's expensive, and it has been done relatively cheaply. This is going to be harder than I thought.

[minnie56]

Ha..true enough!!
All I can say is we have done it..and it wasn't an unreasonable cost.
As said though ..last time was about 6-7 yrs ago.



Let your fingers do the walking??? Call around and see what you can sleuth out..

[cslittle999]

I haven't rented a car to drive to WDW but I did rent an SUV to drive to Wisconsin for work. It isn't really a big deal. You just have to tell the rental company that you are taking the vehicle to the US. You do need to watch out for free mileage limitations. Rentals that would have unlimited kilometers in Canada will have a cap in the US and then you need to start paying for any extra kilometers. All of the rental company sites will list out the out of country limits and the overage charges. You will need to do some careful research.

One option is to drive your car over the border and pickup a US rental car. This can be cheaper.

[CanuckTraveller]

Originally Posted by cslittle999;

One option is to drive your car over the border and pickup a US rental car. This can be cheaper.

Or drive your car across the border and catch a cheap US flight. If you look at the rental car cost, gas, insurance and possibly a hotel night, depending on when you travel and how flexible your plans are, you may be able to fly for less than driving.

[Ken_Breadbox]

Originally Posted by CanuckTraveller

Or drive your car across the border and catch a cheap US flight. If you look at the rental car cost, gas, insurance and possibly a hotel night, depending on when you travel and how flexible your plans are, you may be able to fly for less than driving.

Thanks, that is an option, though as my wife is a person of stature, an extra seat would be needed. Still something we might do, especially given the benefits of ME

[bob315]

It depends on specific companies and even specific locations. I needed to get to New York state from Halifax and chose to fly to Montreal, rent from someone who allowed me to cross the border. I needed to show the rental agreement at the border and there was a limit on the kms once I crossed into NY but I was only going a short way in so I had enough. I would suggest you either cross the border into the States or call around and see what prices you get. With rentals you want to be totally upfront with them in what you intend to do with the car as it can affect the insurance.

Bob

[peigirl]

We rented in 2003 and 2006 in PEI to drive to WDW. Both times from National...unlimited kms..we used the insurance from our insurance company so it was only 15 dollars for 6 months coverage.

Paula

[Bobmc27]

I have in the past rented several times and crossed the border. Now having said that you need to look at the rental agreement closely When I rented you were limited as to which states you were allowed to travel to. Also sometimes you may get a few extra questions about the vehicle when at customs such as who owns the vehicle and reason for having a rental vehicle.

[iluveeyore]

We have rented from Budget, Avis and Alamo in Ontario, driven into the states and never had a problem. And most of their models have unlimited km. Just try your dates on their websites and it will tell you before you confirm about km, etc. Mousesavers.com has codes for discounts for each rental company that are current. Also, we usually park at the Buffalo airport and rent from one of the companies there (usually Alamo, sometimes Budget). Alamo lets you pick your car from the row of type of car you are renting (economy, midsize, etc.) - hubby likes this much better. The only reason we ever rent in Canada is if we want to start out super early and want the car packed up in the driveway, otherwise, we just transfer everything at the airport (costs about $45/week to park there unless you have someone willing to take you and all your luggage over and pick you up). When you rent in the States, you cannot bring the car back across because you have an Ontario license with american plates, but when you rent in Ontario you can take it across because you have an Ontario license with an Ontario plate. If you have any questions, just ask! We got an SUV (smaller one) last year from Buffalo Airport for $17 a day from Budget last year, unlimited km!!