Any rental car companies to avoid at MCO?

[disneysteve]

We are flying to Orlando next month which is highly unusual for us as we normally drive to Disney. We will be renting a car so I figured I'd check if there are any companies that folks have had problems with. We want something at the terminal preferably, not one that we have to shuttle to. I've been looking online but I don't want to choose based on price and find out there are issues.

 

[Capt_BJ]

if you decide to use Budget I recommend you sign up for the frequent user program which allows you to skip the line. I recently stood in line for over an hour trying to pick up a car at the airport. They had many agents .. there were MANY folks queued up .... and it appeared that MOST of the time folks had reserved a full size, and there were none .....

While standing in line - kicking myself for not being in the 'program' - I had plenty of time to look up and down the row of other rental agencies where I saw NO significant queues .....

 

[NH-to-FL]

We always had good luck with Hertz but then I was leveraging a corporate rate and the (free) Hertz Gold card.

I agree with the Cast_BJ that signing up for a loyalty program is very helpful. Except for the first rental where you will probably have to present your license at the counter to complete the sign up process.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I would suggest that your "in the terminal" decision will help. Personally I stick with the majors (Avis, Hertz, Dollar, Budget , National) I personally won't rent from Alamo even though most do (and I try very hard to forget that they are National are the same company. In 30 plus years of weekly travel I have said NEVER AGAIN once and made it stick. Alamo was the winner!) I also won't rent from Enterprise as I find they have an incredibly hard sale on upgrades/insurances (and I was renting on a company plan with free insurance and they still never quit selling... You should have heard the junke the guy made up!)

 

[rg35]

if you decide to use Budget I recommend you sign up for the frequent user program which allows you to skip the line. I recently stood in line for over an hour trying to pick up a car at the airport. They had many agents .. there were MANY folks queued up .... and it appeared that MOST of the time folks had reserved a full size, and there were none .....

While standing in line - kicking myself for not being in the 'program' - I had plenty of time to look up and down the row of other rental agencies where I saw NO significant queues .....

With some of these programs you still have to go to the counter on your first rental after joining the program. I know that when I signed up for Avis Preferred, I still had to visit the counter. That was four years ago though, so maybe things have changed since then.

 

[Jimsig]

I recently rented with Dollar at LAX and signed up for there express program when I made the rental. I had to go to the counter but they had a dedicated line for their express customers. I told them my name and they had everything printed out, I had given all my info on line. She looked at my license, probably to make sure I was how I said I was and led me outside and the car was waiting right out front about 3 cars from the door way. All in all I think it was less the 5 min from when I walked in until I was putting my luggage in the car.

 

[bumbershoot]

Except for the first rental where you will probably have to present your license at the counter to complete the sign up process.

Fwiw...national, alamo, Avis...I haven’t had to do that with the first rental.

 

[NH-to-FL]

Fwiw...national, alamo, Avis...I haven’t had to do that with the first rental.

Great! Thanks for the update. I had to stop at the counter at Hertz, but that was a lot of years ago.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Alamo is GREAT. I do the online check in at home. Print my paperwork at home and walk straight out to the garage and pick out my car. No stopping at the counter or kiosk. I simply hand my paperwork to the attendant at the gate along with my CC and DL. You DON'T have to join the Insiders club to use this service.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

if you decide to use Budget I recommend you sign up for the frequent user program which allows you to skip the line. I recently stood in line for over an hour trying to pick up a car at the airport. They had many agents .. there were MANY folks queued up .... and it appeared that MOST of the time folks had reserved a full size, and there were none .....

While standing in line - kicking myself for not being in the 'program' - I had plenty of time to look up and down the row of other rental agencies where I saw NO significant queues .....

I had this happen many years ago. There must have been 50 families in line. I simply called Budget while in line and joined the program then had them add my member number to my current reservation. Got out of line and went out to the garage and waited 5 minutes to get my car.

 

[disneysteve]

Alamo is GREAT. I do the online check in at home. Print my paperwork at home and walk straight out to the garage and pick out my car. No stopping at the counter or kiosk. I simply hand my paperwork to the attendant at the gate along with my CC and DL. You DON'T have to join the Insiders club to use this service.

That sounds great. We had a horrendous experience with Alamo in Orlando many years ago and swore we'd never use them again, and haven't. But back then they weren't in the terminal and their customer service was abysmal. Still, I'm not sure I could get my wife to use them again .