Looking to rent minivan for drive to disney...what did you pay and with which company

[sheboz]

Although, we live in Windsor Ontario Canada, we are looking to rent a minivan in Michigan and drive to WDW. We have recently become a family of 5 and need the extra room so that we can take our time driving. We are looking to rent for a minimum of nine nights.

How much have you paid for a minivan rental?
Who did you rent from?
Where did you find coupon codes or discounts?

Possible dates for vacation are then of October or beginning of November.
Thank you in advance!

 

[Ranger111]

You MIGHT (not saying you will), but might get a better answer by scrolling through the many posts on the transportation board.

The official minivan thread is near the top of the transportation board at the moment, as are many threads for renting in April, May, June, August, etal.
Here is the thread for October. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3248941

All those threads discuss prices and codes, etc. Lots and LOTS of good information. While it is targeted toward rental at Orlando, almost all of the codes and tips apply to rental from anywhere.

Prices that I got, or Peggy Sue received, well, since they seem to change from hour to hour, I don't really find it that much of a help, except maybe to make me jealous

So, check transportation for more information than you can stand, really.

 

[AmyBWV99]

I use rental car momma for discount codes; where your renting from can make a huge difference. Try offsite from airports as well as on. We usually rent one for around $5-600 for a 10 day rental. We own Odysseys and have had chryslers as rentals but the seats are hard on us for long drives. Even the 1.5 hours from at Pete to WDW my hips will ache. That long if visit dealerships and see about luggage space etc in different models. We ended up with a cute Nissan van once in FL but it wouldn't hold anything.

 

[Habbott]

How old are your kids? We own a town & country, and took it from Indiana to disney last year. No one was comfortable in the back bench (4 adults rotating turns). The seat belts in the back are the issue. My toddler did great in a captains chair in his car seat.

I think the most common rental would be a t&c or grand caravan. But, I would suggest a honda odyssey. If all of your kids are in car seats it has the most options.

No clue on rental costs or deals.

 

[sheboz]

Thanks for the help. DS is 10, DD 7 and our newest addition is 2 months.

I am attempting to make a loose travel budget.

 

[sheboz]

Thank you Ranger 111

 

[AmyBWV99]

No problem given that you'll have a stroller etc it's good to know how much space a van has vs showing up and not having everything fit

 

[Ranger111]

Unless you rent from a car dealer (Ford, Toyota, etal), there is no way you are going to know what sort of minivan you will receive when you arrive at a rental agency. But car dealers that rent are somewhat uncommon and they usually charge pretty steep prices.

The odds are pretty good at most agencies that you will get a Chrysler. But, certainly not guaranteed.

Some agencies allow you to pick from "all available" minivans. But, you know, more often than not they are all Chryslers -- maybe a Dodge or GM/Chevy thrown into the mix.

National and Alamo both offer eight-passenger minivans, and I think only one or two companies make those, so if you reserved one of them, you might have a good idea....

but, checking out the vans beforehand to see what will work for you is a bit pointless considering you really don't know what you will receive at the lot -- although -- once again -- odds are pretty darn good they will have a Chrysler, so if that works for you....

 

[ajwolfe]

I would call your local dealership and ask for a rental price. My dh works at a Toyota dealership and we rent a Sienna from there for vacations and love it. They rent all the time and comparable to companies like Enterprise, etc. Also, this way you will get to big what type of van you receive depending on the dealership involved.

 

[sheboz]

I'm really not worried about the brand of mini van, it is what it is. I'm just more curious about the possible cost and to hear other disboard members experiences with renting a mini van..