Alamo at Car Care Center, Dolphin or Shades of Green

[kjetjl]

We are trying to decide which is the best for our situation. All rentals are the same price so we are mostly looking for convenience...

1. We are staying at All Star Sports and need a car for a Sat. to drive to visit family about an hour away. Car is rented until the next morning but we would prefer to return it after hours to avoid paying parking for the night at the resort.
2. We are going to Epcot the next morning

Option 1: Shades of Green. We rented from here years ago.
Pros: We know that we can call for someone to pick us up at the hotel. DH can just walk over to transportation center and take monorail to Epcot.
Cons: Have to pay for overnight parking. Last time DH had to wait a while when returning the car because there was only 1 worker and she was picking up a renter.

Option 2: Dolphin.
Pros: I have read we can drop off after hours with Valet attendant. We can then hop on a bus to Disney Springs, spend a little time there and hop on a bus back to ASSp.
Cons: I have read NO shuttle or pick up from ***. I called the 1-888 Alamo number to inquire about a shuttle and to ask for recommendation on how to get to the Dolphin at 8:30 AM but I get a busy tone or no answer.

If we decide to go with this option, can we just Uber from ASSp to Dolphin?

Option 3: Car Care Center
Pros: Shuttle to and from hotel and to Epcot.
Cons: Have to pay overnight parking. If we drop off after hours, we have to figure out how to get back to hotel. Uber?

 

[firstwdw]

You could also pick up at Care Car Center and return to Dolphin, We've done that before. I find that Shades of Green hours are VERY limited-9am-noon only so even when staying at Shades of Green, it is just not overly convenient due to the very limited hours.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Getting to Dolphin: bus to DHS, boat (first stop) or walk (about ten minutes) to Dolphin.

eta: All Star Sports abbreviation is ASSp

 

[writerguyfl]

There is also an Alamo/National desk at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace. That's one of the hotels located adjacent to the Marketplace section of Disney Springs. Like the other locations, they offer after-hours returns. In my experience, all of the on-site Alamo/National locations charge the same rates because they are operated by the same people.

The benefit of the Hilton Buena Vista Palace location is that you don't need to worry about calling for a ride. Except for 2am to 9am (approximate times), you can get to/from your Disney Resort using the Disney Springs buses.

Hint: If you can't find the location on the Alamo website, enter "Orlando" and not "Disney World". You'll see it under "Orlando Buena Vista".

 

[kjetjl]

You could also pick up at Care Car Center and return to Dolphin, We've done that before. I find that Shades of Green hours are VERY limited-9am-noon only so even when staying at Shades of Green, it is just not overly convenient due to the very limited hours.

Thank you for this. I couldn't figure out how to do the reservation on the Costco website but was able to do a booking on the Alamo site using different pick up and drop off locations. It ended up costing $10 more, but cheaper than the other options. Still looking for discount to bring the cost down...

 

[firstwdw]

Thank you for this. I couldn't figure out how to do the reservation on the Costco website but was able to do a booking on the Alamo site using different pick up and drop off locations. It ended up costing $10 more, but cheaper than the other options. Still looking for discount to bring the cost down...

Interesting! When we we did it, it was less to pick up at Car Care Center and return to Dolphin. Keep an eye on the price and watch for discounts!

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Thank you for this. I couldn't figure out how to do the reservation on the Costco website but was able to do a booking on the Alamo site using different pick up and drop off locations. It ended up costing $10 more, but cheaper than the other options. Still looking for discount to bring the cost down...

You might try the Costco Alamo contract ID=7014627 (good for rentals through 08/01/2019) and possibly the Costco upgrade coupon code=AU2291VYT (only for rentals through 12/31/2018) on the Alamo site rather than using the Costco site to book. This usually gives me the Costco rates with the different pick up and drop off locations without having to navigate the Costco site. You also then qualify for the free second driver that goes with the Costco booking. I would try this for your current booking to see if the rate drops and then cancel the original booking if it does. You will need to enter your Costco member number to complete the reservation process if you use these codes.