Alamo/National Aisles at MCO

[lizziepooh]

Are the Alamo and National car rental aisles at MCO near each other?

Does Alamo have something similar to National's Emerald Aisle where you can pick out your own car? Thanks.

 

[Akck]

For Alamo, if you do online check-in and leave CC information, you can go directly to the garage. Once there, they will check your paperwork and show you the row where you can pick any vehicle. Sometimes, there will be other category vehicles in the row. For instance, we saw a minivan in the midsized SUV section and we once chose a large SUV from the standard SUV section.

 

[lizziepooh]

Thank you so much for the info.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

For Alamo, if you do online check-in and leave CC information, you can go directly to the garage. Once there, they will check your paperwork and show you the row where you can pick any vehicle. Sometimes, there will be other category vehicles in the row. For instance, we saw a minivan in the midsized SUV section and we once chose a large SUV from the standard SUV section.

You may want to join Alamo’s Insider loyalty program. Online registration is easy and free.

 

[torquelover]

So has anyone been here lately and seen the selections?

We have a Luxury Elite SUV selected. I’m very curious what is typically in the aisle for this.

 

[PatMcDuck]

(alamo, after doing online check in) I just walk to the appropriate aisle, sometimes ask an employee to point me in the right direction. I like to check for smokey smell and key fobs. Also more room in back of the SUV to fit my son's chair without folding a seat down (so usually spring for a standard SUV not mid, although often in the mid aisle there were larger ones).

One time with my daughter we took a bright red Wrangler, it was hilarious. (on mid aisle). We practically had to climb into it. We never tried to remove the roof pieces.

 

[NotUrsula]

Have any of y'all rented at MCO since the start of the pandemic? I've done 3 rentals there in that period, the most recent in January, and all 3 times all separate loyalty-club processes were suspended, requiring all renters to come to the counter, where a specific car was assigned.
(Long lines, too; since the start of the pandemic it has taken at least an hour to get through the line each time.)

I'd check with the company ahead of your arrival to be sure that MCO has restored loyalty-program service. (FWIW, TPA's service was all normal, but MCO was a mess. Also, do be aware that there is a shortage of rental cars in the Florida fleet right now, due to 4500 rental cars getting destroyed by a wildfire in a parking lot near Ft. Myers last April. $100M worth of cars were lost, most of which have not yet been replaced.)

 

[Akck]

I was able to check in online and skip the counter for our Nov/Dec trip with Alamo.

 

[jkelly86]

I have a question about the online check-in and credit card info with Alamo. I have a pay at the counter reservation with Alamo for Easter weekend (mini-van) and I have a back-up reservation with Budget (Fastbreak), also a mini-van. Budget is cheaper with a more convenient return location for us, but if the lines are crazy (or they run out of mini-vans, which has happened to us), we will use Alamo. My question: if we have success with Budget, can we cancel Alamo at the last minute without being charged?

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I have a question about the online check-in and credit card info with Alamo. I have a pay at the counter reservation with Alamo for Easter weekend (mini-van) and I have a back-up reservation with Budget (Fastbreak), also a mini-van. Budget is cheaper with a more convenient return location for us, but if the lines are crazy (or they run out of mini-vans, which has happened to us), we will use Alamo. My question: if we have success with Budget, can we cancel Alamo at the last minute without being charged?

No, you need to cancel before the day of your rental, typically 24 hours before pickup time to avoid penalties.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

Have any of y'all rented at MCO since the start of the pandemic? I've done 3 rentals there in that period, the most recent in January, and all 3 times all separate loyalty-club processes were suspended, requiring all renters to come to the counter, where a specific car was assigned.
(Long lines, too; since the start of the pandemic it has taken at least an hour to get through the line each time.)

I'd check with the company ahead of your arrival to be sure that MCO has restored loyalty-program service. (FWIW, TPA's service was all normal, but MCO was a mess. Also, do be aware that there is a shortage of rental cars in the Florida fleet right now, due to 4500 rental cars getting destroyed by a wildfire in a parking lot near Ft. Myers last April. $100M worth of cars were lost, most of which have not yet been replaced.)

We rented with Alamo and didn't have this issue. We were still able to walk to the garage and straight to our row to pick a car from. However I agree that someone should check (with any company) before assuming this is still in place as it could change at anytime and those lines can get super long and annoying to stand in!