Can we rent a car to drive to Orlando? From Chicago?

[mama23babies]

Thinking of driving this time, possibly mid November. There are five of us and airfare is crazy. We would take our van, except my parents may be coming along, so we need something bigger.

This may be a silly question, but is it possible to rent a car to drive to Florida? Would we have to rent for the whole week or could we rent to drive down and then drive back? We usually don't leave property while we're there, we use Disney Transportation and stick around.

I know it would obviously cost more to rent to drive than drive our own, but it would probably still be less than the $2000 we would likely spend to fly down. Plus my parents would probably help with the cost of the rental.

Any help would be great! Thanks!

Debbie

 

[Luliemouse]

You can rent a car and drive it where ever you want. Keep in mind most rental companies charge you an extra fee if you drive the cars so many miles. So you might want to note how many miles you get. If your a Costco member you may want to look at costco travel for rental rates. I got a good deal on a car to drive from LA to Vegas.

 

[francie57]

Make sure you check with the rental company because there are some that won't let the cars go out of state or out of a certain area. One other post on here about the same thing had the poster saying they were only give so many miles for a time frame and then would be charged over that since they were taking the car to FL. Just ask the company you are planning on renting from especially since you wouldn't want anything to happen with insurance coverage if you had to file a claim and you went against the rental agreement.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Most places I've checked are unlimited mileage (including my local Enterprise) for a typical car. SUV's, minivans, premium cars, trucks, and large vans all have mileage limits.

Not saying this is how ALL rental places work, but it seems typical around here anyway. So, it would probably make the most sense to take your van plus something like a mid-size car as the rental & maybe rotate the passengers around from car to car.

 

[disneymom06]

When our car was at Ford because of a recall, we had an Enterprise rental. I was afraid it when interfere with our trip and I asked the manager about taking the car to Florida. He said that IF it was necessary that they would have to rewrite the policy because the car could not leave the tri state area. Ford was paying for the rental so I didn't even ask the price, but unless you get a really good rate, the price for a non touristy area for a large vehicle is very pricey.

 

[MrMarv]

If you're a member of the Auto Club, you can rent a minivan from the Hertz Local Edition office in Oak Lawn or many other Chitown suburbs for $770.00 with unlimited mileage for 12-14 days; I used June 5th-June 19th on the Hetz website.

Whatever you do, do not rent a car at either O'Hare or Midway Airport; the so-called 'junk fees' will easily add 10%-20% or more to the cost of your rental.

Have a great time and a very safe trip!

 

[kimberlybonilla]

I have rented minivans to drive to Disney the past several years. I have used both Enterprise and Avis, and both had UNLIMITED MILES. Look around for the best rates.

 

[happily single]

Whenever I leave the State for travel (including 2 trips to Florida) I have rented; always have had unlimited miles and never had any problem leaving the State. The first time I rented I mentioned (Enterprise) that I was going to Florida. They didn't care as long as I paid the bill

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Nearly every major rental car company will rent to you with unlimited mileage. So it most definitely can be done. As someone earlier mentioned, avoid airport locations for picking up and returning because of all the extra taxes and surcharges.

You would not want to rent in Illinois and return the car to a Florida location and then rent another car to take back to Illinois. The one way drop charge on each rental would be horrendous. Rent the car in Illinois, keep it for the week and then return it to where you rented it. Much, much cheaper.

BobK/Orlando

 

[Kassidysdad]

Thinking of driving this time, possibly mid November. There are five of us and airfare is crazy. We would take our van, except my parents may be coming along, so we need something bigger.

This may be a silly question, but is it possible to rent a car to drive to Florida? Would we have to rent for the whole week or could we rent to drive down and then drive back? We usually don't leave property while we're there, we use Disney Transportation and stick around.

I know it would obviously cost more to rent to drive than drive our own, but it would probably still be less than the $2000 we would likely spend to fly down. Plus my parents would probably help with the cost of the rental.

Any help would be great! Thanks!

Debbie

I have rented Minivans from Alamo and National at the airport in Manchester NH - I live nearby - I have drove down from NH to Disney 3 years in a row - got the minivans for 11 days - by the time I was done with codes and coupons, cost me a little over 400 for the rental (all 3 years), with taxes.. Alamo & National (as well as others listed here ) are usually unlimited miles and you can drive anywhere in the US ( per Alamo/National online contracts). Join Alamo Insiders and National Emerald - both are free and you can read and see what they offer. By the way, I think I was close or over 3000 miles each rental. Have fun.

 

[bookwormde]

Mid to late november is the time to get deal going south. in November i got a rental car for $60 from PHL to WDW.

 

[seashoreCM]

Read the typical contract in advance and also read the actual contract you get to verify that there are no geographical restrictions (such as the state of rental plus adjoining states only).

What the counter agent or telephone reservationist tells you is not firm or binding.