$37.20 P/ Day For Rental Car, Do It?

[lugnut33]

I really dislike using Disney Transportation and just got a deal from Alamo for a full size car that will cost $37.20 each day on our end of Oct. trip. I'm tempted, very tempted because I love the flexibility of having a rental car (staying at AKL) for going to the parks and eating off-site. I can probably save $30 a day eating off-site (example, I can eat at Sweet Tomatoes for around $40 for the 3 of us, but a dinner buffet will cost us about $80 at any Disney place). One meal a day off-site pays for the car!!!

 

[tjkraz]

If you're just looking for another vote of confidence, I say go for it. Particularly when staying at AKV.

Some people may think that an average wait of 15-20 minutes for a bus is no big deal but I know how it grates on my nerves. So I find the rental cost worthwhile.

I also appreciate the flexibility. We like to go to Downtown Disney in the evening--particularly when the parks close early. Plenty of time to head to DtD after Hollywood Studios closes at 7pm. Problem is Disney doesn't offer direct bus transportation from parks to DtD. To make that trip on a Disney bus will take over an hour unless you are VERY lucky. By comparison, I can drive from DHS to DtD in 10 minutes.

 

[missy2217]

Shop around I bet you can do better than that price, we usually rent a car too.

 

[csjordan]

If you're just looking for another vote of confidence, I say go for it. Particularly when staying at AKV.

Some people may think that an average wait of 15-20 minutes for a bus is no big deal but I know how it grates on my nerves. So I find the rental cost worthwhile.

I also appreciate the flexibility. We like to go to Downtown Disney in the evening--particularly when the parks close early. Plenty of time to head to DtD after Hollywood Studios closes at 7pm. Problem is Disney doesn't offer direct bus transportation from parks to DtD. To make that trip on a Disney bus will take over an hour unless you are VERY lucky. By comparison, I can drive from DHS to DtD in 10 minutes.

I don't know what your exact dates are, but I went to rentalcars.com and randomly selected 10/30-11/6 and it came back with a mid-size car with Payless for 196.49, including tax and fees. That's $28/day. they also list a compact car for 186.16.

Good luck with your search!

 

[IbeAbitGOOFY]

Whatever company you go with, be sure to check rates up until the date you leave. I've taken trips that were planned about a year out and by the time I actually took the trip, the rate had come down as much as much as $200!

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

Whatever company you go with, be sure to check rates up until the date you leave. I've taken trips that were planned about a year out and by the time I actually took the trip, the rate had come down as much as much as $200!

I totally agree. We reserved a car for our stay at AKV last month and when I originally booked it, it was going to cost about $200 for the week. I kept checking and about a month before we left, I got Alamo down to either $87 or $83 for the week. That's all I paid. I did NOT get any of the extra insurance or extras they kept trying to sell me. When I checked in at the airport to pick up the car she tried to get me to upgrade (I went cheapest route)saying the one I had reserved didn't have power windows or power locks. I kept saying no. She gave me the paper work and when I went to the garage to get the car, the lady said "pick anything in this row". They all had power windows and locks. We ended up with a Ford Focus that was very nice.

 

[inky dinky doo]

Is it Alamo that's at the Swan/Dolphin, and if it is, can you pick up a car at the airport and return it to the Swan/Dolphin?

 

[lugnut33]

Is it Alamo that's at the Swan/Dolphin, and if it is, can you pick up a car at the airport and return it to the Swan/Dolphin?

I looked at doing the Car Care Center at WDW (Alamo) and the price was double.

 

[gkrykewy]

I don't get why everyone is linking rental cars with AKV. It's got better bus service than most resorts on-property since almost all the service is direct, and the longest stop-to-stop bus ride is about 14 minutes (to magic kingdom).

Anyway, I say go for it OP - can't argue with your math. We always eat on-site, and so we've never bothered with a car.

 

[Norm1]

We sometimes rent a car from Alamo to get off property or visit friends in the area while we are there. We get a good rate if we book through BJ's. It comes with a discount and a coupon for a free day. I'll bet you can get a similar rate from Costco or others. I agree that after you lock in the rate keep checking back on-line as you get closer the rates sometimes get even better.

