? about minivan rental

[Moomduck1]

Hi,
These are questions for those who have rented minivans and DRIVEN to Florida....

Do the minivans that you rent usually have a roofrack?
If yours didn't have a roofrack, were you cramped for your long drive with the luggage in the van itself?

While I appreciate those who have rented minivans at airports commenting, it is difficult to compare your experience with luggage in the van from the airport to the hotel with someone driving from PA or NY with luggage in the car!!

We got rid of our minivan and now need to rent one for a drive to FL. Hubby is in an absolute panic that we will not have a roofrack. We have called the local car rental places and no one will guarantee a roofrack.

Thanks so much!
Chris

 

[CarolA]

Just an FYI. If you plan to strap things to the roof be sure the rental car company allows this. (Especially if it does not have a roof rack and you add one of those temporary type things) I seem to recall some issues with this in the past.

As you have seen things like "roof racks" are not guranteed

 

[toocooltobeMom]

How many people are going to be going?
How many days will you be going?
You might try to pack only what you need. A lot of time people(like myself) overpacked everything. We drove to WDW almost every year. Sometime we have a full van of family members, yet we never sourced to the roof rack. Because if you have anything loaded on the roof-rack, the excess gas usage will be enormous. (it will also slowed down your vehicle too) Look into different mini-vans. You will surprise to find some have more headroom and cargo space. Good luck.

 

[Moomduck1]

We have 2 adults and 4 older teenagers. The boys are pretty tall and leggy, so we hated to give up the room in the van to the suitcases. We were limiting everyone to one suitcase. But hubby is still worried that there won't be enough room.

 

[disneysnob]

We,ve driven from MA to Disney three times. The first two were with a rented minivan (we didn't own one) and the last time was with our own minivan. We never felt the need for a roof rack, though I was always paranoid that something would fall off anyway. . The kids were 5,7 and 9 on the first trip. Then 7,9 and 11 the next time. Then 9,11 and 13 last year. We had a three suitcases (small, med and large_ a travel bag, golf clubs, and each of the kids brought their own bag/small case with their 'stuff',and their own pillows, a beach bag, a bag full of snacks, and a normal sized cooler. The cooler was kinda squeezed on the floor where the slider door opens, so the only issue was they had to step over it when we would stop. Our minivan has a built-in dvd player, but the rented ones didn't, so we had a small portable tv/vhs wedged between the two front seats. You'd be surprised how much stuff you can squeeze into a minivan. We're now planning our upcoming trip in June (driving, again) The only issue we had was that they no one really wanted to sit in the "back row" of the van---less leg room and no reclining seats.

 

[toocooltobeMom]

There was one time we were lucky enough to have rented a mini-van which accommodated 8 adults. I think it was a GMC Safari. It seemed to be higher than other regular mini-van. We rented it from Enterprise. I wonder if it is still available now???? It was unbelieveably huge inside. There were enough room under each bench-seatings for carry-on size lugguges.

It wouldn't hurt to shop around for a Safari. You'll be glad if you find one.

 

[Boston5602]

How about renting a town and country or a caravan both of stow n go storage. It may mean having to buy duffle bags for the trip to fit them in the storage but theres lots of room PLUS the regular inside area of the vehicle.

 

[Jacksmom99]

Here's what advice I can offer about minivans, we've driven from MA in ours several times. I used a roof top carrier, but I WAY over packed and the carrier ended up holding the stroller and the golf clubs.

1) Make sure the minivan you rent is a "grand" if you get a Dodge caravan. I'm not sure about other base models, but the base model caravan has very little cargo space.

2) Try to get one with a split bench in the 3rd row. Most models now have this. This way you can fold down 1/2 the seat and there's still room for a passenger.

3) Pack in duffle bags. They fit nicely stacked on top of each other in the cargo area. You can even stand them on end if you have to.

4) My last bit of advice has nothing to do with the minivan, but just general packing advice. Pack your bags, then take out 1/2 of what you packed and leave it home!! I'm REALLY trying to live by that now that we fly.

 

[Jacksmom99]

Forget what I said about the fold-down 3rd row. I just read that you have 4 teens. The duffle bags should work. You could easily stack 4 or 5 in the back. Another could sit between the two in the back.

 

[dis-happy]

Another packing tip: buy the 2 gal. storage bags, place your clothes inside and squeeze all the air out. I can pack my entire family of 5 into one large suitcase using this method (2 are teens, plus the 6 yr. old).


2 ziplock bags: my and dh's swimsuits, kids' swimsuits
2 ziplock bags per person:
1 with pj's and underwear and socks for the week
1 with 3 tops and extra pair of shorts
(we do laundry each trip)

1 toiletry bag per person (I use the 1 gal. ziplock for each kid)


We bring a second smaller suitcase for all the Disney stuff, including hats, extra shoes, laundry detergent.

Each child has a small bag for their stuff in the car during the car trip.

We also bring a cooler.

 

[Blondiex46]

Nope they didn't. I rented a minivan last April and drove from Philly to FLA and actually I didn't even think to use it if it had one , which it didn't

 

[Moomduck1]

Thanks to everyone for the tips!!! When hubby gets out of the shower, I'm showing him this page to read. I think he'll relax now that he knows others have done the trip without the luggage rack and also with the packing tips. Thanks again!