Best Deals for WDW Car Rental?

[aristocatz]

We are needing to rent a car on our last day to get to my parents house in FL a few hours away.

I've been doing some research & it looks like National & Alamo are the two that are easiest to get to on WDW property (by going over to the Dolphin).

I've also heard there are AAA discounts, & also heard if you book car rental through some sites, you can get a discount on park tickets.

Any advice/suggestions? We are needing to rent a 7 passenger mini van.

Thanks!

 

[bianca]

We always rent from Dollar. We usually get a compact car for around $100/ week. For our upcoming October trip, we have rented a 12 passenger van for our party of 10 at a cost of $182 per week. There are some good deals to be had if you just keep watching.

 

[MumziMom]

Will you be returning the car, or dropping it off at a different location? I'm not sure what the law is in Florida, as some states do not allow those extra drop off fees. I've been searching a lot, and am coming up with different numbers depending on where you are dropping the car off. For example, it appears to cost less if you drop the car off at Tampa airport. For me, it is a lot cheaper to rent a minivan for a week at MCO (Orlando) airport and return there. If I rent for one less day, rent at Disney Car Center, then return to MCO, it costs me $200 more. You will need to search the different scenarios. You might find it the least expensive to take Magical Express back to the airport and rent from there. You should run the numbers depending on your own needs, because a drop-off at a different airport may save you or cost you, depending on the needs of the rental company.

 

[aristocatz]

We always rent from Dollar. We usually get a compact car for around $100/ week. For our upcoming October trip, we have rented a 12 passenger van for our party of 10 at a cost of $182 per week. There are some good deals to be had if you just keep watching.

WOW! We were looking at National & Alamo at $1530/week for a 7 passenger van-your prices are way better!

Unfortunately though, we do need to choose a company that is on WDW property, due to timing & our party.

The $130 price is only if we pay in advance. We are traveling the first week in December. Do these places book up?

 

[aristocatz]

Will you be returning the car, or dropping it off at a different location? I'm not sure what the law is in Florida, as some states do not allow those extra drop off fees. I've been searching a lot, and am coming up with different numbers depending on where you are dropping the car off. For example, it appears to cost less if you drop the car off at Tampa airport. For me, it is a lot cheaper to rent a minivan for a week at MCO (Orlando) airport and return there. If I rent for one less day, rent at Disney Car Center, then return to MCO, it costs me $200 more. You will need to search the different scenarios. You might find it the least expensive to take Magical Express back to the airport and rent from there. You should run the numbers depending on your own needs, because a drop-off at a different airport may save you or cost you, depending on the needs of the rental company.

We are dropping it off in Naples, which is the second half of our Florida vacation. Due to timing though, we would not be able to take the ME to MCO. We are specifically looking for companies we can access on property, & get there using WDW transportation.

 

[CoP Luv]

Check the transportation board on the DIS. I found so many codes and different ways to save money by looking at the threads there. We ended up renting our car from the Car Care Center. While they were the cheapest, they also sent a shuttle to the Wolderness Lodge to pick us up to get our car. I was originally only looking at places where I could take WDW transportation too until I found out some of the rental places have shuttle to pick you up.

 

[Hisgirl]

And be very careful and know how the company handles toll charges. Alamo is the one we always use because if we always pay cash at tolls, they doo not charge us a daily toll fee.

 

[MumziMom]

It really does depend on the days you want to rent for, as well as how long you will rent for. I recommend looking at the Costco travel site, as I just found a fairly good deal for my car rental, and you don't need to be a member to look. You have some limitations that you stated above, as you will need to pick up from the Disney Car Care center, which narrows down your choices a LOT (to only one car rental brand; Alamo). If you are willing to take an Uber from your resort to one of the other local car rental places (you can specify a van), or use a resort near Disney Springs, that you could take a bus to, it could save you a lot of money. If it was me I would check my bags with bell services, take a bus to Disney Springs with my family, and walk over to the Hilton so both adults could sign onto the car rental/get a free driver. If your significant other will not be driving, head on over yourself, drive back and pick them all up with the luggage at the hotel.

For example, for a weeks' worth of days in August, I found, on the Costco site, that you could rent from the Disney Car Care Center and drop off at the Naples airport a minivan for a week for $741. Or, for the same dates, and taking an Uber over to the Hilton Hotel near Disney Springs, (or even a bus from your resort to Disney Springs Marketplace - it is an 8 minute walk to the Hilton from the Earl of Sandwich per Google) you could rent a minivan from Avis for $450.45. You would save a lot more than the cost of a Costco membership. You could also make the reservation now, keep checking for better rates, and then cancel.

Alamo rates on their own site (they are at the Disney Car Care Center) are higher. Costco rates include a second driver. Rented through the Alamo site, Alamo charges avg. $12 a day for a 2nd driver, per their site.

If you need the car for just 24 hours, dropping off at the Naples Municipal Airport, I was finding rates in August for a minivan for $84 (Hilton/Avis) or $89 (Disney Car Care). That doesn't seem bad at all for dropping off at another location and having a second driver.

Prices are all over the place. I recommend you think about any affiliations that you have, or would be willing to have if it would save you big $$$. A $55 on a Costco membership could save you big $$$ on a weekly rental, but not so much on a daily rental. Maybe you have AAA, or have another membership. They all have their own "affiliate codes." There are a couple of Hertz locations you could Uber to on the Disney property, and Hertz often has stackable deals/coupons on their site.

 

[MumziMom]

Also, I just checked Costco Travel for dates: 12/06/17 5 pm pick up - 12/13/2017 2:00 drop off in Naples. Avis at the Hilton Hotel has a minivan for Rate: 301.02 + 78.09 taxes/fees total: $379.11 Includes second driver. You would need to get to the Hilton (see above) but if you didn't want to take Disney Transportation and walk, or Uber it, you could rent a stretch limo and drive over there with the $ you would save, even including a Costco membership.

 

[Albort]

I always find credit card portals to have the best rate.

 

[RustManFan]

I just got a AARP rate and an additional discount for paying right away rather than at desk (Budget)