I usually pick up the car at MCO I don't like waiting for the ME and sometimes the ride to the resort is longer than the flight to Florida. However, on the last day I return the rental to the car care center. They will than bring you anywhere on property to finish the day. Than we take the Magical Express back to the airport. I like airline check-in at the resort but not the hassle of returning the rental at the airport and dealing with bags.

 

[MinnieGi]

If we don't drive we always rent a car. Having a stroller is a pain to schlep on and off the busses!! Plus we always stock up on food a the SuperTarget and sometimes do other day trips around Orlando. We'll also eat several meals off-site too. We also eat at different resorts and its soooo much easier to drive there than to attempt Disney transportation with multiple buses!!

 

[walkdmc]

I rented a car for the week before T-giving (we're staying on property) from Dollar. A mid-size Ford Fusion-type cost us $202 for 8 days, including taxes.

 

[Astros]

$37.20 a day for rental car is too much. Try MouseSavers rental car page, it has loads of ideas/coupon codes for lowering rental car rates.

 

[Greysword]

Another WDW vacationer that always gets a car.

We enjoy having as many options as possible, and sometimes the car just sits in the parking lot for most of the trip. I do like having the ability to pack-up and go in case something happens (someone gets sick/injured, hurricane season, DD falls asleep and needs to get to the room, tight dining reservations, etc). We also use it to do some grocery shopping at the start of the trip.

 

[dbs1228]

Always get a car, always have. We just booked a car through hotwire midsize car 6 days for 146.00 including taxes. They guarenteed car would be in terminal and that is all I cared about. After the res. was made I got a confirmation that it is Hertz I am renting from.

Shop around last year Feb I forgot to rent a car until 2 months ahead and the rate for 10 days was over 600.00 renting at the airport so we decided to use ME and rented from dollar (out of some hotel they picked us up for free) and we rented the same 600.00+ car for 268.00!!! (the 600.00 rate was the lowest at the airport and it was Dollar) And we dropped it off at the airport at the end of our trip for no additional cost.

 

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

We always get a car...love the freedom of getting up and going without waiting for buses. I usually get a great deal so it's not that bad. My dd and I just went down in Sept for a long weekend and I used priceline for the first time. I was nervous, but after reading here that all the cars awarded were in the terminal I took the plunge..ended up with a compact car for $10 a day! We got Hertz, the car was clean, low mileage and perfect for the two of us. Since it was so cheap I think that I will do that from now on. My friend did the same thing and got a minivan for $15 a day! Can't beat that!! Try it

 

[lugnut33]

We always get a car...love the freedom of getting up and going without waiting for buses. I usually get a great deal so it's not that bad. My dd and I just went down in Sept for a long weekend and I used priceline for the first time. I was nervous, but after reading here that all the cars awarded were in the terminal I took the plunge..ended up with a compact car for $10 a day! We got Hertz, the car was clean, low mileage and perfect for the two of us. Since it was so cheap I think that I will do that from now on. My friend did the same thing and got a minivan for $15 a day! Can't beat that!! Try it

Actually I tried all of them and they are all higher than the quoted rate I got direct from National.

 

[JSTX]

Actually I tried all of them and they are all higher than the quoted rate I got direct from National.

We always use National too, but when I quoted our December trip National is coming in at least $70.00 more than what I can get from Avis or Hertz. So I guess I will be switching for this trip.

 

[gwb]

We always get a rental car thru Budget by using Dis boards link http://www.wdwinfo.com/discounts/discounts-transportation.htm#rental.
When you get to the page scroll down to Budget and click on that link. Haven't found any cheaper in almost 10 years.
We usually take ME from MCO then get car from Doubletree near DT Disney.

 

[tjkraz]

I have a rate of $27 per day for 8 days in November. Rate has actually gone down twice this week--started at $29.50 per day.

That's using National's Emerald Aisle service where I skip the counter and pick my own car. Totally hassle-free.