Car Rentals in Orlando..REVIEWS/OPINIONS

[LaneOT]

Hello all...In todays economy where saving every last dollar is a MUST, I've been driving my family nuts about the rental car... I really have not found a website that thoroughly reviews the quality of the rental car company, the rental car itself and the counter service...

I am asking for posts on the quality/reliability of your favorite rental car company and whether or not you would rent from them again!!

Thanks for everything and I hope this helps not only the neurotic renter like me, but the passive ones as well.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I prefer Hertz and National, however Hertz has gone down hill a lot in the past year.

 

[LaneOT]

Thanks!!! I've used Budget, and the last time wasn't that bad...had a great SUV, which inspired us to buy an SUV when we got home after vacay..(loved the amount of room it afforded us)...this year, I've gotten great quoted for Dollar rent a car, but don't know how reliable they are... Ergo this thread..

 

[tammy1210]

We rented from Dollar in 2007 in Orlando - when we arrived at the airport the line was soooo long - at least 15 people waiting - until I noticed the Dollar Express line - that some wonderful Dis'er had recommended enrolling in - thank goodness I did - we were out of there in 10 minutes - with an upgrade to a luxury SUV. They were the cheapest of all of the rental agencies at the time - we loved them - no problems at all, and the car was great. We're leaving tomorrow and I rented from them again - checked their prices again two days ago when they sent me an email about a possible upgrade - upgraded to a luxury SUV and with the special ended up saving another $150 for 9 days!

 

[WillCAD]

I've rented from several agencies at MCO in the last 10 years - Alamo, National, and Thrifty.

I truly rate the service at all three equal - very good to excellent. Once in a while you will come across a rental agent who is bored or apathetic, but I've never had one be rude to me, ignore me, or be dismissive of me. I used to get the hard sell for additional insurance as well, but I have since joined the frequent renters clubs of all the major agencies, which eliminated the saes pitch and speeds the rental process up immeasurably (shorter lines, no paperwork, etc.)

It is important to note that I am always polite, friendly, and happy when I deal with the agents, without being pushy, condescending, or dismissive, myself. I often chat up the garage agents at the car return; they're a pretty good bunch of folks.

I also rate all three companies equal when it comes to quality and cleanliness of vehicles. All of the vehicles I've gotten at MCO, from all three companies, have always been in perfect working order, and absolutely clean. Most of them have had low milage, too; I believe that the agencies at MCO replace their cars fairly often, so it's rare to get one with more than about 20,000 miles on it. Most of the rentals I've gotten in the last 10 years have had less than 5,000 miles on them, and several have been brand-new - less than 1,000 miles.

I will absolutely rent from all three agencies again in the future with no hesitation.

I have rented from Dollar once. That was way back in 2002, so my experience is not recent, but I found Dollar to be as good as Alamo, Thrifty, or National, in both service and vehicle quality.

Note on prices - Thrifty often has the lowest at MCO, followed by Alamo. Dollar sometimes runs sales that are competitive with Alamo. National is in the middle of the pack, so I rarely rent from National, but I do enjoy the Emerald Isle service, so if the price is right, I use it. When I book, I typically use coupons and discount codes from my Sam's Club membership (BJs and Costco have similar coupons), and I play with them to find the cheapest rate from any of the major companies. It's also helpful to look for discounts on MouseSavers.com, or in Entertainment books or other publications. Mixing a coupon from one source with a code from another can often lead to greate savings.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

...with an upgrade to a luxury SUV...

What type of SUV? Luxury is non-descript and vague. Was it an Chrysler Aspen...if so, I wouldn't call that a Luxury, nor would I call a Mercury Mountanier or Lincoln Aviator one. Now if it was a Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade, that's a difference.

In regards to Dollar/Thrifty (same company), I've had HORRIBLE experiences with them and lackluster customer service.

Budget and Avis are about on par with each other and are average. National is slightly better and Hertz used to be above them all, but I'm starting to see it slip to the average level, with unfortunately a premium price.

 

[robinb]

I don't really see too much of a difference between any of the major car rental agencies, including National, Alamo, Hertz, Avis, Dollar and Thrifty. Many people prefer the agencies at the airport itself v/s taking a shuttle. I personally don't care as long as I am saving money!

 

[WillCAD]

Duplicate post

 

[cats mom]

Interesting since the last couple of times we rented in Orlando our experience was pretty much the opposite of what jlewisinsyr posted.

We didn't have a very good experience at National, and they bent over backwards to make things smooth and easy for us at Thrifty. I think a lot depends on when you get in and who is working.

In general I prefer Enterprise, but I hate that you can't book one way rentals online with them, you have to call. I haven't used them in Orlando though.

 

[tkldisney]

We normally use National, but lately have used Alamo & Dollar because of $$. National and Alamo are the same and you pick your car from the same lot. I would recommend using a company thats in terminal. You can google MCO and it will list them. I like National because you can go right to the lot, next is Alamo and if you don't have/use coupon then you can check in online and then go right to the lot. If you use a coupon, then use the kiosks next to the counter and it takes less than 5 min. to process. Dollar is okay if you join there express, then you can proceed to the counter in the garage.
mousesavers has lots of info on codes & coupons to use.

 

[Wild4Walt]

We used Alamo on our last trip to Disney and I highly recommend them!

On day 2 of our 5 day stay a check engine light came on. I was really worried because I had not opted for the extra insurance or the road side assistance. I called Alamo's main number on the back of my contract and they advised me to take the car to the Car Care Center near MK and they just swapped out the cars.

They were very friendly and cvery quick. I didn't feel like I was put out at all.

 

[MGNA]

Last week we rented a Toyota Avalon from Alamo for $160(taxes, etc included). It was a great deal and an expense that worked well for us. I cannot imagine not having the rental car for the week.

Check in was crazy busy but once DH was able to use the self-checkin it was a breeze. It was convenient having Alamo at the airport, too.

We were expecting to pay more (still a great deal) but were pleasantly surprised when almost $40 was deducted for turning in the car 3 hours early.

Based on this experience we would use Alamo at the airport again if they offered great deals.