Rental car logistics - will this work?

[jpkkld]

Hello,
We are heading to FL in early March to spend some time with family and visit WDW of course! We need to rent a car for 3 days of traveling in FL, then we'll return the car and immerse ourselves at POFQ for the last 7 days of our trip.

I anticipate that dh and I will split up the day we check in at POFQ. He'll drop dd and I off with our luggage and I'll get us checked in (if possible) or at least get the bags stashed with Bell Services. He will return the car and get himself back to POFQ. I see 2 options for returning the car:

A - Rent the lowest price at MCO, return car to MCO, and have dh return on ME. My main concern with this is time... If I CAN'T check in and unpack, then dd and I will have to wait for dh to return so we can get to a park. And if dh gets stuck at MCO waiting for ME, I can see this being frustrating, to say the least. (Yes, dd and I could find amusements, no doubt, but poor dh is stuck at the airport in lines... he won't like that!)

Checking Mousesavers for discounts, I found this option:

B - Rent from National at MCO (probably pay a bit more), return car at Buena Vista Palace at DTD, have dh walk over to Marketplace and take a bus or boat back to POFQ. This sounds pretty good on paper. My concern is the walk. I see it's only about 1/2 mile, and dh won't have any luggage, and I'm hoping there are well-marked and pleasant walkways to get from the Palace over to Marketplace. Dh really won't want to walk on the side of a highway!

So, my questions are: what would you recommend? And if Option B, can anyone tell me what kind of walking experience dh will have?

Thanks for your help!

 

[AllyBri]

Rent the car from National or Alamo at MCO and then drop it off at the Car Care Center, they will then shuttle you back to any resort on Disney property.

 

[Traveliz]

Hello,
We are heading to FL in early March to spend some time with family and visit WDW of course! We need to rent a car for 3 days of traveling in FL, then we'll return the car and immerse ourselves at POFQ for the last 7 days of our trip.

I anticipate that dh and I will split up the day we check in at POFQ. He'll drop dd and I off with our luggage and I'll get us checked in (if possible) or at least get the bags stashed with Bell Services. He will return the car and get himself back to POFQ. I see 2 options for returning the car:

A - Rent the lowest price at MCO, return car to MCO, and have dh return on ME. My main concern with this is time... If I CAN'T check in and unpack, then dd and I will have to wait for dh to return so we can get to a park. And if dh gets stuck at MCO waiting for ME, I can see this being frustrating, to say the least. (Yes, dd and I could find amusements, no doubt, but poor dh is stuck at the airport in lines... he won't like that!)

There is no reason you can't check in - you might have to store your bags but you can still check in and head to a park with your daughter and then get your room, bags and unpack later.
Checking Mousesavers for discounts, I found this option:

B - Rent from National at MCO (probably pay a bit more), return car at Buena Vista Palace at DTD, have dh walk over to Marketplace and take a bus or boat back to POFQ. This sounds pretty good on paper. My concern is the walk. I see it's only about 1/2 mile, and dh won't have any luggage, and I'm hoping there are well-marked and pleasant walkways to get from the Palace over to Marketplace. Dh really won't want to walk on the side of a highway!

It is evident how to get from DTD hotels to the Markeplace - he should have no trouble.

So, my questions are: what would you recommend? And if Option B, can anyone tell me what kind of walking experience dh will have?

There are clearly evident and marked walkways - hundreds of people walk from DTD hotels to DTD shops daily.Thanks for your help!

Good luck!
Liz

 

[jpkkld]

Rent the car from National or Alamo at MCO and then drop it off at the Car Care Center, they will then shuttle you back to any resort on Disney property.

That's better... thanks! Somehow I missed that one.

 

[Tumblwd501]

There are several different major rental companies located in the various hotels near DTD. We usually rent from Dollar located at the Regal Sun Resort, which is right across the street from the Marketplace bus stop. It's about a 5 minute walk along clearly marked sidewalks, as a PP mentioned.

 

[happymommy]

You can also return Alamo or National at the Dolphin. If you were planning on going to DHS or Epcot, you can just meet up there then. Just another option!

The ME option would take WAY too much time.

 

[juliebean]

Our rental is for seven nights, so maybe it will work out better for you - but we looked at renting a car from MCO for four nights and it was almost identical to keeping it for 7. So, we are keeping the car and figure it will save us time going to at Boma or other resort restaurants...just a heads up.

 

[robinb]

I have found that Alamo/National have really jacked up the pricing for their "one way" rentals. Dollar & Budget have much better one way rates from MCO to Lake Buena Vista. Of course, you will have to drop off at a DTD hotel instead of the Dolphin or Car Care Center.

Use Mousesavers for the best discount codes.