We just got back from 10 very hot days at WDW.
Every week I read someone on these boards asking about Advantage Rental Car. I used Advantage on this trip so I thought I would give a detailed evaluation of my experiences.
Cost - I made my reservation with Advantage a long time ago and scored a great rate. I had reserved a Mid-Size for only $102/wk. Comparing that with current rates it is less than half what is quoted today. Todays rates are not as good and the cost advantage is not so dramatic.
Shuttle After we got our bags we proceeded down to the Ground Transportation level. The Shuttle was there waiting. We had no wait and got right on with another couple. Within a matter of a few minutes we were on our way. I did hear that Advantage is one of the car rental agencies that are moving into MCO. That will be nice.
Rental Counter I had heard horror stories about how long the lines are and how slow the process takes. I had a friend that waited in line over 90 minutes. We got there and there were only 4 people in line and 4 agents. I thought this would be a breeze. I was wrong. They are very slow. We waited 20 minutes before being called to the counter. From there things went down hill.
The guy we dealt with tried to be our best friend. He first wanted to know if we want the full insurance coverage or just the LDW. I explained that I didnt want either. I know all rental agencies try to sell LDW but this guy was a little over the top and my friend had it stuck on his contract and told it wasnt optional. So we got that issue resolved.
Next he stuck a contract in my face to sign. It had the prepaid gas coverage on it even though I said I will return it full. I made him redo it without the $35 gas option. The third contract he wanted me to sign had a new charge for Roadside Assistance. Again I told him to take that off. Finally I got a clean contract after many attempts to sucker punch me.
The Car My contract was for a Mid-Size but what I got was a compact. I couldnt even get two suitcases in the trunk. By this time all I wanted to do was get out of there. The car had almost 33k miles which I pretty high for a rental. It smelled liked someone smoked in it and the fabric on the seats were stained and thread bear. I was a few miles down the road when I noticed that the tank wasnt full. It was at ¾ but it was too late to do anything about it. This was not a well kept car. It did drive ok and it served our needs for the trip.
The Return When I returned the car the process was easy and uneventful. The shuttle was there and ready to take us back to MCO.
Final Thoughts I you are willing to put up with some aggravation and the price is a concern then give them a try. But watch what you sign because they will try and sucker you into extra fees. They are not easy to work with and the cars are not very good.
Every week I read someone on these boards asking about Advantage Rental Car. I used Advantage on this trip so I thought I would give a detailed evaluation of my experiences.
Cost - I made my reservation with Advantage a long time ago and scored a great rate. I had reserved a Mid-Size for only $102/wk. Comparing that with current rates it is less than half what is quoted today. Todays rates are not as good and the cost advantage is not so dramatic.
Shuttle After we got our bags we proceeded down to the Ground Transportation level. The Shuttle was there waiting. We had no wait and got right on with another couple. Within a matter of a few minutes we were on our way. I did hear that Advantage is one of the car rental agencies that are moving into MCO. That will be nice.
Rental Counter I had heard horror stories about how long the lines are and how slow the process takes. I had a friend that waited in line over 90 minutes. We got there and there were only 4 people in line and 4 agents. I thought this would be a breeze. I was wrong. They are very slow. We waited 20 minutes before being called to the counter. From there things went down hill.
The guy we dealt with tried to be our best friend. He first wanted to know if we want the full insurance coverage or just the LDW. I explained that I didnt want either. I know all rental agencies try to sell LDW but this guy was a little over the top and my friend had it stuck on his contract and told it wasnt optional. So we got that issue resolved.
Next he stuck a contract in my face to sign. It had the prepaid gas coverage on it even though I said I will return it full. I made him redo it without the $35 gas option. The third contract he wanted me to sign had a new charge for Roadside Assistance. Again I told him to take that off. Finally I got a clean contract after many attempts to sucker punch me.
The Car My contract was for a Mid-Size but what I got was a compact. I couldnt even get two suitcases in the trunk. By this time all I wanted to do was get out of there. The car had almost 33k miles which I pretty high for a rental. It smelled liked someone smoked in it and the fabric on the seats were stained and thread bear. I was a few miles down the road when I noticed that the tank wasnt full. It was at ¾ but it was too late to do anything about it. This was not a well kept car. It did drive ok and it served our needs for the trip.
The Return When I returned the car the process was easy and uneventful. The shuttle was there and ready to take us back to MCO.
Final Thoughts I you are willing to put up with some aggravation and the price is a concern then give them a try. But watch what you sign because they will try and sucker you into extra fees. They are not easy to work with and the cars are not very good.
