Lens Rental at WDW - International Arrival

TheBigE

Change is inevitable, Growth is optional
Joined
Jan 20, 2008
All,

We will be arriving in January from Germany for 9 days at WDW. I would like to rent a Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 Lens and give it a go for the week to see if it is something I am interested in eventually purchasing. I have looked into renting before I leave Germany and frankly the cost is to high overall at nearly double or triple the price of that in the US. Not to mention I pay for at least two days of travel time where the lens remains in the bag on the plane. The cost do not justify renting the lens before leaving Germany.

Unfortunately Kingdom Rentals is no longer servicing WDW, so that leaves me with little options. Almost all rental companies are the same and require a signature of the person receiving the packages. Most will not allow it to be signed for by a Resort staff. Moreover, if it was signed by the resort then the period until it was in my hands physically, I would be liable for any damage/theft...not a very rewarding position to be in with an expensive lens.

With some research, I have found that there is a FedEx Pack and ship center at Bonnet Creek Resort. LensRental.com will allow the package to be shipped to these Pack and Ship Centers. I could then pick up at my leisure and return before departing WDW. This seems to be the only option to make my situation work.

I was wondering if any other international travelers have any thoughts on how to rent a lens? Anyone tried this method before? I welcome the input or thoughts. Thanks
 
Coming in a bit late here to answer. Hello fellow German :) I am currently having the same problem you have as I was looking to rent with Kingdom Rental for our next WDW trip. Renting here in Germany is outrageous - you could very well just purchase the lens!

Instead of renting, I have a different suggestion. If that lens is something you might end up purchasing anyways, why not buy one used for the trip? If you are not satisfied with it, you can always sell it again with little to no loss in money - so in the end it may well be cheaper after all. I have done it this way with quite a few photography related things (backpacks, bags, lenses...) I'd recommend stopping by dslr-forum. They have a huge section just for buying and selling used items. Prices are usually lower than what you'd pay on ebay plus you have the opportunity to actually "check out" the seller according to their membership and acitivity in the forum. I have sold and bought a lot of things on that forum and I have always been very satisfied.

That said, I have also used lensrentals.com and was very satisfied with what I got. I had it shipped to a friend's house though and not a hotel. BTW, a FedEX Print & Ship Center is basically just a post office run by FedEx. You still have to go during office hours to pick it up. It's not like it's a Packstation where you can show up 24/7 because the package will be stored in a locker. There's also a Fedex office near DTD on Hotel Plaza Blvd. We dropped a package of there somewhere near the Best Western.
 
Thanks for the feedback, i have looked at DSLR-Forum and did not see the 17-55 f/2.8 readily available, however there is time before the trip to see if one shows up. It is unbelievable how much a lens cost to rent here in Germany.

I saw the two pack stations listed in WDW and figured the one at Bonnet Creek was most likely the closest.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top