Hi all , could anyone reccommend the best car hire company in Orlando
who's best ... hard to say. For every DISer who will recommend one, there will be another with a painful story.
I personally always use Alamo. Convinients, fast, easy, and one of the best from a toll road program standpoint
would it be better to book in the uk ?
definitely, yes.
You'll get your car for half, or 1/3rd of the price if you book online on the UK website for your car rental company
To give you an idea. A full size for 3 weeks is priced at £450 full inclusive if booked from the UK (rough estimate) and the same car, same period, rented from the US website will be at least £1000
is it best to pick up from airport or villa ?
whatever works best for you.
picking up at the airport might be easier since you won't have to worry about transfer to your villa (unless it's Disney Villa and you can get DME)
I always get my car at the airport, even though I stay onsite and can get DME.
With Alamo you just check in at the airport, walk to the garage and pick your car from the lot. As easy as it gets.
Be advised that Florida has lots of toll roads. And both access roads (north and south) for the airport are toll roads.
You need to make sure that you have a few dollars in cash. You can take cash with you or withdraw at an ATM at the airport
some toll gates will not be manned. You'll need to get a few quarters before hitting the road. You can find change machine (can't pinpoint where though) where you can get quarters from bills.
Alternately you can use your rental company's toll program. It will be more expensive, but it's easier.
is sat-nav needed/worth it ?
do you get lost often while driving ?
Do you intend to go places off the chart ? or will you remain on WDW property roads
I never use satnav, but it is said that I have a good sense of orientation.
Still the flight is tiring, and I must admit that the very first time I drove from the airport to the "disney zone" I clocked quite a few miles more than I should have.
The next day it was pretty much straightforward as Disney signage is very efficient.
insurance wise is everything paid before hand
depends on the rental company. Some will get very cheap but once you get there they tell you that you need to get a mandatory insurance. And you end up paying more.
With major companies like Alamo you get CDW Full. You can subscribe to extras such as excess waiver for undercarriage damage and extended protection and stuff.
Don't get tricked into purchasing more than you need
check with your insurance, credit card company, bank and so on, you may already have an extended coverage.
The rates you'll get from Alamo (for example) from the UK will include all the protection anyone needs (baring an act of god, or alien invasion and stuff like that
)
or is there hidden extras on site ?
they will try (all of them) to sell you extras. Such as a class upgrade.
they'll tell you there is no way you'll fit all your luggage into that compact.
My advice is that if you think you need a bigger car, do it when you book. Upgrading at the agency will be more expensive. You'll get 2 class upgrades on the internet when you'd only get 1 class for the same price at the agency.
you may need to purchase a full tank of gas, this will enable you to return the car with the fuel at any level. If you decline, you'll need to tank up before returning the car.
some companies will try to sell you toll road programs. Some are expensive.
With alamo you're already opted-in, you only get charged when you use toll roads and choose the toll-by-plate lane. If you intend on paying cash you don't need that. check your rental company's policy on toll roads.
and finally is driving easy lol ?
it probably doesn't get easier.
Large 3 or 4 lanes highways. Very straightforward.
One thing I did was to use google earth, go into streetview mode and virtually drove around to get used to the area.
Some things are different in the US
Right turns are allowed on red light, unless otherwise posted. You need to yield though.
Traffic lights hang over the crossing. You need to pay attention to the white line on the ground and stop at the line.
For us europeans it's sometimes confusing since we're used to driving up to the light.
4 ways stop sign crossings work on a first in first out basis. The first driver who stops has right of way after he has stopped. Then it's the turn of the driver who stopped next, and so on
Mind the speed limit. It's strictly enforced even on Disney property, there are lots of speed traps.
Speeding fines are doubled if road workers are present.
It is unlawful to have an open container of alcohol in the car. If you have an half finished beer and intend to take it back to the villa to finish it, you're in deep trouble, even if you're under the blood alcohol limit. No open containers, period.
P.s sorry for so many questions
sorry, I had to make many replies
. Early Dinner.
