1 Party Coming in Later - Where to Park?

[denisekayt]

My DS and I are flying into MCO about 1 1/2 hours before my Mom's flight lands. I'm thinking that it might be a good use of our time while waiting to go pick up the rental car, and then go park in one of the normal airport parking lots so that when Mom arrives we can just pick her up in baggage claim and the car will be ready and waiting for us.

Which parking lot at MCO should I park the rental in after we get it? One of the Terminal garages (A or B depending on the airline Mom flys in on)? Does anyone think this would be too much of a PITA to get done before we need to be back in baggage claim? I do have a preferred membership, so getting the car shouldn't take too long, but I'm not sure how difficult it will be to get out and then around to another parking location.

Thanks!

 

[gigi1313]

i would do the waiting on line, finding the car thing, put your luggage in and then leave the car in the rental lot but take the keys... go get your mom and go back to the rental car... and then leave... or, maybe take your time getting the car and meet your mom on the curb outside baggage claim...

another thought would be to do the paperwork, have a snack, explore the airport and wait for mom and all head out to the garage together...

 

[CPT Tripss]

If you are using a rental company that is on the airport, just leave the car in the spot and wait for the rest of the group. If it is an off airport company, why not use the cell phone lot?

 

[snowbunny]

i would do the waiting on line, finding the car thing, put your luggage in and then leave the car in the rental lot but take the keys... go get your mom and go back to the rental car... and then leave... or, maybe take your time getting the car and meet your mom on the curb outside baggage claim...

another thought would be to do the paperwork, have a snack, explore the airport and wait for mom and all head out to the garage together...

Yes, this is the way to go. We did something similar last fall. By the time we got the car, got it loaded up and figured out where all the bells and whistles were, the rest of our party was calling on the cell that they were on their way to baggage claim.

The rental car is already parked for free, why would you want to spend money re-parking it for an hour?

As far as pickup curbside -- even though my party was at baggage claim and my sister came out to wait with us for my brother in law, the security people were right on top of us saying we would have to move if we weren't loading up bags within 1 minute. So if you go that route, have them call you when they are actually curbside with the luggage.

 

[denisekayt]

Thanks for all the replies...It would be wonderful if I could just leave the rental car parked where it's at and drop our luggage in it, then go back in to wait in baggage claim, but I guess I'm worried the rental car place wouldn't let me do that?

Based on our experience last year we will get to go "pick any car from such and such a row"....if we leave the car we pick there someone else might come along and get a little annoyed if they pick the same car, yet can't get in it, and we won't be around to tell anyone that it's actually ours.

I would love to wait for Mom to be able to call me from curbside as well, but she doesn't have a cell phone, and she's a little unsavvy about the whole airport deal and I would like to be there when she comes off the flight to help her find which baggage carousal she needs to be at, etc.

 

[CPT Tripss]

I hasd not thought about someone else "picking" your car. Why not just leave a note on the dashboard. I left a car in SLC - just put the carry ons in the back seat while DW waited for the checked bags. I was given the keys at the desk, so the "pick a car" was not an issue.