Car rental at Port Canaveral

[TandLMommy28]

If we decide to rent a car at MCO and spend a couple days at the beach instead of at Disney, how does it work? If we return the car at Port Canaveral, do they shuttle us over to the ship? Is it walking distance? Just trying to figure out what we are looking at.

 

[MUN]

If we decide to rent a car at MCO and spend a couple days at the beach instead of at Disney, how does it work? If we return the car at Port Canaveral, do they shuttle us over to the ship? Is it walking distance? Just trying to figure out what we are looking at.

You will take a shuttle between the ship and the Port Canaveral car rental agency.

 

[openwater]

Only the following car rental companies allows one-way rentals/drop offs to Port Canaveral from Orlando:

Hertz
Budget
Dollar
Thrifty
Avis
National
Alamo

During peak hours from 11am to 12:30pm the line of vehicles for drop-offs can get a bit long. If you drop-off earlier or later it will be smooth sailing!

Here are some tips:

- Opt out of Prepaid Gas Option. There are several gas stations near the rental car buildings with low prices! Look for Speedway stations in Orlando and Racetrac next to the Residence Inn at Cape Canaveral.


- Check your Rental Car company website often for lower rates! You can cancel and rebook if needed to save money!


- Do not use the Toll Road Transponder service. Just pay ($1 + $1 = $2) in cash when driving from Orlando Airport to Port Canaveral (add another $1.25 + $1.25 = $2.50 when driving from Disneyworld)!


- Look for online specials on the respective rental car websites.


- Search the internet for car rental codes or coupons. You will find many different codes from AAA codes to magazine reader codes to tire company codes! Some require a paper coupon and blackout dates apply, but keep on trying! It should save you money!

Here is a map of the locations and photos of the buildings and vehicles.

 

[TandLMommy28]

Only the following car rental companies allows one-way rentals/drop offs to Port Canaveral from Orlando:

Hertz
Budget
Dollar
Thrifty
Avis
National
Alamo

During peak hours from 11am to 12:30pm the line of vehicles for drop-offs can get a bit long. If you drop-off earlier or later it will be smooth sailing!

Here are some tips:

- Opt out of Prepaid Gas Option. There are several gas stations near the rental car buildings with low prices! Look for Speedway stations in Orlando and Racetrac next to the Residence Inn at Cape Canaveral.

I miss Racetrac! I used to live in Florida and that was my favorite.

Thanks for the info. We don't plan to be in a rush to get on the ship so we will lean towards later arrival when things slow down. Are the shuttles from the drop offs free or is there a fee?

 

[openwater]

I miss Racetrac! I used to live in Florida and that was my favorite.

Thanks for the info. We don't plan to be in a rush to get on the ship so we will lean towards later arrival when things slow down. Are the shuttles from the drop offs free or is there a fee?

Car rental shuttles are free! Yes, we go to Racetrac for coffee and donuts instead of coffee shops!

 

[Capt_BJ]

add Payless to the list

 

[openwater]

add Payless to the list

The OP is doing a one-way rental. Are Payless one-way rentals available from MCO to Cape Canaveral?
It is available from Sanford.

 

[guacgirl]

I made a reservation for a one way rental through Budget from MCO to Port Canaveral on our cruise embarkation day because it seems to be less expensive than booking a shuttle van. We are staying at the Hyatt Orlando Airport the night before and there are 7 of us. However, my husband pointed out that it could be more hassle to get the car and return it and take a shuttle to the port rather than just going directly to the port in a shuttle van. So I am trying to make the decision whether to keep the one way rental or book a shuttle van. Does anyone have any advice on this? How much in advance do I need to reserve a shuttle van if I decide to do that? Thanks!

 

[openwater]

Assuming you are not using the rental car for travel while in Orlando, a (private) shuttle makes more sense in terms of convenience. Unless they plan to explore, most folks rent a car because it is often the cheapest (not most convenient) option.

A shared shuttle will cost you upwards of $120 (Cortrans for example). For that price you should consider a private shuttle (up to 12 people) instead from companies like Cocoa Beach Shuttle, Mears, Cortrans, etc. Even stretched limo's are popular but I do not know where all the luggage go! The Disney bus will cost $245 but you get the door-to-cabin luggage service from the Hyatt.

Budget is one of the busier rental companies and some days during peak hours the drop off line extends into the main A1A road - a bit frustrating for sure. However, if you are willing to drop off later, say 1pm, you should see smooth sailing with no lines and zero frustration!

To further help the decision you can check how many cruise ships are in on your departure day. If more than two you can expect longer lines at budget. Sure, you can drop your crew first at the cruise terminal and only one go drop the car, but I still think paying slightly more for a private shuttle is the way to go.

Booking a shuttle early cannot hurt and is recommended - some have internet specials. Mears has a desk next to Carnival at the terminal if you want to book the shuttle with a live person the day you fly in.

 

[steves100]

Only the following car rental companies allows one-way rentals/drop offs to Port Canaveral from Orlando:

Hertz
Budget
Dollar
Thrifty
Avis
National
Alamo

During peak hours from 11am to 12:30pm the line of vehicles for drop-offs can get a bit long. If you drop-off earlier or later it will be smooth sailing!

Here are some tips:

- Opt out of Prepaid Gas Option. There are several gas stations near the rental car buildings with low prices! Look for Speedway stations in Orlando and Racetrac next to the Residence Inn at Cape Canaveral.


- Check your Rental Car company website often for lower rates! You can cancel and rebook if needed to save money!


- Do not use the Toll Road Transponder service. Just pay ($1 + $1 = $2) in cash when driving from Orlando Airport to Port Canaveral (add another $1.25 + $1.25 = $2.50 when driving from Disneyworld)!


- Look for online specials on the respective rental car websites.


- Search the internet for car rental codes or coupons. You will find many different codes from AAA codes to magazine reader codes to tire company codes! Some require a paper coupon and blackout dates apply, but keep on trying! It should save you money!

Here is a map of the locations and photos of the buildings and vehicles.

I disagree about the transponder!
I would use it. MUCH more convenient and the the added charge isnt too much

 

[openwater]

I disagree about the transponder!
I would use it. MUCH more convenient and the the added charge isnt too much

I hear you, but the point was to save as much money as possible when renting a car from MCO or Sanford or Melbourne to the Port. Why pay at least $3.95 extra when there are only two (fast) tolls $1 + $1 from MCO? And there are wide-spread reports of rather hefty charges by rental car companies causing plenty of disputes. The transponder small-print is not clear.

If convenience is more important then I absolutely agree, opt in for the transponder,

 

[n2mm]

I did read recently that Alamo/National have moved and are now closer to the terminal. I saved a map showing the new location. Though they do tend to be more expensive than Budget. Since we are EA members we opted to use National. This is our first time doing the 1 way rentals. Mostly because we are using 2 free days coupons we have, so our cost is minimum. Since it's only 2 of us, we probably will both board the shuttles. If we had the family with us, we would let one go and come back.